Book of Endowments (waqf)
A waqf becomes valid in two ways:
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By a deed that points to it—such as turning one’s land into a mosque and allowing people to pray there, or designating it a cemetery and permitting burials in it.
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By spoken words.
a. Explicit formulas are: “I have endowed it,” “I have set it aside,” and “I have dedicated it.”
b. Allusive formulas are: “I have donated it,” “I have made it unlawful (to dispose of),” and “I have perpetuated it.” Through these indirect phrases (1) a waqf is concluded when accompanied by intention, or when they are linked to any of the five explicit terms (2) or to the legal ruling (3) of waqf.
For the waqf to be valid (4) the following conditions must be met:
• It must involve a tangible asset from which benefit can be gained while the corpus remains—such as real estate, livestock, books, and the like.
• The purpose must be charitable—mosques, bridges, the poor, and similar causes—not, for example, a church or copies of the Torah.
• It is valid in favor of a particular non-Muslim subject (dhimmī), and likewise by bequest, but not in favor of an angel, an animal, or a fetus—though they may benefit incidentally.
• The beneficiary’s acceptance is not required, nor is removing the asset from the donor’s possession.
If someone endows property upon himself, the income is immediately diverted to those designated to receive it after him.