Waqf in Higher Educational Institutions: Factors of Development in the Abbasid Era (334-656 AH)

Abstract

This study investigates the historical context of the development of waqf educational institutions during the Abbasid Era from the fourth century AH to the seventh century AH. This study focused on two parts. The first investigates the internal and external factors that contributed to the development of waqf institutions and discusses the impact of political conflicts between (local) rival powers on waqf-related institutions. The second part demonstrates the unique development that educational institutions witnessed and their organizational structures. These political factors and external challenges had the greatest impact on the establishment of these schools, the multiplicity of their fields of specialization, and the diversity of their educational programmes. This qualitative development that occurred in the structure of the waqf institution and its administrative system had a limited previous existence and appeared in the form of individual initiatives before it was generalized due to the wide official support. The findings show the leading role of endowment in the development of those institutions. The history of the emergence of schools and their development as higher educational institutions independent of the mosque shows that they were indebted in their development to endowment activities, both voluntary and governmental.