Beyond Charity

Abstract

Waqf and social-based healthcare institutions have existed for more than 150 years and were derived from the social economy concept, which emphasises social innovation in the economy. While Muslims are well-known for developing waqf, other religions, particularly Christianity, used philanthropic methods to create a diverse range of institutions that benefit the community. However, the three distinctive features prescribed by the Shariah law to prevent waqf assets from being sold or transferred to other parties have distinguished waqf from other institutions. The abundance of challenges in the economic and health sectors has threatened the sustainability of waqf and other social-based healthcare. Thus, this research aims to explore the philosophies underlying the establishment of each waqf and social-based healthcare institution through a qualitative methodology involving an in-depth investigation. Six of the fifteen identified waqf and social-based healthcare institutions participated in the interviews, and the transcripts were then analysed inductively using the NVivo software. Each code and theme produced is based on the conceptual framework that has been formed. The themes were compared to observe the similarities and differences in terms of the institutions’ background and philosophy of the establishment. The findings of this research reveal that despite the crucial roles of waqf healthcare institutions, the fact remains that they are still far behind in fulfilling the healthcare needs of the Muslim community. Meanwhile, the analysis of the institutions’ background philosophy revealed that the establishment of waqf and social-based healthcare is motivated by religion.