One Ummah News - 20 May 2026
Stop and ask yourself: when you leave this world, what will remain?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “When a person dies, their deeds come to an end except for three: a continuing charity (Sadaqah Jariyah), knowledge that is benefited from, or a righteous child who prays for them.” [Muslim]
It’s not going to be your money or achievements, and this hadith is not just describing a type of charity. It reveals a profound divine principle: that the most meaningful actions are those that create a ripple effect of goodness long after we are gone. It is an invitation from Allahﷻ Himself to invest in our Akhirah.
Among the greatest Sadaqah Jariyah are two fundamental pillars of life: water and knowledge.
One sustains the body. The other sustains the mind and soul. Together, they represent the most powerful, transformative, and eternal investments a believer can make for their Ummah in need and their Akhirah.
Water: The Sadaqah Jariyah That Gives Life
Allahﷻ says: “And We made from water every living thing.” [Qur’an, 21:30]
Water is our source of life, the most basic mercy from Allahﷻ, yet for millions in our Ummah, it remains a daily struggle, a source of disease, and a cause of death.
• 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water
• In Gaza, water systems are no longer functional
• In Bangladesh, arsenic poisons the wells
• Across Africa, women and children walk miles for contaminated water
When you give water, you are not just quenching thirst. You are giving life itself. The Prophetﷺ said: “The best charity is giving water to drink.” [Ahmad]
A single well becomes a stream of mercy. Every sip, every wudhu, every life —every single drop flows as a continuous reward into your account.
Knowledge: The Sadaqah That Illuminates the Future
Knowledge is the foundation of our Deen. Yet today, this sacred right is stolen from millions of children by war, poverty, and displacement.
• More than 250 million children around the world are out of school
• In Afghanistan, 3.7 million children are denied education, most of them girls
• In Yemen, 2 million children have their futures erased
• Countless others are forced to choose between survival and schooling
Education is more than pencils and paper. It’s power, protection and possibility. When you provide educational support through One Ummah, you’re reviving hope, restoring dignity, empowering generations, and building your Akhirah. Every lesson that child learns, every good deed they perform based on that knowledge, every community they uplift—becomes an unending source of Sadaqah Jariyah for you.
The Divine Intertwine of Clean Water and Knowledge
These two forms of Sadaqah Jariyah are not separate. They are deeply connected, each enabling the other.
• A sick child cannot learn
• A thirsty community cannot grow
• An educated generation can lift its families from despair
This is the divine wisdom behind giving both. You are not just solving a temporary problem; you are breaking the entire cycle of poverty and dependency. You are funding a self-sustaining future of health, knowledge, and dignity.
Your Everlasting Rewards
In a world obsessed with chasing quarterly returns and short-term gains, Allahﷻ invites us to invest in something far greater—an eternal reward that multiplies beyond measure.
The Prophetﷺ said: “Whoever digs a well will have reward for that, and every time a person or animal drinks from it, he will gain reward.” —[Tabarani]
And: “Whoever teaches some knowledge will have the reward of the one who acts upon it, without that detracting from his reward in the slightest.” [Ibn Majah]
This is the immeasurable mercy of Allahﷻ. A single act of Sadaqah—a well, a book—becomes a river of rewards flowing into your scale. Every sip of water, every word of knowledge, every life transformed—all of it is added to your book of deeds, even after you’ve returned to Allahﷻ.
You are not decreasing your wealth, you are entrusting it to the One who returns it multiplied: "Who is it that will lend to Allah a goodly loan, which He will multiply for him many times over?" —[2:245].
Will Your Legacy Fade or Flourish Beyond You?
The needs of the Ummah are immense. But so is the opportunity Allahﷻ has placed in your hands. Wealth is not a mark of status—it is a trust, an Amanah. A test. A means to serve.
Will you spend it chasing the temporary pleasure of the Dunya, or help your brothers and sisters in need whilst building your Akhirah? The choice is yours. Millions are waiting for their thirst to be quenched and their futures to be bright once again.
The Prophetﷺ said: "When a person dies, all their deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for them." [Muslim] This is your moment to answer the call of your Lord. Let your legacy be in the hearts of children, in the Du’as of the thirsty, and in the scales of your Hereafter.
Support One Ummah’s Drops of Mercy and Back to School campaigns and plant your seeds of Sadaqah Jariyah.
Sadaqah Jariyah is one of the most powerful forms of giving in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught us that when a person dies, all deeds come to an end except for three: a continuing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for them. This hadith is a beautiful reminder that what we leave behind matters far more than what we accumulate. At One Ummah, we help you give in ways that keep rewarding you long after your time in this world has passed.
Access to clean water is not a luxury. It is a matter of survival. Yet more than two billion people around the world still lack access to safe drinking water. Families in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East walk for hours each day just to collect water that is often contaminated and unsafe. Children fall ill, parents cannot work, and communities remain trapped in poverty.
When you fund a water well through One Ummah, every person who drinks from it earns you a reward. Every family who no longer has to worry about their daily water supply carries a piece of your legacy. The Prophet, peace be upon him, described water as the best charity. Through our Drops of Mercy campaign, your gift can bring clean water to entire communities and keep giving long after you are gone.
Education is the key to breaking cycles of poverty and hardship. When a child receives a proper education, they gain the tools to build a better life for themselves and their family. Yet millions of children across the world are denied this basic right because of war, displacement, and lack of resources. In Afghanistan alone, millions of children have been shut out of the classroom. In Yemen, entire generations face a future without access to learning.
Through One Ummah's Back to School appeal, your support can provide books, supplies, and safe learning spaces to children who desperately need them. Every lesson taught, every child who learns to read, every graduate who goes on to help others, all of it returns to you as an endless reward. Knowledge shared is knowledge multiplied, and your role in that chain never ends.
Giving Sadaqah Jariyah has never been more straightforward. One Ummah works in some of the most water-scarce and conflict-affected regions in the world, delivering meaningful aid where it is needed most. Whether you choose to fund a water well, sponsor a child's education, or contribute to both, your donation plants the seeds of an enduring legacy.
Visit our Sadaqah Jariyah appeal page and make your donation today. Every pound you give has the potential to provide clean water to a whole village or keep a child in school for a year. Do not wait for tomorrow. Start your legacy now.
There is a beautiful truth that often goes unspoken in charitable work. Water and education are not two separate causes. They are two halves of the same promise. A child who is sick from dirty water cannot attend school. A mother who spends three hours a day fetching water from a distant river has no time to support her children's learning. A community without clean water is a community held back in every possible way.
When One Ummah funds water projects in places like Bangladesh, Gaza, or Sub-Saharan Africa, the ripple effects extend far beyond hydration. School attendance rises because children are no longer ill. Girls, who are disproportionately burdened with water-carrying duties, can return to the classroom. Families experience better health, and with better health comes greater capacity to work, learn, and grow.
Similarly, when we fund education, we are also contributing to a future where communities understand hygiene, sanitation, and how to maintain clean water sources. An educated generation is better positioned to protect the water supply and the wider environment for those who come after them. This is the gift that truly keeps giving, and it sits at the very heart of what Sadaqah Jariyah means.
One of the most comforting teachings in Islam is that good deeds do not simply vanish. They are recorded, preserved, and rewarded in ways that extend beyond our physical lives. Sadaqah Jariyah, or continuing charity, is perhaps the most profound expression of this truth. When you give in a way that continues to benefit others, your account with Allah continues to grow even when you are no longer here to add to it.
Think about what that means in practical terms. A water well that you helped fund might serve a village for twenty or thirty years. Thousands of people might drink from it, wash with it, and survive because of it. Each drink of water, each life sustained, is a seed of reward planted in your name. A child sponsored through education might go on to become a teacher, a doctor, or a community leader who helps hundreds of others. That chain of goodness flows back to you.
This is not a small thing. It is a profound and generous gift from our Creator, that He accepts our limited worldly resources and transforms them into something infinite. At One Ummah, we take this responsibility seriously. We ensure that every donation reaches those who need it most and delivers impact that lasts. When you give through us, you can be confident that your Sadaqah Jariyah is being invested wisely and faithfully.
If you are ready to leave a lasting mark on this world and the next, explore our Drops of Mercy campaign and our Back to School appeal. Together, these two causes represent the very best of what it means to give in the way of Allah. They are your chance to be part of something that outlives you and keeps bearing fruit for generations to come. Give today and let your legacy begin.
No act of kindness is too small. No donation is without weight. In the sight of Allah, every effort counts, and every penny given for His sake carries the potential of a reward that never ends.
