Harnessing Waqf for the Socio-Economic Development of Muslims in Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Waqf is a unique Islamic economic institution that has played a remarkable role in the history of Islam. Its potential and relevance recognize no time and boundary. The paper aims to discuss the various dimensions that waqf can play for the socio-economic development of Muslims in the North. Despite the abundant natural and human resources in Nigeria, many of her citizens suffer from high levels of poverty. This situation is worse in the North with a predominantly Muslim majority, whereby the skills for survival in the modern era are few and the traditional methods of earning a living are abandoned. The methodology utilizes secondary sources of data, such as books, contemporary journal articles, conference proceedings and reports. In addition, personal observation and interviews were employed in the study. The findings reveal that waqf can be used to improve the socio-economic conditions of Muslims in the north through social, economic and educational empowerment. Meanwhile, there is the need to create laws where they do not exist or strengthen the existing waqf law to allow it to grow and contribute on a large scale towards the socio-economic welfare of the society. However, the paper is largely conceptual. Thus, further studies should consider the empirical approach to examine the prospects and the obstacles.