What Remains, When We Do Not
A well still runs long after it’s built. A child still learns years after the tuition was paid. A family still eats, season after season, long after the hand that gave has gone still. That’s Sadaqah Jariyah, charity that keeps giving. And it’s the idea behind our newest initiative: a partnership with Shariawiz that makes legacy giving simple, and fully Shariah compliant.
Our work doesn’t stop
In just three years, HDF has delivered relief and development across more than 20 countries. Clean water in Pakistan. Orphan sponsorship in Gaza and Sudan. Emergency food and shelter in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Medical care, education, and livelihood programs that turn a single gift into years of impact.
But we never wanted our work to depend only on today’s donations. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that when a person dies, their deeds end except for three: knowledge that continues to benefit others, a righteous child who prays for them, and a charity whose reach outlives its giver. A legacy gift is one way to live that out. It takes what would have ended with a single lifetime and lets it keep going.
That’s exactly what this partnership makes possible: a way for HDF’s work to continue long after any one donor is gone, built on decisions made today and carried out tomorrow.
So, what is Shariawiz? 
Shariawiz is our partner platform for Islamic estate planning: wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations, all built around Islamic inheritance principles. Instead of leaving a will to guesswork, or to a process that has nothing to do with your faith, you can build one with Shariawiz that reflects it from the very first page.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
– Name HDF in your will or trust. Some people choose a fixed amount. Others leave a share of their estate, often up to a third, following the same guidance that shapes Islamic inheritance.
– Make HDF a beneficiary.Naming HDF and Shariawiz on a retirement account or life insurance policy costs nothing today, and you can change it anytime.
– Let it wait for its time. You don’t need to be wealthy to leave something behind. You just need to decide it should continue.
What this means for the families we serve
A legacy gift doesn’t go to an idea. It goes to a place, and then to a person: a family in Gaza still counting the days since their last meal, a child in Sudan with no parents left to provide for them, a family in Lebanon sleeping without walls or a roof over their heads, a well in Pakistan drawing water where none has run before, a sick child in Kenya or Somalia finally getting care.
Because these gifts come through a will, trust, or beneficiary designation, they give HDF something rare: a future we can actually plan around, instead of rebuilding from scratch with every new campaign.
What this means for you
For donors, this partnership removes the two things that usually get in the way of legacy giving: how complicated it feels, and the worry that it won’t be handled Islamically. HDF’s programs and finances are already built around Islamic principles, from Zakat-eligible distribution to how we handle Sadaqah. Shariawiz just extends that same care to the giving decision itself.
Nothing is asked of you today. A gift named in your will or trust can be changed anytime, as your life changes around it. The only real decision is whether your reach should outlive you.
A final act of worship
A will has always been more than paperwork. The Qur’an speaks to the moment when a believer, as death draws near, is called to leave a portion of what they have for those still in need. Seen that way, writing a will becomes a final act of worship, written while the hand can still write it.
Our work isn’t stopping anytime soon. And now, through Shariawiz, it doesn’t have to stop with you either.
Start your legacy gift today* and see how one decision now can keep serving families for years to come.
Inside the HDF School at Al-Yarmouk Camp in Gaza
At the HDF school in Al-Yarmouk Camp, more than 300 children took part in lessons,…
