Stage 1: What it is
Sadaqah is charity, and jariyah means flowing. Sadaqah Jariyah is charity whose benefit keeps flowing: as long as people go on benefiting from what you gave, the reward goes on reaching you, even after death. The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا مَاتَ الْإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثَةٍ: إِلَّا مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ، أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ، أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ
When a person dies, their deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that benefits others, or a righteous child who prays for them.
Scholars explain that ongoing charity is something that lasts after the giver, such as an endowment, a well or a building, rather than a gift that is used up at once. Both are rewarded; Sadaqah Jariyah is the one that keeps going.
Stage 2: What counts
The Prophet ﷺ named seven things whose reward follows a believer after death:
إِنَّ مِمَّا يَلْحَقُ الْمُؤْمِنَ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ وَحَسَنَاتِهِ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ: عِلْمًا عَلَّمَهُ وَنَشَرَهُ، وَوَلَدًا صَالِحًا تَرَكَهُ، وَمُصْحَفًا وَرَّثَهُ، أَوْ مَسْجِدًا بَنَاهُ، أَوْ بَيْتًا لِابْنِ السَّبِيلِ بَنَاهُ، أَوْ نَهْرًا أَجْرَاهُ، أَوْ صَدَقَةً أَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ مَالِهِ فِي صِحَّتِهِ وَحَيَاتِهِ، يَلْحَقُهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَوْتِهِ
Among the deeds and good works that reach a believer after death are: knowledge he taught and spread, a righteous child he left behind, a copy of the Qur’ān he left as inheritance, a masjid he built, a house he built for travellers, a waterway he made flow, or charity he gave from his wealth while healthy and alive. These reach him after his death.
What each looks like today:
- Knowledge taught and spreadSupporting a maktab, a teacher or a student of the Qur’an.
- A righteous childRaising and educating children who will pray for you.
- A copy of the Qur’ān left behindPlacing Qur’ans in masjids and maktabs.
- A masjid builtHelping build a masjid that serves a village for generations.
- A house for travellersShelter for those far from home.
- A waterway dugA water well that gives clean water for 20+ years.
- Charity given while alive and wellAny gift you give from your wealth today, for yourself.
Stage 3: For yourself, or for someone you love
For yourself. The last of the seven is charity a person gives from their own wealth while healthy and alive. You do not need to wait for a will or a special occasion: whatever lasting good you fund now goes on earning you reward after you have gone.
For someone who has died. A man told the Prophet ﷺ that his mother had died suddenly and asked whether he could give charity on her behalf, and he said: “Yes, give charity on her behalf” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 2609). Scholars hold that the reward reaches the deceased without reducing the reward of the one who gives it.
Worth knowing
Giving in someone’s name is not only for parents. Families give for grandparents, a spouse, a child, a teacher or a friend. What matters is the intention when you give.
Stage 4: Sadaqah Jariyah and Zakat
Zakat is an obligation, with a fixed amount and fixed categories of people who may receive it. Sadaqah, including Sadaqah Jariyah, is voluntary: any amount, at any time, for any good cause.
Our Sadaqah Jariyah fund accepts both. If your gift is Zakat, choose “Zakat” at checkout and it is allocated only to a Zakat-eligible project. To see how we distribute Zakat, read our Zakat policy.
Stage 5: Give Sadaqah Jariyah
Our Sadaqah Jariyah fund goes to projects that deliver lasting benefit: water wells, masjid construction, Qur’an distribution, student sponsorship and maktab education. Give in someone’s name below, or give for yourself.
Sadaqah Jariyah
Something lasting, in their name
Sadaqah Jariyah is a continuous reward that keeps flowing after death. Give on behalf of the one you have lost, and your gift goes to projects that deliver lasting benefit: water wells, masjids, Qur’ans, student sponsorship and maktab education.
Every drop of water drunk, every prayer offered and every word recited becomes a source of ongoing reward for them. Zakat can be given too: choose “Zakat” at checkout and it goes to an eligible project.
We will add it to your donation or page for you.
Give to our Sadaqah Jariyah fund. Any amount helps, and your gift is marked as given on their behalf.
Make a page in their memory that family and friends can give to together. It is free and takes a few minutes.