Institutionalizing Waqf for an Integrated Affordable Housing Ecosystem in Urban Areas
Keywords:
waqf, affordable housing, urban homelessness, sustainable urban development, sustainable development goals, SDGsAbstract
Aim: This study aims to develop an integrated affordable housing ecosystem by institutionalizing waqf as a long-term social investment mechanism rather than treating it solely as a charitable or housing-finance instrument. It specifically seeks to identify the institutional conditions required to connect productive waqf with governance, Islamic social finance, digital transformation, sustainable urban development, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Method: The study adopts a qualitative conceptual research design supported by a systematic literature review and thematic content analysis. Relevant literature on waqf, Islamic social finance, affordable housing, institutional governance, digital technologies, sustainable urban development, and collaborative governance was critically synthesized to identify recurring challenges, relationships, and opportunities for institutional integration. The synthesis was further informed by Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah, Institutional Theory, Sustainable Urban Development Theory, and Collaborative Governance and Innovation Ecosystem perspectives. Results: The findings identify seven interconnected dimensions shaping the development of waqf-based affordable housing: productive waqf potential, institutional fragmentation, complementary financing, digital governance, sustainable urban development, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and institutional integration. Based on these findings, the study develops the Institutional Waqf Housing Ecosystem (IWHE), comprising six domains: productive waqf foundation, institutional governance, Islamic social-finance integration, digital governance infrastructure, sustainable housing and urban development, and collaborative and community-based governance. The framework positions waqf as a foundational institutional resource within a broader housing ecosystem. Conclusion: The study concludes that the effectiveness of waqf for affordable housing depends not only on the availability of endowed assets but on the institutional architecture through which those assets are governed, financed, digitized, developed, and connected with community needs. The IWHE provides a theoretically grounded framework for integrating these functions and offers a basis for policy development, pilot implementation, and future empirical validation.
References
» click to expand references listAfifi, A. A. (2024). Waqf Business Model (WBM): Towards A Sustainable Social Business Model on The Mainstream Economics. Journal of Regional Development and Technology Initiatives, 2(2), 63-78.
Afifi, A. A. (2025). Waqf, Shared Value and the Rise of Society Governance. Perwakilan, 3(2), 199-209.
Ahmed, H. (2004). Role of zakah and awqaf in poverty alleviation. Islamic Research and Training Institute, Islamic Development Bank.
Al-Shāṭibī, A. I. (1997). Al-Muwāfaqāt fī uṣūl al-sharīʿah (A. Draz, Ed.). Dār Ibn ʿAffān.
Auda, J. (2008). Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah as philosophy of Islamic law: A systems approach. International Institute of Islamic Thought. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvkc67tg
Ardo M.A, Muhammad, A.A., Bashir L.M & Mohammed B.I (2023). The Role of Waqf for Human Sustainable Development (HSD) in North-Eastern Nigeria. IJZIP International Journal of Zakat and Islamic Philanthropy, (MARCH 2023). eISSN: 2672-7471, ISSN: 2682-7530. Volume: 5, Issue: 1, pp. 198-208. https://journal.zakatkedah.com.my
Carayannis, E. G., & Campbell, D. F. J. (2009). “Mode 3” and “Quadruple Helix”: Toward a 21st-century fractal innovation ecosystem. International Journal of Technology Management, 46(3–4), 201–234. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTM.2009.023374
Carayannis, E. G., & Campbell, D. F. J. (2010). Triple Helix, Quadruple Helix and Quintuple Helix and how do knowledge, innovation and the environment relate? International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development, 1(1), 41–69. https://doi.org/10.4018/jsesd.2010010105
Çizakça, M. (2000). A history of philanthropic foundations: The Islamic world from the seventh century to the present. Boğaziçi University Press.
Dahiru I I, Mohd N. M. R, Muhammad, A.A., & Barde A. I (2022). A Study on the Historical Development of Tsangaya System of Islamic Education in Nigeria: A Case Study of Yobe State. UMRAN - International Journal of Islamic and Civilizational Studies, 9(2), 30 June, 2022. Pp. 59–71. https://doi.org/10.11113/umran2022.9n2.553
Fitzpatrick, S., Bramley, G., & Johnsen, S. (2013). Pathways into multiple exclusion homelessness in seven UK cities. Urban Studies, 50(1), 148–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098012452329
Hasan, Z., & Abdullah, M. N. (2008). The investment of waqf land as an instrument of Muslims' economic development in Malaysia. Dubai International Conference on Endowments' Investment.
Ibn ʿĀshūr, M. al-T. (2006). Treatise on Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (M. E. El-Mesawi, Trans.). International Institute of Islamic Thought.
Kahf, M. (2003). The role of waqf in improving the Ummah welfare. International Seminar on Waqf as a Private Legal Body.
Kamali, M. H. (2008). Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah made simple. International Institute of Islamic Thought.
Kashi, A., Amor, A., Al-Hashemi, A., & Issa, B. M. (2025). Trends, evolution and future research directions in waqf: A bibliometric analysis through complex networks. Journal of Islamic Monetary Economics and Finance, 11(2), 351–384. https://doi.org/10.21098/jimf.v11i2.2317
Muhammad, A. A., Ardo, A. M., Dalhatu, R. S., Abdullahi, H., & Zaki, S. A. (2025). Exploring the Nexus between Islamic Household Management Principles and Home-Based Women Enterprises in Northern Nigeria. Perwakilan: Journal of Good Governance, Diplomacy, Customary Institutionalization and Social Networks, 3(1), 153–161. https://doi.org/10.58764/j.prwkl.2025.3.118
Muhammad, A.A. (2021). Khadijah (R.A) an Entrepreneur in the Prophetic House: A Lesson to the Contemporary Muslim Women of Gombe State-Nigeria. International Journal of Umranic Studies. Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University, Brunei, Dar-Assalam. ISSN: 2617- 9393 (Print) ISSN: 2617-9407 (Online), Vol 4. Issue 1. Pp 21-30.
Muhammad, A.A., Ibrahim, D.I, Adam, M.A, Bashir, L.M & Huma, K. (2023). Alternative Dispute Resolution (As-Sulh) as a Principle of Islamic Legal System on Marriage Conflicts among Muslim Ummah. Fitrah Jurnal Kajian Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman. Vol. 9, No. 1. June 2023. e-ISSN: 2460-2345. https://doi.org/10.24952/fitrah.v9i1.8095. Pp. 185-200.
Muhammad, AA, Adam MA, Ibrahim DI & Bello MJ (2025). Waqf as an Islamic Endowment: A Solution for Improving Educational Attainment in Northern Nigerian Communities. ITQAN: Journal of Islamic Economics, Management, and Finance, Vol. 4 No. 1 https://journal.itqanpreneurs.com/index.php/itqan/index
North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511808678
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2021). OECD science, technology and innovation outlook 2021: Times of crisis and opportunity. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/75f79015-en
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., ... Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Pedju, R.P., Muhammad, A.A., Burhan, P.A., & Dzulqarnain, A. (2025). Progressive Law Perspective: Analysis of Restorative Justice in National Criminal Code. Amsir Law Journal. Vol 6 No 2. https://doi.org/10.36746/alj.v6i2.634
Sadeq, A. M. (2002). Waqf, perpetual charity and poverty alleviation. International Journal of Social Economics, 29(1/2), 135–151. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068290210413038
Sawaba, Y. I., Muhammad, A. A., Muhammad, I. A., Danladi, I. I., Afifi, A. A., & Muhammad, M. B. (2025). Crowdfunding Meets Islamic Social Finance: Integrating Zakah, Waqf, Sadaqah, and FinTech for Sustainable Community Development. Journal of Regional Development and Technology Initiatives, 3(2), 239-249.
Schär, F. (2021). Decentralized finance: On blockchain- and smart contract-based financial markets. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, 103(2), 153–174. https://doi.org/10.20955/r.103.153-174
Scott, W. R. (2014). Institutions and organizations: Ideas, interests, and identities (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Sukmana, R. (2020). Critical assessment of Islamic endowment funds (waqf) literature: Lessons for government and future directions. Heliyon, 6(10), e05074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05074
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations.
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). (2017). New Urban Agenda. United Nations.
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). (2020). World cities report 2020: The value of sustainable urbanization. United Nations. https://unhabitat.org/wcr/2020/
United Nations Environment Programme. (2023). 2023 global status report for buildings and construction. UNEP.
World Bank. (2022). Housing for all by 2030: Addressing the global affordable housing challenge. World Bank.
World Health Organization. (2018). WHO housing and health guidelines. World Health Organization.
Yakubu, Z. M., Muhammad, A. A., Babikir, A., Saad, A. M., Bello, I. I., Abdullahi, S. I., ... & Afifi, A. A. (2026). Maqasid al-Wahy and Waqf-Based Scientific Research Funding: Toward a Sustainable Framework for Knowledge Production and Human Development. AL-IMAM: Journal on Islamic Studies, Civilization and Learning Societies, 7(2), 505-519.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Adamu Abubakar Muhammad, Abdullah A. Afifi, Ahmad Babikir, Ibrahim Isa Bello, Shaaban Idris Abdullahi, Bilyaminu Yusuf
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
