This study examines the testamentary waqf of Aḥmad b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Ghūl (1853-1919), a prominent merchant and communal leader in the cosmopolitan Red Sea port town of Massawa in Eritrea during the period of Italian colonial rule (1885-1941). We provide an annotated translation of the document and a detailed socio-legal analysis of its features. We argue that the testamentary waqf was a vehicle for ensuring the family’s integration in Eritrea in perpetuity. We also consider how the testamentary waqf was used as a strategy to sustain the al-Ghūl family as a corporate unit by preserving the integrity of its real estate assets and by upholding the family’s internal hierarchy of authority. Finally, by endowing properties to mosques and wells, the testator-founder sought to establish the family’s role as a patron of the Muslim community.

中文翻译：

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遗嘱宗教信仰作为 20 世纪早期马萨瓦（厄立特里亚）精英整合的工具

这项研究检查了 Aḥmad b 的遗嘱 waqf。ʿAbd Allāh al-Ghūl（1853-1919 年），意大利殖民统治时期（1885-1941 年），厄立特里亚国际化的红海港口城市马萨瓦的著名商人和社区领袖。我们提供文件的带注释翻译以及对其特征的详细社会法律分析。我们认为，遗嘱 waqf 是确保家庭永久融入厄立特里亚的工具。我们还考虑了遗嘱 waqf 如何被用作维持 al-Ghūl 家族作为一个公司单位的策略，通过保持其房地产资产的完整性和维护家族内部的权威等级。最后，通过向清真寺和水井捐赠财产，立遗嘱人创始人试图确立家族作为穆斯林社区赞助人的角色。