SADAQA E JARYA

“If a human dies, then his good deeds stop except for three: a Sadaqah Jariah (continuous charity), a beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him.” – Sahih Muslim

Your Sadaqah Jariah could help many deserving people change their lives for good. And,in
retune you continue getting the reward as long as the poor people continue benefits from your donation through good education, medical aid and livelihood programmes.

We at Islamic Aid strongly believe in helping people earn a decent living and become financially independent and self-sufficient, instead of providing them perpetual assistance. Then they don’t have to be provided with charity for food, medicines, shelter, clothing etc.

This self-employment philosophy is derived from the following incident during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):

A man of the Ansar came to the Prophet (saw) and begged from him. The Prophet (saw) asked him if he has anything in his house? He replied: Yes, a piece of cloth, a part of which we wear and a part of which we spread (on the ground), and a wooden bowl from which we drink water. The Prophet (saw) asked him to bring those items to him and helped him sell for two dirhams. He (saw) asked the Ansari to buy food with one dirham, buy an axe with the second dirham and go and gather firewood and sell it. The man went away, and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he came to the prophet and told him that he had bought a garment with some of them and food with his earnings the others. (Abu Dawud, Hadith 1637)

This incident illustrates an important distinction between simply providing relief as opposed to making someone self-sufficient. Relief is generally a short term solution to a long term problem. Self-employment through economic and social change is a long-term solution, which is why Islamic Aid focuses on projects that promote self-employment.

Syed Ahmed Shah Trust’s livelihood and Islamic Micro-finance Program includes the following projects:

Animal Farming
Small Business for the Poor
Farmer Assistance

Animal Farming

Poultry Farming: Five chickens and one rooster, or a flock of 25 chicks, are given to a family (feeding supplies are also provided). It costs £50 to start a small poultry farm.

Goat Farming: Goats are given to the poor in rural areas for milk and goat farming. It costs £150 for a pair of goats for a family to get started.

Small Businesses for the Poor

Tools for Various Professions: Poor families and individuals are provided assistance in the form of push-carts and supplies for selling vegetables or other items as street vendors, or cash is given for setting up retail shops. Also under this project, tools and equipment are given for various professions for starting businesses.

It costs £65 for a sewing machine for a woman, £150 for a push-cart and supplies to start a street vending business, and approximately £200 – £500 to set up a retail shop and varied costs for tools based on each profession.

Farmer Assistance

Most of the countries where Syed Ahmed Shah Trust implements its projects depend on agricultural economies. Over 60% of their populations consists of farmers. Unlike in developed countries these farmers do not receive any subsidies. Therefore, a major portion of the populations of such countries continue to stay below the poverty line generation after generation.

Syed Ahmed Shah Trust helps farmers in economically depressed areas by providing one or more of the following items:

Seeds
Fertilizers
Pesticides
Technical know-how