Waqf Accountability in the Republic of Yemen: An Empirical Analysis

The purpose of the study is to investigate how the Yemeni mutawallis (awqaf managers) perceive their accountability and how they discharge it. Accordingly, a survey was conducted covering 156 respondents from most of the Yemeni regions, and data analysis was based on descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that the mutawallis are mostly perceived to be accountable to the government awqaf institutions, followed by the accountability to the waqif (donor). These perceptions were influenced by the organizational values and rules governing the waqf. Finally, the most significant mechanism used in discharging waqf accountability is the regular issuance of financial annual reports followed by the fulfilment of government auditing requirements, waqif requirements, as well as the customers’ satisfaction. These findings have significant implications for the Islamic economics and waqf theory, for the practitioners as well as for the policy makers in waqf and related areas.