Religious and social significance of the Waqfs in the Kazakh Land

Abstract

The culture of waqfs, which arose in Muslim countries on the basis of generosity and mutual assistance, is a religious and legal structure that has played an important role in the social and economic life of the Islamic world from the time of Medina, begun by the Prophet Muhammad, to the present day. The main goal of forming a culture of charity was to eliminate vices in society, promote the development of the social situation, and ensure the preservation of economic equality. For this, buildings such as mosques, madrasahs, libraries, a caravanserai were built, water canals and ditches, bridges were built and put into public use. Sometimes privately owned lands are also distributed among the population or given out entirely to the use of the state. Waqfs also had an impact on the development of the country in terms of language, culture, history and religion. A large number of vaqfs created on the basis of charity among the Turkic peoples, including those in the Kazakh steppes, indicates that the understanding and culture of vaqfs has been formed among the people at a high level. Looking at the scope of their services, one can see that they include people from different categories of the population, such as the poor and orphans, students and travelers, farmers and artisans. The article deals with the religious and social significance of waqf in the Kazakh steppe.

Key words: Waqf, Islam, charitable activities, incessant almsgiving, system of waqfs.