Question:
If zakat money is used to build a mosque or similar project, will the donor receive the reward of continuous charity (ṣadaqah jāriyah)?
Answer:
Charity can generally be divided into two types:
- Temporary charity (Sadaqah)
- Continuous charity (Sadaqathul Jaariah)
Temporary charity is something that finishes quickly. For example, if you give someone food or a banana, once the person eats it; the charity ends. But some charities remain beneficial for a long time.
For example:
- Giving someone a pen. As long as the pen is used, the reward continues.
- Building a house for someone.
- Constructing a mosque.
- Digging a well.
- Planting a tree.
These are called continuous charity because their benefit continues.
If someone builds a mosque and later dies, the mosque may remain for a hundred years. Every person who prays there contributes reward to the person who built it. Even after the donor’s death, the reward continues because the benefit continues.
Similarly, if someone digs a well and people keep drinking from it, the reward continues every time someone drinks.
Now the question is: if such a project is funded using zakat, which is a compulsory charity, will the reward of continuous charity still apply?
In Islam there are two categories of charity:
- Obligatory charity (zakat)
- Voluntary charity (ṣadaqah)
The Prophetﷺ did not separate the concept of continuous charity based on whether the money was obligatory or voluntary. What matters is whether the benefit continues.
If a mosque is built with voluntary charity, it remains and people benefit from it. If a mosque is built using zakat funds, the building still remains and people still benefit from it. The key factor is continuity of benefit, not the category of money.
Therefore, if zakat money is used for something that continues benefiting people—like digging a well or building a facility—then the on-going benefit can still bring reward.
The Qur’an itself often uses the word “ṣadaqah” broadly. When speaking about the eight categories eligible for zakat, Allahﷻ uses the word ṣadaqāt, which includes charitable spending. So, the concept of charity in general encompasses both obligatory and voluntary forms.
Therefore, if zakat funds are used for something that continues benefiting people, the on-going benefit can still bring reward as long as it serves a legitimate charitable purpose.