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The Waqf in Contemporary Omani Historiography
Abstract
This paper is concerned with the manifestations of the waqf, the mechanism for endowing property in Islamic law, in the Sultanate of Oman, pertaining particularly to the city of Nizwa. The waqf is still a major feature of economic and social life in Oman, especially Nizwa. The waqf appears in Ib??? fiqh from an early stage, such as in the J?mi?a of Ibn Ja?far, and throughout the development of Ib??? fiqh, the elaboration of the waqf remained similar to that of its non-Ib??? Muslim counterparts. However, contrary to the case in Oman, in many other Islamic countries the administration and function of the waqf was dramatically transformed and in some cases eliminated by colonialization and nationalization. In my paper, I suggest that modern historiography about the waqf demonstrates that the status of the waqf is unique in Nizwa and Oman more broadly—it retains both a privileged social position and a practical functionality. While the government of Oman began the process of centralizing the administration of the waqf across the country in the late 20th century, the waqf in its myriad forms remains both practically and symbolically important in contemporary Nizwa and elsewhere in Oman. The significance of the waqf to Omani society is demonstrated both by studies on its history, such as Al-Waqf f? Nizw? , and by studies on Nizwa generally, such as Al-Salw? f? T?r?kh Nizw?. Both studies situate the waqf within both theoretical fiqh works from the pre-modern period and emphasize its significance to the social and cultural history of Nizwa. For example, Al-Waqf f? Nizw? specifically does not cover the modern period, but the project traces the development of the waqf in Nizwa from the early Islamic period to the beginning of the centralization undertaken by the sultans of the Ya?ruba dynasty (17th-18th centuries CE), a centralization that is mirrored in the contemporary period. The Salw? f? T?r?kh Nizw?, further, devotes the majority of the chapter on waqf to delineating its 65 types found in the city of Nizwa, ranging from endowments for the repair of mosques to the provision of study materials for students; this is despite the fact that many of these highly specific waqfs have been subsumed into general funds. As such, in this paper, I show that contemporary historiography can be used to show the way that the waqf has retained its social and political importance in Oman.
Discipline
Law
Geographic Area
Oman
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries