Social group: Lecturer at the Kharij (postgraduate) level of jurisprudence and legal theories said that endowment (waqf) causes divine values to spread and people's religious beliefs to be strengthened and that it leads to promotion of public culture and improvement of people's living condition in the society.
According to Iranian International Quran News Agency (IQNA) as reported by the official website of Endowment and Charitable Affairs Organization, Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani, lecturer at the Kharij (postgraduate) level of jurisprudence and legal theories said that the good practice of endowment is a recommended act mentioned clearly in the narrations from the infallibles. Endowment is an act which God, the Exalted, encourages everyone to carry out and those who have wealth should use their wealth to solve the problems of the Islamic society.
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani went on saying that endowment is a tradition that was common among the Infallibles (a.s.). "At a time when water was considered to be the most precious commodity in Hijaz (Arabian Peninsula), Imam Ali used to dig up wells and endow its water for the public. Some of the wells which the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.) dug up with his own hands can still be found near Shajarah Mosque in Medina," he said.
Lecturer at the Kharij (postgraduate) level of jurisprudence and legal theories further said that endowment is a recommended act which earns the endower a good deed in this world and in the next world after his death. "Endowers should note that they should endow things in such a way that the custodian or trustee does not face a difficulty when he intends to act in compliance with the intention of the endower," he stressed.
He further said that endowment causes divine values to spread and people's religious beliefs to be strengthened and that it leads to promotion of public culture and improvement of the living condition of people in the society. "In fact, this good practice is always useful and it can have very good effects on the society," he noted.
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani underscored the necessity of the trustees' awareness of the necessary conditions for implementation of this good practice. "The trustees of endowed estates and properties should act in a way such that the endowments are revived. One of the essential requirements of endowment is that the capital should be halal and that it should have been earned through lawful means and if it is not halal, the practice of endowment will not be in order," he further said.
He termed endowment as a continuous source of blessings and charity, and stressed on promotion and expansion of the culture of endowment in the society. "The affluent ones have a great role to play and this role can be effective only when the custodians persuade with their actions the financially capable individuals to endow," Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani said.
He said that most of the endowments made in the past were intended for religious propagation and promulgation of religious rites especially commemorations for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (a.s.). "The facilities used in the form of endowed properties for holding mourning gatherings to spread the culture of Ashura and Imam Hussein (a.s.) are the main reason behind the promulgation and continuous commemoration of the culture of Ashura. Definitely, the endowments that have already been made for mourning the martyrdom of the Imam Hussein (a.s.) lead to promotion of religious culture and thought."
"It is necessary to engage in spreading the culture of Ahlul-Bayt (a.s) on all the days of the year which are ascribed to the Ahlul-Bayt (a.s). In this way, the ground is further paved for promotion of religious culture," he said.
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani stressed on the role of religious scholars and preachers in spreading the culture of endowment. Their views and opinions have a great impact on the general behavior of people. Should the scholars, religious authorities, intellectuals, teachers and veterans of the Islamic seminary speak about the culture of endowment and elaborate on this good tradition and show people the right way of endowing, this culture will develop and spread.
As a consequence of the promotion of the culture of endowment in the society, the trustees of endowment shall have an opportunity to solve the problems of the country with the help of the people, with the scholars playing a very constructive role in this regard.
Source: Int'l Quran News Agency