Waqf Legislation and Its Impact on Developing Endowments in Hail Region: A Jurisprudential-Legal Study in Light of the SDGs

Abstract

The objective of this study is to explore the laws and regulations related to waqf in Saudi Arabia and to study their impact on the development of awqafs in the Hail region. It adopts a jurisprudential and legal approach that highlights the foundations of the Sharia and the legal principles governing the endowment investment and driving its development according to the SDGs of Saudi Vision 2030. The objective of this study is to discuss the concept of waqf (endowment) and its importance in Islamic jurisprudence as a sustainable scheme for social and economic development. It describes the legal and religious basis of the waqf in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a focus on the current situation of endowments in the Hail region, analyzing their scope, management mechanisms, and development potential. The study further points to the legal and administrative obstacles that hinder the establishment of these institutions and offers recommendations for their development in line with the Sharia and legal framework. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and the research approach is comparative between Islamic jurisprudence and Saudi law, and the case study approach is applied, and the subject of the study is waqfs in the Hail region. The study is expected to conclude that the Saudi Arabia’s modern endowment legislation is of high quality and a significant step forward in the management and development of endowments compared to other Islamic countries. But its effect is still relatively limited in the region of Hail, especially as far as the endowments of Hail University and other public endowments are concerned. The research aims to identify the reasons for this limitation and to provide practical advice to improve the role of endowments in the development of the region.