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28 / 04 / 2026
Selling Endowed Land Without Knowledge of Its Endowment
People sold land without knowing it was endowed, and then when they learned, they placed its value in another endowment and recorded that. Later, their children came and found what their parents had written. Should we correct the transfer of the endowment that occurred here?
Answer
I say, and with God's guidance: If it is possible to annul the sale and return it as a waqf, then let it be so, provided that it can be utilized as a waqf. If annulling the sale is not possible, then it is permissible to convert its funds into another waqf that benefits the Muslims. Consequently, if the second waqf, which is established with the funds of the first waqf, achieves the complete benefit that exists in the first waqf, it can be considered a substitute for the first, and there is no need to annul it. If the benefit of the first is better and more preferable, and it can be annulled, then it is more deserving. If it cannot be annulled, then let the second be relied upon as a waqf, and God knows best.
