Recognised as the most notable expression of Islamic philanthropy, Waqf is the voluntary, permanent, and irrevocable dedication of a portion of one’s wealth – in cash or kind - to Allah. Standing out as one of the greatest achievements of Islamic civilization, Waqf is a philanthropic foundation, with the mission of maximizing the value of endowments for the greater benefit of society.

With the rise in innovations and the disruptions happening in the Islamic finance and technological terrains, Waqf is being forced to manoeuvre and reinvent itself in terms its application, governance, and regulations so as to remain relevant, especially since it constitutes a major pillar in the socio-economic space.

Coupled with these complexities and the current uncertainties caused by the onset of COVID-19 since 2020, the role of charitable and philanthropic bodies, especially Waqf have inadvertently been placed under the spotlight to see how they can be utilised to support the wellbeing of society. It has become imperative that waqf is further explored and its true benefits realised for the benefit of humanity.

This year, the 9th edition of the Global Waqf Conference (GWC 2021) will be held on 1st and 2nd of December 2021. It is proudly being organised by Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws and Harun M Hashim Law Centre, IIUM in collaboration with Finterra, Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK), Al Medina International University (MEDIU), and the Waqf Center for Indonesian Development & Studies (WaCids).

With the theme of “Embracing the Present and Envisaging the Future”, the conference will serve as a platform to establish clarity, explore the boundaries of new waqf developments, initiatives, and shedding light on new thoughts, technologies, ideas, success stories and regulations while promoting Waqf as the new economic model that can enhance the Muslim society globally.

An improvement in these key areas would definitely provide us with the key to unlocking the benefits Waqf holds in the revival, facilitation and strengthening of the integrated ecosystem management of Islamic Social Finance development both in Malaysia and globally.