Continuous Charity
Sadaqa Jaariya
"When a man dies, his acts come to an end, [except] three: recurring charity, knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious child who prays (for the deceased parent)."
Hadith of Muhammad(PBUH) reported in Muslim
Some where in Yemen there is a mosque built over a thousand years ago where children continue to pray to this day.
That is continuous charity.
In the United States, there are no mosques that have been in existence for over a thousand years. There is much building to be done. This includes schools, colleges, cultural institutions and foundations that benefit the poor. One amazing thing about continuous charity in the United States is that it is usually an easy decision. For many people, this decision does not hurt the family in any way. Also for many families, planning to give to charity usually means reducing the amount of taxes paid.
Charitable planning solutions should always involve the following:
-
Counseling. There is no one right way to plan on giving for charity. While giving in charity involves a wide range of religious, personal and tax goals, it is important to synthesize all of these goals in formulating a plan.
-
Charitable trusts. These trusts can be created to fulfill a wide range of charitable and tax planning goals. These are not simply trusts for rich people. Versions of charitable trusts can be used by a wide range of families.
-
Charitable foundations. Many families would like to maintain control of their charitable dollars. They would also like to leverage tax laws with the religious requirement of having to pay zakat. Frequently, creating a foundation may be the best way to do this.
-
Alliances with existing Muslim charities. Frequently when we discuss charitable planning with Muslim families, their astonished to find how much money they can give in continuous charity. When they are comfortable with organizations that they like, such as a local mosque or school, amazing things can happen.
When planning to protect the most valuable thing in the world, our family, all Muslims should consider other ways in which their wealth can benefit the community now and in the future.