Being a Force for Good: 5 Ideas for Giving Sadaqah

Friday, November 7, 2025

Imagine leaving a legacy through the click of a button? Strangers, across generations, pray for you for an act of service that changed their lives for the better. And all you had to do was make the intention to help someone in need, then hit send. In a world scarred by conflict, displacement, and need, your simple act can be the force for good. 

The blessings of giving in the path of God don’t just touch the moment; they echo for generations. As God says: 

“The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed of grain which grows seven ears; in each ear is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills.” (Qur’an 2:261)  

Here are five powerful ways you can give sadaqah and make real change through Zakat Foundation of America. 

1. Provide Clean Water: Quench Thirst, Save Lives 

The Prophet, on him be peace, said: “The best charity is that given in providing water.” (Sunan Ibn Mājah) 

Access to clean water isn’t just a luxury, it’s life itself. In regions like Gaza and Sudan, families desperately need safe water. 

By sponsoring a well, handpump, or desalination plant through our Water program, you transform not only thirst into life, but you also seed ongoing benefit. Imagine a child in Gaza taking their first sip of clean water, a worshipper in Mali performing ablution before prayer, a mother in Nepal filling her buckets to wash her family’s clothes, or a village in Pakistan thriving with water that nourishes its crops. You can make this possible. 

This is sadaqah that flows and continues to bless long after the act. Donate Now 

2. Sponsor an Orphan: Create Futures and Restore Hope 

“They ask you what they should spend. Say: what you spend of good is for parents, relatives, orphans, the needy and wayfarers.” (Qur’an 2:215) 

Orphans carry wounds of loss and invisibility. When you step in as a sponsor, you become a guardian of dignity. Through our Orphan Care program, your gift provides education, health care, safe shelter, and a future. This is not charity for a moment; it’s an investment in a life. Your support sends them a message that they matter, they belong, and that your sadaqah will continue beyond this world.

Help us reach 10,000 sponsored orphans before 2026 and show the world that hope has a number. Sponsor a child today. 

3. Support Emergency Relief: Mercy in the Hour of Need 

The Prophet, on him be peace, said: “Whoever alleviates the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will alleviate his hardship on the Day of Resurrection.” (Muslim, Hadith 2699) 

When conflict rages, displacement surges, and families lose everything, but your sadaqah can be their first lifeline. Our emergency relief efforts in Afghanistan, Gaza, Pakistan, Sudan, and beyond deliver food, shelter, medical aid, and hope in the darkest hours. 

Urgency matters. The moment you give matters. Because every minute can mean the difference between despair and survival. Send emergency relief now.  

4. Invest in Education and Skills: Empower Futures and Build Resilience 

The Prophet, on him be peace, said: “Whoever guides someone to knowledge, it is as if he has done a good deed like theirs.” (Abu Dawood, Hadith 3641) 

True charity builds independence. You can give not just help but hope through education and training. By funding schools or providing vocational training where you’re planting seeds of self-reliance. Sadaqah that empowers is sadaqah that lasts.

Create pathways to futures of independence and self-sufficiency. Secure futures.  

5. Build Community Infrastructure: Legacy That Lives On 

The Prophet, on him be peace, said: “When a person dies his deeds end except three: continuous charity, knowledge from which benefit is derived, or a righteous child who prays for him.” (Muslim) 

Whether it’s shelters, community centers, or livelihood projects, your sadaqah can become a sadaqah jariyah: ongoing charity.  

Through Zakat Foundation of America, you can build something that outlives the moment: a well, a shelter home, a school, or a mosque.