Darulfunun Institute

Institute for Development, Research and Initiatives (IDRIS)

Tag: digital waqf

  • Digital Waqf for the Preservation and Dissemination of Arabic–Islamic Knowledge in Northern Nigeria: Opportunities, Shariah Governance, and a Sustainable Institutional Model

    » Journal of Regional Development and Technology Initiatives

    Arabic–Islamic scholarship has played a significant role in the intellectual, religious, educational, and cultural development of Northern Nigeria. However, preserving this heritage and making it accessible to contemporary scholars, students, and underserved communities require sustainable institutional arrangements. Digital technology offers opportunities to preserve Arabic manuscripts, digitise classical Islamic texts, develop online Arabic-learning resources, and expand access to scholarly materials. Yet these activities require reliable financing, appropriate Shariah governance, copyright compliance, professional digital preservation, and accountability to donors and knowledge users. This study examines the potential of digital waqf as a sustainable mechanism for preserving and disseminating Arabic–Islamic knowledge in Northern Nigeria. It adopts a qualitative documentary and conceptual research design, drawing on scholarship on Islamic endowments, digital Islamic philanthropy, Arabic–Islamic education, and international guidelines on documentary heritage preservation. The analysis identifies five interconnected areas of opportunity: sustainable financing, manuscript preservation, open educational resources, inclusive knowledge access, and institutional collaboration. It also identifies challenges relating to trustee accountability, the protection of endowed assets, copyright, technological obsolescence, unreliable connectivity, and the limited availability of specialist skills. In response, the study proposes a Digital Waqf for Arabic–Islamic Knowledge Model built around Shariah-compliant financing, accountable trusteeship, professional digital preservation, responsible access, and continuous monitoring. The proposed model offers a framework for establishing digital knowledge endowments in partnership with universities, libraries, traditional Islamic learning institutions, scholars, and community organisations. As the study is based on documentary analysis rather than completed field interviews, the model remains conceptual and requires empirical validation in selected institutions across Northern Nigeria.

  • Beyond Islamic FinTech: A Decentralized Waqf Finance Ecosystem for Green Venture Capital in Emerging Muslim Economies

    » Journal of Regional Development and Technology Initiatives

    Green entrepreneurship in emerging Muslim economies faces persistent financing constraints arising from high perceived investment risks, limited availability of patient capital, underdeveloped green-finance markets, and restricted access to early-stage venture financing. Although decentralized finance (DeFi) has introduced blockchain-enabled mechanisms for broadening financial participation and improving the efficiency of capital mobilization, its potential integration with Shar??ah-compliant Islamic social finance remains insufficiently explored. This study addresses this gap by proposing a DeFi–Waqf Green Venture Financing Ecosystem that positions digital waqf as a catalytic source of patient capital within a decentralized architecture for financing environmentally sustainable ventures. The study adopts a qualitative conceptual research design based on a systematic review and thematic synthesis of interdisciplinary literature on DeFi, blockchain technology, digital waqf, Islamic finance, sustainable finance, green entrepreneurship, and venture capital. The analytical framework draws upon Maq??id al-Shar??ah, Islamic social finance principles, and sustainable-finance perspectives to examine the institutional and technological conditions required for an ethically grounded decentralized financing ecosystem. The proposed framework integrates tokenized waqf assets, smart contracts, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), blockchain-based transparency mechanisms, and complementary Islamic financing instruments to facilitate the mobilization, governance, and allocation of capital to green ventures. Waqf is conceptualized not merely as a charitable endowment but as a potentially catalytic and perpetual source of mission-aligned capital capable of reducing financing barriers for early-stage sustainable enterprises. Tokenization may broaden participation in waqf-supported investment ecosystems, while smart contracts can support transparent contractual arrangements, automated administration, and accountable distribution mechanisms, subject to appropriate legal, regulatory, technological, and Shar??ah governance. The study extends existing Islamic FinTech scholarship by moving beyond applications focused primarily on payments, crowdfunding, and administrative digitalization toward the institutional integration of decentralized finance, Islamic social finance, and green venture capital. The resulting framework demonstrates how waqf can serve as an institutional bridge between philanthropic capital, private investment, technological innovation, and climate-oriented entrepreneurship in emerging Muslim economies. The study contributes theoretically by connecting Islamic social finance with decentralized financial architecture and sustainable venture financing, and practically by identifying governance and policy considerations for regulators, waqf institutions, Islamic financial institutions, technology providers, investors, and green entrepreneurs. It concludes that a carefully governed DeFi–Waqf ecosystem could provide a promising complementary mechanism for mobilizing patient, ethical, and sustainability-oriented capital while advancing the broader objectives of inclusive economic development, environmental stewardship, and the Maq??id al-Shar??ah.