The virtue of watering water in Islam: evidence and when is it considered ongoing charity?
The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was asked a direct question: Which charity is better? The answer came in two words: “Irrigating water.”
He did not say which one was the most wealthy or the most famous. So what makes The virtue of watering In this status?
Article summary:-
This article presents the evidence for the virtue of watering from the Sunnah with its conclusion and the rulings of scholars on it. Then it explains the different forms of watering, from a single drink of water to a project that serves an entire village. Then it answers the question that is absent from most of the articles: When does watering become an ongoing charity, and when does it remain an ordinary charity that ends when it ends?
The most prominent part of it: The hadith of Saad bin Ubadah when he asked about the best charity after the death of his mother, and the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, told him “Irrigating water”And the story of Othman bin Affan, may God be pleased with him, buying the Rumah well and endow it for Muslims, and the jurisprudential rule that separates charity from endowment: “Withholding the asset and transferring the benefit”.
1. The first evidence: When he was asked about the best charity
Talking in its text
Saad bin Ubadah, may God be pleased with him, came to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and said:
“O Messenger of God, my mother has died, should I give alms on her behalf?” He said: Yes. I said: Which charity is better? He said: Irrigating water.
Narrated by Al-Nasa’i, It was authenticated by Al-Albani in Sahih Al-Nasa’i.
Why this particular hadith?
Because it is not general talk about the virtue of water, but rather Answer to a comparison question. The man asked: What is charity? Better? So the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, chose a specific door for him from among all the doors of charity.
What is the secret of this preference?
Because water is the origin of life, not its improvement. God Almighty said: “And We made from water every living thing.” (Surat Al-Anbiya, 30). Whoever feeds a hungry person satisfies his hunger for a day, and whoever gives drink to a thirsty person maintains life itself in him.
The first evidence is a statement. The second was an action by my companions.
2. The second evidence: Rumah Well and the first water endowment
The story in brief
Roma's well was one of the freshest waters in the city, and the immigrants used to buy water from it at a price that exhausted them. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said:
“Whoever buys the well of Rumah and places his bucket with the buckets of the Muslims will have something better for him in Paradise.”
So Othman bin Affan, may God be pleased with him, bought it Thirty-five thousand dirhams from his wealth, and made it an endowment for Muslims, as in Islamweb article about Othman and Well Rumah.
What does this action teach us?
Three things that many people forget:
- The purchase was with his own moneyNeither surplus nor superfluous.
- The endowment is for all MuslimsNot for a specific group, as water is not classified as drinkers.
- The original remains and the benefit is fulfilledThis is exactly the image of ongoing charity, which we will explain shortly.
Why did the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, choose a well and not food?
Because the problem in the city at that time was not the absence of water, but rather... Its monopoly. Water was available, but it was at a price that exhausted the poor. The solution was not to distribute water daily Edit the source itself So that it becomes available to everyone at no cost. This is the idea on which any well project is based today.
The impact extended for centuries
One well, bought by one man, whose memory and influence remained for fourteen centuries after him. This is the difference between a giving that is spent once and a giving that is established once and is always ongoing.
Credit is fixed. But what is his picture?
3. Pictures of watering water: from a drink to a project
Not one degree
Irrigating water is a broad chapter that starts from the smallest image and does not end at the largest:
| Photo | Its range |
|---|---|
| A drink of water He ate it when he was thirsty | A moment |
| Watering an animal | A moment and its reward |
| Packages or tanks Distributed among families | days |
| Tank It is built close to people | It extends as long as the water remains in it |
| Well Digging in a village | It extends as long as the well remains operational |
Even watering an animal has a reward
Al-Bukhari narrated his saying, may God bless him and grant him peace: “In every moist liver there is a reward.”And its meaning is as you explain it Fatwa Islamweb The reward is fixed in doing good to every soul. If there is a reward for watering an animal, what about an entire family drinking every day?
Which one is more suitable for you?
For those who have a small amount and want an immediate effect, distribution is open. Whoever wants the work to remain after him, a fixed source is preferable. Whoever is able to combine them has combined the immediate and the later, and there is no conflict between them at all.
The difference between the images is not in the reward alone
But in Duration. This is the point where many people get confused, and the comparison of types in terms of cost and impact is detailed in Water irrigation projects.
Here comes the question that is absent from most articles.
4. When is water supply considered an ongoing charity?
The rule in one sentence
Current charity is EndowmentAnd its definition according to scholars: “Withholding the asset and transferring the benefit”, as in Fatwa Islamweb.
Its practical meaning is: to remain Original Standing and running Benefit From him successively.
Apply the base to the water
| Original | Judgment | |
|---|---|---|
| Water bottle Given to a family | Consume immediately after drinking | Charity is a great reward, but it is... It ends |
| cistern Distributes water | His campaign ends | Charity ends when the water runs out |
| Well Digging and working | Remaining And water flows from it | ongoing charity |
That's why it came in Fatwa from Islamweb on examples of ongoing charity: “This includes what was mentioned in the hadith, such as digging a well or planting trees.”.
This does not mean reducing other images
The package that reaches a thirsty person now may be greater at its moment than a well dug a month later. The preference here is in continuity, not in the original reward. Whoever wants both things combines them.
What about watering water for a deceased person?
Saad’s own hadith was on this topic. He asked about charity About his mother He was instructed to water the water. This section is detailed in An ongoing charity for the deceased and the parents.
It remains for the speech to move from the text to the ground.
5. From meaning to a visible project
Where do these meanings stand today?
Talk about the virtue of watering remains incomplete unless it is matched by a real project with a location, number, and date. Hayat Foundation implements water projects across... Local teams within the regionsWith 5 years of experience in field work, details of types and prices in The cost of drilling a well is an ongoing charityAnd explain the project from the beginning Digging a well is an ongoing charity.
Why do we insist on documentation?
Because the reward is not documented, however The work is documented. Faisal, the project owner, has a file containing pictures of the site before and after, a clip of the well in operation, a plaque bearing the name he requested, and coordinates that he opens on the map himself. Detail in How are well projects documented?, and real models in Documentation page.
And the flow needs someone to maintain it
The stopped well does not benefit from it. Maintenance is not an additional service, but rather a condition for the description to remain “current,” and its details are in Well maintenance. And projects each month with their numbers and regions in Monthly reportsAnd a complete customer experience The story of nine wells.
Frequently asked questions about the benefits of watering
What is the virtue of watering water in Islam? The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was asked: Which charity is better? He said: “Irrigating water.” Narrated by Al-Nasa’i and authenticated by Al-Albani.
Is watering better than feeding food? The hadith came in the context of comparison and gave preference to watering, and the people of knowledge take into account the condition of the needy himself, so whoever is hungry, it is better to feed him at that moment.
When is water supply an ongoing charity? When the original remains and the benefit flows, it is like a well that is dug and worked. As for containers and tanks, they are a charity that ends when their water runs out.
Does distributing water bottles have a fee? Yes, its reward is great, but it is not part of ongoing charity because the original is consumed.
What is the story of Roma Well? A well in Medina that Othman bin Affan, may God be pleased with him, bought for thirty-five thousand dirhams and gave it as an endowment for the Muslims, after the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever buys the well of Rumah and places his bucket with the buckets of the Muslims is better for him than it in Paradise.”
Does the reward for watering water reach the deceased? The hadith of Saad bin Ubadah was a question about charity on behalf of his mother after her death, so it indicates that, and the details are in the article “Jariyah Charity for the Dead and the Parents.”
Is there a reward for watering animals? Yes, Al-Bukhari narrated: “In every moist liver there is a reward.”
What is the difference between a well and a tank in wages? Both are good, but the difference is in time: the well produces water, and the tank preserves what is put in it.
How do I start a water irrigation project in my name or in the name of my loved one? Select the type of Well projects, select the name you want on the board, and complete the order via Payment methods.
Make your watering flow uninterrupted
The virtue of watering Fix the text, and it remains for you to choose its image: a drink that ends, or a source that remains.
Start from Well projects, or read the differences in Water irrigation projects, or Ask us Before you choose.
Your bucket with the Muslim buckets.
