Waqf

An Islamic endowment — a charitable trust where assets are donated permanently for a specific purpose (education, healthcare, community benefit). The assets themselves cannot be sold, gifted, or transferred; only the income they generate is used for the designated purpose. Waqf is considered a form of ongoing charity (Sadaqah Jariyah) that continues to benefit others long after the donor's death.

Historically, waqf funded mosques, universities, hospitals, and infrastructure across the Islamic world. In the modern U.S. context, waqf can be established as part of an Islamic estate plan.