This book is an analytical study of the historical development and socio-economic importance of Wakf (Islamic Law of Charitable Trust). The wakf is not mentioned in the Holy Quran, but derives its legitimacy primarily from a number of hadiths. In 2nd and early 3rd century A.H., we find several legal institutions that in the later legal doctrine were subsumed under the heading of wakf and left their traces in that doctrine. The immediate spread and popularity of the wakf derives from the fact that it served socio-economic needs of the people.