Awqaf General Trust announces fresh healthcare Waqf project
17-11-2009

Sharjah Awqaf General Trust has announced the launching of its newest charitable projects (Healthcare Waqf) designed to encourage charitable initiative and voluntary contributions in the field of health projects and highlights the importance of healthcare as being one of the aspects of good deed that worth allocation of waqfs and donations.
The project would effectively contributes to health development by controlling and investing the revenues of the waqfs to provide essential health needs.
The announcement came during a press conference held by the Awqaf General Trust General Manager Jamal Al Tiraifi held yesterday at Radisson BLU Hotel in Sharjah

This project came as part of the waqf system that includes waqf shares projects made up of 12 aspects of charitable action, Tiraifi said, adding that it was designed to make waqf available for all sectors of the society to create real partnership and empower the role of waqfs in Islam and thus reflecting the spirit of cooperation, love and mercy called for under Islam.
He pointed out that the idea of setting up this charity emerged because most of donors tend to contribute to mosque construction ignoring other charitable fields of no less importance or rewarding. Allah Says in the Koran “and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind” as the savior of any endangered soul would get the reward of the one who saved all mankind. Thanks to hospitals, specialized medical centres, sets and medicines, the sick would enjoy carefree life. Whoever contributes to this would get the reward for rescuing life and alleviating pain. He alluded to a lack in awareness of the importance of waqf in such vital domains of great benefit which is needed by all sectors of the society to overcome shortage in health services. Government authorities, in particular, shoulder a heavy burden. There are pioneering Waqf experiences in this field which proved to be successful in neighbouring countries as well as western countries where we could see more focus on setting up hospitals, charitable medical centres and universities.

Tiraifi touched on Muslims contributions, as illustrated in history of the Islamic civilization, in the field of health and medical requirements and the establishment of clinics by Waqfs.
History has recorded a number of hospitals financed via Waqf as well as a number of health education centres, medical libraries, translation of some references as the first medical book, which was printed at the expense of Waqf, was “al-Kulliyyat ("Generalities") in medicine and translated by many medical education centres in Europe and was of great benefit to scholars and researches.
Hospitals financed via waqfs were numberless including Al-Nouri hospital in Damascus which was set up in 1145H from donations for waqfs for the service of the poor and the needy. The hospital is distinguished with its unique medical staff and equipment. It might be the first hospital in history to use medical files and also served as a medical college where the best physicians including Ibn Al Nafees who discovered pulmonary circulation. The hospital continued to offer medical services for seven centuries. Parts of the hospital are still in place till date. This waqf initiative is another aspect of charitable work that benefit all.  
Tarifi concluded with the mechanism of this waqf initiative as donattoins would be collected from donors to finance waqf buildings the revenues of which the different medial fields such as:
- Scholarships for students to study medicine abroad.
- Waqf to build big and small hospitals
- Waqf to run and maintain those facilities
-Waqf medical equipment needed for hospitals and clinics such as dialysis equipment.
Waqf for drugs specially cure for high pressure and diabetes.
- Waqf for research and scientific centres.
As for participation in Soqia project, it was designed to be available to everyone as coupons worth 5, 10 and 50 dirhams will be issued.