Sadaqah and Sadaqah Jariyah: Charity in Islam and Ongoing Reward

Sadaqah is charity given voluntarily to seek Allah's pleasure. IslamQA explains that the word comes from sidq, sincerity, because giving is a sign of sincere faith, and that sadaqah means giving that has not been made obligatory, although the word is sometimes used for zakat too. Quran 2:261 compares spending in Allah's way to a grain that grows seven ears with a hundred grains in each, and Quran 57:7 calls believers trustees of what they spend.

No gift is too small. Sahih al-Bukhari 1417 records the Prophet saying, protect yourselves from the Fire even with half a date given in charity, and Sahih Muslim 2588 records that charity does not decrease wealth. Quran 63:10 urges spending before death comes, when a person would wish for a little more time to give.

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Zakat is an obligatory pillar of Islam with conditions, a set rate and named recipients, while sadaqah is voluntary and open. IslamQA explains that zakat is due on specific kinds of wealth once a lunar year has passed and the nisab threshold is met, and goes only to the categories in Quran 9:60. Sadaqah can be given at any time, in any amount, to those categories and to others, including parents and children, to whom the four schools do not allow zakat to be given.

The permitted uses differ too. A Hanafi answer from IslamicPortal explains that zakat cannot be given to a non-Muslim or used to build a mosque or a well, whereas voluntary charity can, which is why mosques keep separate collection boxes. Our zakat guide and estimator cover the annual calculation; this guide is about voluntary giving.

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Yes. Sahih al-Bukhari 6021 records the Prophet saying that every act of goodness, ma'ruf, is charity. Sahih Muslim 1009, under a chapter stating that the word charity applies to every kind of good deed, lists charity due for every joint of the body each day: judging justly between two people, helping someone onto their mount or lifting their luggage, a good word, every step towards prayer, and removing something harmful from the path.

Jami at-Tirmidhi 1956, graded hasan (Darussalam) on sunnah.com, adds that smiling at your brother is charity, as are enjoining good and forbidding evil, guiding someone who is lost, helping someone with poor sight, clearing a stone, thorn or bone from the road, and pouring water from your bucket into another's. These reports open charity to everyone, including those with little money.

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Sadaqah jariyah means flowing or continuing charity: a gift whose benefit lasts, so its reward keeps reaching the giver after death. The phrase comes from Sahih Muslim 1631, in which the Prophet says that when a person dies their deeds come to an end except for three: sadaqah jariyah, knowledge from which people benefit, and a righteous child who prays for them.

A longer list is often quoted. Sunan Ibn Majah 242 names knowledge taught and spread, a righteous child, a copy of the Quran left behind, a mosque, a house for travellers, a canal and charity given in good health, but sunnah.com shows it graded da'if (Darussalam), meaning weak. Several of its examples are supported by other reports below, but quote Sahih Muslim 1631 as the authentic basis.

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Authentic reports point to gifts whose benefit keeps flowing. Sahih al-Bukhari 2320 records that whenever a Muslim plants a tree or sows a crop and a bird, person or animal eats from it, it counts as charity for him. In Sunan Abi Dawud 1681, graded hasan by al-Albani, Sa'd ibn Ubadah asked which charity was best for his late mother; the Prophet said water, and Sa'd dug a well for her. Sahih Muslim 1893a adds that whoever guides others to good receives a reward like the one who does it.

The list below gives ordinary ways to give continuing charity. It does not recommend any organisation; check any charity you use, as explained in the last section.

• Water: funding a well, a pump or a clean water supply.
• Planting: trees, gardens or crops from which people and animals eat.
• Teaching: helping someone learn the Quran, prayer or a useful skill, or supporting a teacher.
• Books and resources: giving reliable books, or sharing a sound course or website that teaches what is beneficial.
• Places of worship and learning: contributing to a mosque, school or study space.
• Endowments: a waqf, in which an asset is kept and its income given for good.

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A waqf is a charitable endowment: an asset held in trust and devoted permanently to a good purpose, with its income given away. In Sahih al-Bukhari 2737, Umar ibn al-Khattab asked the Prophet what to do with valuable land he had received at Khaybar, and was told that he could keep the land itself and give its yield in charity. Umar did so on condition that it would not be sold, given away or inherited, and its produce went to the poor, relatives, freeing slaves, the cause of Allah, travellers and guests.

Britannica describes a waqf as an endowment whose donor dedicates assets to a specific charitable purpose, managed by a custodian, and notes that until the modern era such endowments were among the main ways of providing education, health care and other public services in Muslim societies. Because a waqf involves lasting questions of ownership and management, take scholarly and legal advice before setting one up.

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Yes. In Sahih al-Bukhari 2760, a man told the Prophet that his mother had died suddenly and that he thought she would have given charity had she been able to speak; he asked whether he could give on her behalf, and the Prophet said yes. In Sahih al-Bukhari 2756, Sa'd ibn Ubadah asked whether charity for his late mother would benefit her, and on hearing yes he gave his garden in her name.

Water is one fitting choice, as Sa'd's well for his mother in Sunan Abi Dawud 1681 shows. Sahih Muslim 1631 also shows that a child's prayer continues to reach parents, so charity and supplication go well together. Our kindness to parents guide covers honouring parents after death, and the janazah prayer guide explains the funeral prayer for the deceased.

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Start with those you are responsible for. Sahih al-Bukhari 1427 records the Prophet saying that the upper hand is better than the lower, that you should begin with your dependants, and that the best charity is given from what is left over after your needs. When Zainab, the wife of Ibn Mas'ud, asked about spending on her husband and the orphans in her care, Sahih al-Bukhari 1466 records that she would have two rewards, one for kinship and one for charity. Quran 2:215 names parents and near relatives first.

Open and secret giving are both praised. Quran 2:271 says that giving openly is good, but giving secretly to the poor is better and atones for some misdeeds, and Quran 2:274 praises those who spend by night and day, in secret and openly. Sahih al-Bukhari 1423 includes, among those Allah will shade on the day when there is no shade but His, a person who gives so secretly that the left hand does not know what the right hand has given.

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Intention and conduct shape the reward. Quran 2:262 promises reward to those who do not follow their giving with reminders of their generosity or with hurt, and Quran 2:264 warns that such reminders, and spending only to be seen, render charity void. Sahih Muslim 1905a describes a wealthy man who spent so that people would call him generous, and was told that this had already been said. Sahih Muslim 1015 adds that Allah accepts only what is good, so give from lawful earnings.

Checking a charity is part of giving responsibly. In England and Wales, the gov.uk charity register lets you look up registered charities and see their aims, trustees and finances; Scotland and Northern Ireland keep their own registers. A Charity Commission safer-giving release advises checking the name and registration number, making sure a charity is genuine before giving financial details, taking care with email links and never feeling pressured to donate on the spot. In other countries, use the official charity regulator.

• Check the charity's name and registration number on the official register.
• Read how it spends its funds, and whether it keeps zakat separate from sadaqah.
• Give through its official website or known collectors, not unsolicited links.
• Keep a record of what you gave and with what intention.

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