Material prosperity alone does not make a society just. At the height of its power the Ottoman Empire amassed great wealth and still kept hunger at bay for most of its people. Central to this was the vakıf system, a wide network of charitable endowments attached to mosques, schools, hospitals and public kitchens. Revenues from farmland, markets and royal patronage were set aside permanently to feed the needy, provide shelter and support education.
The spirit of the vakıf rests on prophetic guidance: “He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while his neighbour goes hungry.” By building this compassion into institutions, the Ottomans turned charity from an occasional act into a lasting civic duty. Grain stores were kept full, public kitchens (imaret) served meals every day, and travellers could rely on caravanserais that offered free food. Wealth from trade and taxation was deliberately channelled back into these safety nets so that no one went to sleep hungry.
Today our technological and economic capacity is far greater, yet food insecurity is rising in many parts of the world. The Ottoman example invites us to ask how modern resources could be organised for the common good. Could today’s endowment models, whether community foundations, zakat funds or purpose‑driven enterprises, revive the same ethic of shared abundance? The question is put to policymakers, business leaders and each one of us.
We encourage seekers to explore the heritage of Ottoman charity in our library and to join our live meetings, where these principles and their meaning for today are discussed.
