The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco () is a government body in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

responsible for overseeing religious affairs. It was established in 1955 and manages Islamic endowments ( habous), supervises the construction and maintenance of

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s, and oversees the training and appointment of

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

s. The ministry also regulates religious discourse in alignment with Morocco’s official

Islamic tradition The term Islamic tradition may refer to: * Islamic Traditionalist theology, Islamic scholarly movement, originating in the late 8th century CE *''Ahl al-Hadith'', "The adherents of the tradition" * Traditional Islamic schools and branches * Islami ...

, which is based on the Maliki school of jurisprudence,

Ashʿari theology Ash'arism (; ) is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer (''mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian, in the 9th–10th century. It established an orthodox guideline, based on ...

, and elements of Sufi practice. It operates under the authority of the

King of Morocco The king of Morocco (; ) is the monarch and head of state of Morocco. The kings of Morocco are members of the Alawi dynasty. It is one of the country's most powerful offices. Mohammed VI ( Sidi Mohammed bin Hassan al-Alawi) is the current kin ...

, who holds the islamic and constitutional title Amir al-Mu’minin (Commander of the Faithful).

History

After

gained independence in 1955, the management of Islamic endowments changed from the colonial-era system, which was known as the office of the Nazira of Nazirs and the Banika of Habous, to a government body called the Ministry of Habous. Muhammad al-Mukhtar al-Soussi served as minister from 1955 to 1967. Although no new minister was appointed after that period, the institution continued to operate. In 1963, it was reorganized and became the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs. Its structure and responsibilities were later defined by official documents, including a royal decree issued on 9

Shawwal Shawwal () is the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. It comes after Ramadan and before Dhu al-Qa'da. ''Shawwāl'' stems from the Arabic verb ''shāla'' (), which means to 'lift or carry', generally to take or move things from one place to an ...

1424, which corresponds to December 24, 2003, and a ministerial decision dated 28

Dhu al-Qi'dah Dhu al-Qa'dah (, ', ), also spelled Dhu al-Qi'dah or Zu al-Qa'dah, is the eleventh month in the Islamic calendar. It could possibly mean "possessor or owner of the sitting and seating place" - the space occupied while sitting or the manner of t ...

1424, which corresponds to January 21, 2004. In 2004,

King Mohammed VI Mohammed VI (; born 21 August 1963) is King of Morocco. A member of the Alawi dynasty, he acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II. Upon ascending to the throne, Mohammed initially introduced several ...

ordered the preparation of a legal framework for managing endowments based on the Maliki school of Islamic law. The new Endowment Code was put into effect in 2011. Under this code, the ministry is responsible for approving transactions that deal with endowment property worth less than five million

dirhams The dirham, dirhem or drahm is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Armenia, and is the name of a currency subdivision in Jordan, Libya, Qatar and Tajikistan. It was historicall ...

and for managing them according to the law.

References

{{Reflist Government agencies of Morocco Religious affairs ministries Religious organizations based in Morocco Islamic organizations based in Morocco Religion and government Organizations based in Rabat Islamic organizations Islam in Morocco