This study examines the transformations of waqf law within the Ḥanafī school during the 19th century, focusing on the late Ottoman Empire and Egypt. Drawing on two foundational works Itḥāf al-akhlāf fī Aḥkām al-Awqāf by ʿUmar Ḥilmī and Qānūn al-ʿAdl wa al-Inṣāf fī al-Qaḍāʾ ʿalā Mushkilāt al-Awqāf by Qadrī Pasha—as primary sources, the research explores the early codification of waqf law and its impact on classical Ḥanafī jurisprudence. These texts are analysed to uncover how codification efforts reshaped waqf law to align with the administrative and legal frameworks of the modern state, while tracing the underlying legal methodologies and historical dynamics driving this transformation. The study offers a comparative analysis of classical Ḥanafī jurisprudence and its codified form, identifying key continuities and deviations introduced through codification. Particular attention is given to how these changes reflected broader Tanzimāt reforms in the Ottoman Empire and modernization policies in Egypt under Muḥammad ʿAlī. While the codification process sought to maintain the Ḥanafī framework, it introduced significant shifts in legal theory and practice, moving away from the pluralistic character of Islamic jurisprudence toward a more centralized and standardized system. By examining the legal reforms alongside their social and historical contexts, this thesis aims to provide a nuanced understanding of how Islamic legal traditions interacted with modernity and state centralization in the 19th century. The research contributes to the broader discourse on the adaptation of Islamic law within the structures of modern governance
