Sultan Nazrin Calls For Common Waqf Governance Standards
KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Bernama) -- Sultan Nazrin Shah today proposed establishing a common set of internationally adoptable core principles for waqf governance to strengthen the management of Islamic endowments worldwide.
The Perak Sultan said the proposed framework should build on existing waqf governance standards developed by Indonesia, the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and Kazakhstan.
He also suggested that the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF) University consider serving as the secretariat.
“Let us commission an international, open, consultative working group…extending them into a common, voluntarily adoptable set of core principles that any waqf institution can use,” he said when gracing the opening of the International Waqf Da’wah Convention 2026 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, here today.
Also present were Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who is also President of the Malaysian Islamic Welfare Organisation (PERKIM) and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Hasan.
Sultan Nazrin said the world already has governance models for waqf and should focus on strengthening international collaboration instead of starting from scratch.
His Royal Highness also called for the wider adoption of digital cash waqf platforms supported by real-time public dashboards to improve transparency and accountability.
“We do not need to start from scratch, but rather join the dots and open the doors for the genuinely inclusive development of international waqf guidance.
“Let us accelerate the shift towards digital cash-waqf platforms with radically transparent, real-time public dashboards,” he said.
Sultan Nazrin also proposed launching a pilot “Waqf for Peace and Planetary Resilience” initiative involving selected institutions in Malaysia, Indonesia and other ASEAN countries to fund renewable energy and climate-resilient infrastructure while promoting environmental stewardship and peaceful coexistence among communities.
The Sultan said waqf institutions should also incorporate the principles of balance, justice, mercy and trusteeship into their governance frameworks.
Many waqf assets, he said, remained underutilised because of weak governance, incomplete records, disputed land ownership and poor administration.
“Too much of our waqf today lies dormant. Its lands sit idle, its records are incomplete, its titles are disputed, and its potential goes unrealised,” he said.
His Royal Highness also stressed that administering waqf was an amanah, requiring trustees to uphold the highest standards of integrity and accountability.
“The time for action is now… Let it not be said of our generation that we admired the achievements of our forefathers and added none of our own,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
