Endowment funds
(أَحْباسٌ)
من موسوعة المصطلحات الإسلامية
المعنى الاصطلاحي
Endowment funds designated to be used in the cause of Allah, by benefiting from it or its profit while preserving the fund itself.
الشرح المختصر
"Ahbās" (endowment funds) are properties whose owners dedicated to charity. They include fixed assets, such as real-estate and farms, and movable assets which endure after being used, such as tools and machines. "Ahbās" are divided into two categories: 1. Public: which are placed under state control, such as mosques, graveyards, etc. 2. Private: whose beneficiaries are individuals, such as a house whose owner designates as an endowment for his children and grandchildren and so forth. Some scholars call this type "ahbās mu‘aqqabah" (successive endowments).
التعريف اللغوي المختصر
"Ahbās" (sing. hibs): anything used to stop the flow of water, such as a stone or the like. Original meaning: stopping.