The best sadaqah jariyah projects are those whose asset remains and keeps benefiting people for years: building a mosque, digging a well, building a school or a hospital, a home for those without shelter, supporting students of knowledge, and an endowment (waqf) whose income goes to good causes. As an Islamweb fatwa explains, the charity whose benefit remains after death is the waqf: the asset stays, the benefit is renewed, and the reward reaches you after you die.
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “If the son of Aadam dies, all his deeds cease save three”: recurrent charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who supplicates for him (Muslim).
- Charity is ongoing when its asset remains; if the whole sum is spent, it is still rewarded charity, but not ongoing.
- You can contribute a small amount; you do not have to fund the whole project.
What is sadaqah jariyah?
Sadaqah jariyah (ongoing charity) is an asset set aside so that people benefit from its yield permanently; it is not sold or given away. Food and blankets are charity whose reward reaches the giver, but they end once they are used.
What are the best sadaqah jariyah projects?
An Islamweb fatwa on deeds that benefit a deceased person lists many forms of continuous charity, including these seven:
1. Building mosques
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever builds a mosque, seeking the Face of Allah, Allah will build for him the like of it in Paradise” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim). If people around you are in pressing need, meeting their need comes first, unless there is no mosque in your area or its construction depends on your donation. Contribute to building a mosque.
2. Digging wells and providing water
Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet ﷺ: “What kind of charity is best?” He said: “Providing drinking water” (Ahmad and others; Al-Albaani classified it as hassan), as quoted in an Islamweb fatwa. The need is great: 1 in 4 people in the world, or 2.1 billion, still lack safely managed drinking water, according to the WHO and UNICEF (August 2025). See how to dig a well as sadaqah jariyah, or dig a well directly.
3. Building schools and Quran memorization centres
A school teaches one generation after another, and you share the reward of what they learn. Building schools and Quran memorization houses is among the examples of continuous charity in the same Islamweb fatwa.
4. Supporting students of knowledge
Setting aside wealth to help students is a form of continuous charity, and beneficial knowledge is one of the three deeds that continue after death. Contribute to education projects.
5. Building hospitals and health centres
A hospital treats patients for as long as it stands, and building hospitals is listed as continuous charity. Contribute to health projects.
6. Homes for those without shelter
A home protects a family from heat and cold for years. Building orphanages and homes for the elderly is among the examples of continuous charity. Contribute to building a home.
7. An endowment whose income goes to good causes
You buy an asset that produces income, such as a house for rent, and its income is spent on good causes. The asset remains and the reward is renewed.
Is emergency relief sadaqah jariyah?
Relief in food and clothing is great charity whose reward reaches the giver, but it is not ongoing, because it ends once it is used. If you want a reward that continues after your death, choose a project whose asset remains; if people’s need is pressing now, relief comes first. For more, read Charity on Behalf of the Deceased: Does It Reach Them, and What Is Best?
How do you choose your sadaqah jariyah project?
- Choose the cause closest to your intention: a mosque, water, knowledge, health or shelter.
- Decide the amount: fund the whole project, or contribute what you can.
- Give through a trusted charity that carries out and follows up the project, such as Qatar Charity.
- Intend it for yourself, or dedicate its reward to a loved one, living or deceased.
Sadaqah jariyah projects: short rulings
What are sadaqah jariyah projects?
Projects whose asset remains and benefits people for a long time, such as mosques, wells, schools, hospitals and endowments.
What is the best sadaqah jariyah?
Providing water, such as digging a well, is among the best, based on the hadith of Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah. At any time, the best is what people need most.
Is a small contribution sadaqah jariyah?
Yes, if it goes to a project whose asset remains, such as building a mosque; your reward matches your share.
Are food and clothing sadaqah jariyah?
No. They are charity whose reward reaches the giver, but they end once used, so they are not ongoing.
Can sadaqah jariyah be given on behalf of the deceased?
Yes, its reward reaches them, and digging a well on their behalf is among the best.
Leave a lasting legacy: choose your sadaqah jariyah project
