How Waqf Amendment Bill empowers Muslim women: All you need to know

The Central Waqf Council, which currently lacks women members, will now have a mandatory inclusion of two women

Apart from various changes, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aims to bring in new rules to ensure Muslim women get their rightful share of inheritance, financial support, and a stronger role in managing Waqf properties.

The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the early hours of Thursday after an almost 12-hour-long debate.

Here’s a look at what the amended bill offers women.

Inheritance rights in family: The bill stipulates the protection of women’s inheritance rights in family Waqf (Waqf-alal-aulad). According to the bill, no one can dedicate property to Waqf unless women heirs have first received their rightful inheritance. This will prevent families from using Waqf to deny women their share of property.

Financial aid: The bill also expands the purpose of Waqf-alal-aulad to provide financial support to widows, divorced women, and orphans. Section 3(r)(iv) allows Waqf funds to be used for their welfare and maintenance.

Increasing women’s role in Waqf governance:  It ensures that two Muslim women must be included in State Waqf Boards (Section 14) and the Central Waqf Council (Section 9). So, now women can have a voice in deciding how Waqf resources are used and managed. Having more women in Waqf governance will help ensure that funds are spent on important needs such as scholarships for Muslim girls, health care, skills training and legal help.

 Setting up vocational training centres and self-help groups: These centres will offer training to Muslim women in fields such as healthcare, business, and fashion design, helping women find jobs or start their own businesses.

Digitisation of Waqf records: Digital records will improve transparency and will ensure that funds meant for the Muslim women’s welfare are not misused.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday in Lok Sabha said that the proposed changes would make the Waqf Board more secular and inclusive. Defending the bill, Rijiju emphasised that the bill seeks to bring diversity into the composition of the Waqf Board by including non-Muslim experts and ensuring the representation of women.

Rijiju said that the Central Waqf Council, which currently lacks women members, will now have a mandatory inclusion of two women, along with a provision for up to four non-Muslim experts.

"At present, there are no women in the Waqf Board. Under the new amendment, Shias, Sunnis, Bohras, Agha Khanis, backward Muslims, women, and non-Muslim experts will all be represented," he told the Lok Sabha.