A type of waqf, namely, an inalienable charitable endowment or fund set up in accordance with Islamic law to support a specific family (as distinct from waqf khayri or waqf mushtarak). Often, these endowments are established by a family patron to secure the livelihood of his or her bloodline and future descendants. This was one way to ensure a family was provided for. However, the waqf dhurri, also called waqf ahli, can be established by an individual unrelated to its beneficiaries.
Because a waqf dhurri is charitable and an act of religious devotion, according to Islamic law, it cannot be revoked or stopped; the income continues as long as the capital that funds it continues to generate revenue. Likewise, the family that is the recipient of this financial support cannot sell or dispose of the property or source of the waqf. If all descendants of the family die out after a time, the waqf dhurri can revert to a waqf khayri.
These types of endowment have been established throughout the Muslim world and in accordance with Islamic law since approximately the ninth century AD. They enjoyed an upsurge during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, when they were usually set up to protect land and property from confiscation due to the rapid turnover of rulers.
In the Ottoman period, waqf dhurri really flourished in Jerusalem and was more prevalent than other types of waqf. Today, waqf dhurri remains an integral part of the economic life of Muslims, especially in the Old City. Several important family waqfs exist that finance notable families in Jerusalem, such as the Khalidi, Nusseibeh, Husseini, and Nashashibi family endowments.