The social functions of Islamic religious endowment(waqf) system in medieval Arab world

WAQF(伊斯兰宗教捐赠)制度在整个前现代伊斯兰世界中的流行不能简单地归因于它作为一种由利他主义和仁慈支持的“慈善行为”的特征。WAQF是人们出于更现实和更私利的动机而建立的。这项研究以原始的waqf契据为主要来源，揭示了waqf制度在中世纪阿拉伯社会发挥的多方面和复杂的功能，以及waqf制度是如何根据捐赠者的个人和社会情况而被战略性和选择性地利用的。

The popularity of the waqf(Islamic religious endowment) system throughout the premodern Islamic world cannot be attributed simply to its characteristics as a "charitable act" supported by altruism and benevolence. Waqfs have been established by people out of more realistic and self-interested motives. By using original waqf deeds as main sources, this study reveals the multifaceted and complex functions performed by the waqf system in medieval Arab society, as well as how the waqf system was strategically and selectively utilized, depending on the personal and social circumstances of endowers.