Do Acts which Benefit People
Even After Your Death

In giving to others one finds even more for oneself. Establishing an environment of human oneness is indeed a great service to humanity.

According to a tradition, the Prophet once observed: “When a person plants a tree and then he dies and this tree grows and bears fruit which human beings and birds eat, then this will be a continuous form of charity so long as the creatures of God keep benefiting from it.” (Musnad Ahmad 15616)

Being of use or being helpful is an immutable principle in Islam. It is called continuous charity. This means that when a person does something good which benefits others, for instance, he plants a tree or builds a bridge and then he dies but his work is still extant after his death and continues to benefit people, then this kind of continuous charity is regarded as being of great importance and deserving of a great reward.

Continuing charity in fact reflects a noble aspect of a person’s character. It shows a high level of altruism when a person does something which will benefit succeeding generations, long after he has left this world.

Munificence is a noble virtue. One who is of such a character does not do something good only when the need arises. He rather does things which are of general benefit. His wish is that even his death does not put an end to his beneficence. He wishes that the good he does should continue even when he has left this world.

Being of service to others is in fact the perfection of humanity. In giving to others he finds even more for himself, more than he has given to others. Such an act obliterates the concept of ‘we’ and ‘they’. And establishing an environment of human oneness is indeed a great service to humanity.