3 minutes read
Many Muslims believe their responsibility ends when the ribbon is cut.
A wealthy Muslim donates to build a masjid, an Islamic school, a hospital, or an orphanage. The building opens. Everyone celebrates. Pictures are taken. Du'as are made.
Five years later, the paint is fading.
Ten years later, the classrooms are empty. The roof leaks. The equipment is outdated. The programs disappear because there is no money left to run them.
The problem was never the donation.
The problem was confusing construction with institution building.
Muslim Founder Brief
A daily briefing on Muslim ownership, responsibility, and disciplined building.
A Waqf Must Be Built to Last
Every waqf is an amanah.
The donor entrusted that wealth to those who came after him so that the benefit would continue long after his death. If there is no governance, no financial sustainability, no maintenance plan, no leadership succession, and no systems to adapt over time, then the institution slowly dies even though the building remains standing.
Sadaqah Jariyah was never meant to stop after the opening ceremony.
It was meant to continue serving people generation after generation.
The Muslim founder should think differently.
Do not ask only, "How do we build this?"
Ask, "How will this still be serving Muslims fifty years after I am buried?"
Building Is Only the Beginning
Building is the easy part.
Preserving an amanah across generations is the harder task.
That is why institutions require more than generous donors. They require disciplined builders who understand systems, governance, succession, and accountability as acts of worship.
The reward is not only in establishing an institution.
The reward is in ensuring it continues fulfilling the purpose for which it was entrusted.
What would change if Muslims measured the success of a waqf by how well it serves the next generation rather than how impressive it looked on opening day?
Muslim Founder Brief
A daily briefing on Muslim ownership, responsibility, and disciplined building.
Muslim Founder Brief
A daily briefing on Muslim ownership, responsibility, and disciplined building.
Muslim Founder Brief
A daily briefing on Muslim ownership, responsibility, and disciplined building.
