Amman, January 26 (Petra) - Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal, the School of Sharia at the University of Jordan held a seminar on Monday entitled "Zakat and Development Waqf: A Strategic Vision for Empowering a Sustainable Society," attended by Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh and a group of dignitaries and specialists in waqf affairs from Jordan and the Arab world.
During the seminar, His Royal Highness Prince Al-Hassan called for the establishment of a global institution specializing in zakat and waqf, based on a joint study between the Ministry of Awqaf and the Faculty of Sharia at the University of Jordan, stressing that zakat and waqf constitute the culture of a state and the civilization of a nation, and are two fundamental pillars in building societies and promoting their sustainability.
His Royal Highness addressed young people, saying that we need an effort that begins with honesty in thinking, development, and governance, and the use of collective good for sustainability that transcends time and overcomes crises, noting that developmental waqf is one of the most powerful tools for transforming values into long-term developmental impact.
His Highness added that the ultimate goal of this meeting is to achieve a new power of accomplishment by relying on the depth of collective charitable thinking and restoring ethics that include the human being in his primary unit, starting with the family, emphasizing that human dignity is the foundation and that the real capital is the human being.
For his part, Dean of the College of Sharia Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Kilani affirmed that His Highness the Emir's patronage of this symposium represents support for the development of waqf work, noting that it comes at a time when there is a pressing need to activate the economic tools that have historically contributed to the building of Arab and Islamic civilization, harnessing them to meet current challenges and build practical solutions that achieve sustainable development.
Al-Kilani pointed out the need to move away from the traditional image of charitable work towards an institutional model based on governance and transparency, reforming legislation, and strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors. This would make developmental waqf a well-established culture in society and enhance its impact in vital sectors such as health, education, scientific research, social protection, the environment, agriculture, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Al-Kilani highlighted the reality of waqf in Jerusalem and the grave dangers it faces, praising the role of the Hashemite custodianship in protecting Islamic and Christian holy sites in the Holy City and appreciating the participation of Christian clergy in the symposium, which affirmed the unity of position in defending Islamic and Christian waqf.
In his speech, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh reviewed the situation of endowments in the Kingdom, ways to activate them and enhance their developmental impact, touching on the history of the establishment of the Islamic Endowments Department and the development of endowment work within the national institutional framework.
For his part, Dr. Majid Al-Azmi, President of the Kuwaiti Zakat House, presented in his speech at the symposium the experience of the State of Kuwait in managing the zakat file, noting that the Zakat House was established in 1982 with the aim of collecting funds, distributing zakat, and organizing charitable works, in addition to promoting community awareness of the concept of zakat and its developmental impact.
The discussion during the symposium emphasized the importance of exchanging views and experiences and documenting practical ideas, thereby contributing to the transformation of the proposals put forward into paths that can be applied on the ground.
At the conclusion of the symposium, the School of Sharia presented an honorary plaque to His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal in recognition of his ongoing efforts to support intellectual and developmental initiatives and promote institutional charitable work.