Exercising the right given to them by Sharīʿa law to own and dispose of property in their own name, women in Islamic societies regularly used their personal assets to establish waqfs from the early years of Islam. In Ottoman times, women across the socioeconomic spectrum created endowments, managed them, rented properties belonging to waqfs, and were named beneficiaries of waqf revenues.

Creating their own endowments legally empowered women in decisive ways and gave them the means to reach deeply into society. As endowers, it enabled them to decide the lo…