Awqaf (Endowment) of Haifa District During the British Mandate (1922-1948) A Documentary Study

Islamic endowments (Islamic Awqaf) had a substantial role in the economical and social life of the Palestinian people and this was made clear since the establishment of the Supreme Muslim Council in 1921 which played a major role in protecting Islamic sanctities and the holiness of the Arab land. The study discussed the issue of endowments (Awqaf) in the District of Haifa during the British Mandate. The researcher addressed the different types of waqf, particularly charitable waqf (Waqf Khairee) of mosques in the city and the near-by villages, waqf thurri, shared khairee thurri waqf and extinct waqf. The study also focused on examining and determining the extent to which Islamic endowment (waqf) was applied in the district of Haifa, the challenges that the Supreme Muslim Council faced in its attempts to defend and manage those endowments and protect them against the violations by the British Mandate, the Zionism and some people in the city. This has led many of these endowments to be lost and taken by the British Mandate. The study further discussed the administrative organization of the Islamic Waqf in the northern district such as the Awqaf Director, Local Committees, Guidance Committee and others and illustrated the duties and responsibilities of the staff and their role in protecting the lands and the assets that are related to the endowments in Palestine. The study also revealed the scale of those endowments in Haifa, their returns and expenses, the types of these returns and expenses depending on basic resources that are related to the northern district. This information is kept at the Nablus Municipality Library and at the Foundation for Reviving the Islamic Heritage and Research in Jerusalem.