In the history of Islam, the first religious waqf is the mosque of Quba' in Madinah, a city 400 kilometer north of Makkah, which was built upon the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad in 622. It stands now on the same lot with a new and enlarged structure. Six months later, Quba' was followed by the mosque of the Prophet in the center of Madinah. Mosques and real estates confined for providing revenues to spend on mosques' maintenance and running expenses are in the category of religious waqf. Philanthropic waqf is the second kind of waqf. It aims at supporting the poor segment of the society and all activities which are of interest to people at large such as libraries, scientific research, education, health services, care of animals and environment, lending to small businessmen, parks, roads, bridges, dams, etc. Philanthropic waqf began by the Prophet Muhammad too. A man called Mukhairiq made his will that his seven orchards in Madinah be given after his death to Muhammad. In year four of the hijrah calendar (a lunar calendar which begins with the migration of the prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Madinah in 622), the man died and the Prophet took hold of the orchards and made them a charitable waqf for the benefit of the poor and needy. This practice was followed by the companion of the prophet and his second successor cUmar, who asked the prophet what to do with a palm orchard he got in the northern Arabian peninsula city of khaibar and the Prophet said "If you like, you may hold the property as waqf and give its fruits as charity." many other charitable waqf were made by the Prophet's death in 632. A third kind of waqf started shortly after the death of the prophet during the reign of cUmar ( 635-645), the second successor. When cUmar decided to document in writing his waqf in khaibar, he invited some of the companions of the prophet to attest this document. Jaber, another companion, says that when the news broke out every real estat...
