Zamindars, inheritance law and the spread of the waqf in the United Provinces at the turn of the twentieth century

Abstract

The second half of the nineteenth century witnessed the fragmentation and transfer of Muslim-owned estates in the United Provinces to Hindus of non-agrarian castes. This was followed by increasing usage of the waqf by Muslim landowners. This study looks at land-holding patterns in the United Provinces and use a comparative analysis of Hindu and Islamic inheritance laws to explain why land was transferred during the second half of the nineteenth century from Muslims to Hindus. It posits that the implementation of Islamic inheritance laws in the mid-nineteenth century led to increased fragmentation of Muslim-owned estates. The study also suggests that waqf became popular among Muslim landowners because it fulfilled two crucial functions that the Hindu joint family had fulfilled for Hindu landowners: First, it prevented estate fragmentation by circumventing the implementation of Islamic inheritance laws. Second, the waqf shielded assets of landowners by increasing costs of creditors seeking to recover their loans.

Waqf in History a Systematic Literature Review based on Web of Science

“…This is so that the rules regarding waqf can be clearer and not cause confusion in their implementation. Singh (2015) states that Hindu and Islamic inheritance laws have different effects on property. After the adoption of Islamic inheritance law in the late nineteenth century, Muslim plantations were more likely to experience plantation fragmentation as opposed to Hindu plantations.…”

Sustainable Development, Regional Planning, and Information Management as an Evolving Theme in Waqf Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…Two articles focused on developing a model for Mosque tourism certification in waqf management [88,89], focusing on issues and solutions in the administration and management of waqf land in Malaysia. Zamindars, inheritance and law, and the spread of waqf in the United Provinces at the turn of the 20th century were discussed in the study by [90]. Another aspect raised regarding information management was the integration of multi-sensors for modern mobile waqf management [27], while sustainable development issues of waqf in the context of the establishment of Muslim institutions in the post-Soviet era were discussed in [91].…”