Does Donating Islamic Books Count As Sadaqah Jariyah (Ongoing Charity)?

Question: Asalamualykum Wa rahmatulahi Wa baraqatuhu Shyhkh, May Allah bless and reward you and your family, and preserve you. My question is regarding continuous charity. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: “When a man dies, all his deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity (Sadaqah Jariyah), beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for him” My questions are: Does donating books written by scholars count as continuous charity? What if we donate it in the behalf of someone else, like our parents or spouse? Will this be accepted? Do we also get the reward of it, during our life and after our death, even if we donate for someone else? If people don't benefit or use the books donated, do we still get the reward of it? May Allah love and preserve you. Jazakallahu Khairan.

Summary:

Yes, donating beneficial Islamic books, such as books of Tafsir, Hadith, Aqeedah, and Fiqh, is among the best forms of ongoing charity if people continue to benefit from them. It is permissible to dedicate their reward to one’s parents, husband, wife, or other Muslims, and the reward reaches them by Allah’s permission. The donor himself is also hoped to receive the reward for spending his wealth and doing good. If he intends the charity to be on behalf of both himself and another person, they will all receive the reward by Allah’s permission. However, if no one benefits from the books, the donor still receives the reward for the charity and his righteous intention, but the ongoing reward connected to continued benefit is only attained when there is actual benefit from them.

Answer:

First: The Basis of Ongoing Charity

From the Sunnah:

Narrated by Muslim.Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge from which benefit is derived, or a righteous child who supplicates for him.”
This hadith establishes the principle that everything whose benefit continues after a person’s death is considered ongoing charity.

Second: Spreading Knowledge Is Among the Greatest Forms of Charity

From the Qur'an:

[Al-Baqarah: 245]
“Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan so He may multiply it for him?”

From the Sunnah:

Narrated by Muslim.Abu Masud Uqbah ibn Amr رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever guides someone to something good will have a reward like that of the one who does it.”
Narrated by Muslim.Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the rewards of those who follow him, without that diminishing anything from their rewards.”
Therefore, distributing beneficial books falls under guiding others to goodness and spreading knowledge.

From the Scholars:

Shaykh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz رحمه الله: The Ruling on Donating Mushafs and Furnishings to the Mosque as Charity
“Yes, Mushafs, physical books, and mosque furnishings are from ongoing charity as long as they continue to be benefited from. Likewise, building mosques is from ongoing charity, building schools for teaching Islamic knowledge is from ongoing charity, repairing roads for the Muslims is from ongoing charity, and likewise distributing books among the people, beneficial and useful books, is from ongoing charity...”
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen رحمه الله was asked: Is printing Islamic books and distributing them considered ongoing charity?
“Printing books and beneficial things is ongoing charity as long as people benefit from them. Its reward continues and its recompense continues...”
He also said:
“Everything that remains is ongoing charity. It does not necessarily have to remain forever, but if something is established and remains, such as real estate, houses, and similar things, then this is from ongoing charity.”

Is It Permissible to Donate Books on Behalf of One’s Parents, Husband, or Wife? Yes.

From the Sunnah:

Sahih al-Nasai.It is authentically reported that Saad ibn Ubadah رضي الله عنه said:
“O Messenger of Allah, my mother has died. Should I give charity on her behalf?” He said: “Yes.”

Therefore, the reward of every charity reaches the deceased, by Allah’s permission, and this includes making beneficial books an endowment on their behalf. It is also permissible to give charity on behalf of a living person, such as one’s father, mother, husband, or wife, and this falls under doing good to them and supplicating for them. Does the Donor Himself Also Receive the Reward? If he spends the money, purchases the books, and donates them: -He is rewarded for spending the money. -He is rewarded for doing good. -He is rewarded for spreading knowledge. If he intends for the reward to be for both himself and the person on whose behalf he gives the charity, then this is from the vast bounty of Allah. A number of scholars have explicitly stated that it is permissible to include more than one person in the intention for the reward of financial acts of worship. However, if he intends to dedicate the entire reward to another person, then the reward reaches that person, while the donor is still hoped to receive the reward for doing good and spending his wealth, because Allah the Exalted does not allow the reward of those who do good to be lost. If No One Benefits From the Books, Is He Still Rewarded? Yes. He is rewarded for: -His righteous intention. -Purchasing the books. -Spending the money. -Donating them. This is based on the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “Actions are only by intentions.” Agreed upon. However, the continuation of the reward mentioned in the hadith concerning “ongoing charity” only occurs when benefit from the book continues. Therefore, if the books remain but no one reads them, the description of the charity as “ongoing” is not realized in terms of continued benefit, although the original reward of the charity remains established by Allah’s permission. For this reason, it is better to place the books in locations where it is most likely that they will be frequently read and benefited from, such as public libraries, mosque libraries, Quran memorization centers, and Islamic schools. Conclusion: Donating beneficial Islamic books is a form of ongoing charity if people continue to benefit from them. It is permissible to donate them on behalf of one’s parents, husband, wife, or other Muslims, and the reward reaches them by Allah’s permission. The donor is rewarded for spending his wealth, doing good, and spreading knowledge. If he intends to include himself in the reward along with the person on whose behalf he gives the charity, there is no harm in doing so. If no one benefits from the books, he still receives the reward for the charity and his righteous intention. However, the ongoing reward that continues after death only occurs when benefit from the books continues.

And Allah knows best.

← Back to Questions

Does Donating Islamic Books Count As Sadaqah Jariyah (Ongoing Charity)?

Summary:

From the Sunnah:

From the Qur'an:

From the Sunnah:

From the Scholars:

From the Sunnah:

Related Answers