Page 278 - Bahrain Gov annual reports(V)_Neat

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SUNNI WAQF DEPARTMENT
(From the report by Shaikh Atiatallah bin Abdul Rahman AlKhalifah, Superintendent of the
Department)
Much of the progress which was made during the year was due to His Highness’s contri­
butions from his Privy Purse towards the work of the department which amounted altogether
to Rs. 2,49,000 which raised the total income of the department to Rs. 5,79,513. Revenue from
rents of properties was Rs. 2,29,648, collections of outstanding debts amounted to Rs. 43,901,
miscellaneous revenue was Rs. 14,642 and sales brought in.Rs. 30,062. At the end of the year the
department had a balance of Rs. 1,17,014.
Payments included Rs. 2,24,120 which was disbursed to persons employed in religious
duties, Imams of mosques, Mu’azzins and others, Rs. 1,99,628 was spent on repairing and
rebuilding mosques and certain Waqf property. Other payments included the department’s
contribution to students who are studying religion in Cairo, they were first sent to Mecca but
the department agreed to their transferring to Cairo at their own request, provision of lights,
fans and matting in mosques and charitable donations.
It is noticeable that in the past the people of Bahrain who could afford to do so con­
tributed generously towards religious objects such as repairing mosques and providing for
the people who functioned in them, today however it is the Bahrain Government which is
constantly called upon to provide financially for the religious works which used to be undertaken
by the public nor, in these days, do many people dedicate property for religious purposes as they
used to in the past.
Much of the Waqf property consists of date gardens and the rents from these decreased very
greatly in 1955, in some cases it was impossible to find tenants for the gardens.

SHIA WAQF DEPARTMENT
(From the Report of Sadiq A1 Bahama, Chairman of the Shia Waqf Committee)
The total revenue in 1955 was Rs. 2,84,351 which included a contribution of Rs. 73,000
from His Highness towards building and repairing certain mosques. Garden rents produced
Rs. 60,000, shop rents brought in Rs. 62,000, house leases Rs. 24,000 and fish trap leases
amounted to Rs. 25,600/-.
Expenditure was Rs. 2,68,906. This included a refund of Rs. 20,000 on account of a loan
from the Government. Of the expenditure Rs. 57,000 was on Matams, Rs. 52,700 on repairs
and upkeep of Waqf property and Rs. 86,000 was spent on repairs and rebuilding of mosques.
The department paid for several religious students who were sent to study in Iraq and dis­
tributed over Rs. 12,000 for charitable purposes. At the end of the year the department had a
balance of Rs. 3,46,491.

A number of mosques were repaired and rebuilt during the year, some of them, unfortunate­
ly, being rebuilt in modern style and entirely losing the picturesque local style of architecture
that used to be a feature of the village mosques.

Other work carried out by the department included repairs to a number of Matams, which
are semi-religious buildings used during the month of Muharrara and for meetings on religious
and other occasions, and repairs and improvements to Waqf property, houses, shops and
gardens. During the year Haji Mohsen A1 Tajer, who had been for many years the chairman
of the Shia Waqf Committee, departed on a protracted visit to Persia. The post was filled
by the appointment by the Government of Sadiq Haji Mohammad A1 Bahama. The change
in chairmanship produced satisfactory results which soon became evident and showed itself
in the greatly improved conditions of many of the mosques and Matams.

The department is controlled by a committee elected by the Shias from the towns and
villages in Bahrain. It was first established in 1938, when the control of Waqf funds was removed
from the hands of the Shia Qadis and handed over to an elected body which has been responsible
for them since that date.