- 27 - 2004
- 4. Histoire, Période Musulmane
- 4.2. Histoire du XVe au XIXe siècle
- 4.2.1. Safavides et Qâjârs
179
Kondo, Nobuaki
« The Case of ‘Doubled Waqf’: A Study on Qajar Shari‘a Courts ». Annals of Japan Association for Middle East Studies, 19-2 (2004), pp. 117-142 [in Japanese].
This excellent and pioneering paper probes the little-known function of the shari‘a courts in Qajar Iran, examining in detail a series of lawsuits over a village endowed twice as vaqf by two different persons. Using numerous unpublished archival documents discovered by the author at the Vaqf Organization in Teheran, Kondo illustrates vividly the process of the litigation, as well as the respective roles played in it by the ulama and the State. This interesting case throws a light on some essential characteristics of the Qajar shari‘a court. The main task of the court was to issue ḥokm or ‘judgement’, which legally endorsed claims laid by plaintiffs. Regardless of his post and title, each ulama could issue such a ḥokm, almost independently of other ulamas and of the State, while the ḥokms issued by prominent ulamas of the Atabat were more influential. The court had no system to record and preserve ḥokms and other documentary evidence, and as long as the State did not accept the issued ḥokm, it was never executed. These factors prolonged the dispute.

