The suspended contract (mawquf): valid in principle but held until a condition or consent

A mawquf is a transaction valid in its origin but not complete until the consent of the one whose right is involved, as the sale of an unauthorised agent. ¹

Charity (sadaqa) is a gift for God's pleasure; the bequest is a gift made to take effect after death; the mawquf is the wider or narrower term depending on the case. ^{2 3}

The Shafi'is, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad hold that ownership of an endowed thing passes to God on the words of endowment; Muhammad ibn al-Hasan requires a manager to hand over the property. The Hanbalis hold that property given to a general purpose passes to God, and that a thing given to a named person stays in the owner's hands until transferred. ^{3 4 5 6}

The Hanafis divide a suspended act into one open to validity, and an invalid one that is lawful in origin but not in its features, such as the sale of a coerced seller, where ownership passes on delivery according to Abu Hanifa and his companions. ^{1 7}

The Shafi'is list six kinds of suspended act: one held until a later condition, like the sale of an unauthorised agent; one that proves valid when a prior fact is shown, like the sale of a dead man's property in the belief he was alive; one held until a fault ends, like the sale of a bankrupt's goods; one held until a legal restraint is lifted; the favour of a sick man beyond a third; and the act of a usurper whose profits the owner may claim. ^{7 8 9}

The Shafi'is use the term for acts of worship too: a minor's pilgrimage is a supererogatory act, becoming obligatory when he comes of age before standing at Arafat. ^{7 8}