Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır (1878-1942) was an Ottoman scholar who closely witnessed the era spanning from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic, and who experienced the significant political, social, economic, and institutional developments during the Islamic world's modernization process. Within Elmalılı's wide range of interests, the institution of the waqf (endowment), which holds a crucial place in Islamic social order, also features prominently. This work, titled Introduction to Ottoman Waqf Law: Ahkâm-ı Evkâf, contains the records of the lectures he delivered on waqf law at the Mekteb-i Mülkiye in Istanbul between 1910 and 1914. Prepared for publication by Hamdi Çilingir and containing extremely rich analyses on waqf law, this work reveals Elmalılı's approach to both classical and modern waqf issues. Addressing many topics such as the benefits of waqfs for individuals, society, and the state, as well as their contributions to intellectual and cultural life, Ahkâm-ı Evkâf possesses a broad intellectual richness, not only through its findings on waqf law but also through its political, philosophical, and psychological analyses.