Burhan Clark points out the young fruit trees planted just above the steep, bramble-covered creek bed next to the Dawah Islamic Center on the North Side of Milwaukee. Planting trees is a form of sadaqah jariyah, or ongoing charity, he explains as his young sons scramble down to the creek and then help each other climb up a stone wall, exploring their slice of nature in the middle of the city.
Sadaqah jariyah is one of the faith's hadith, or teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. It urges people to invest in the future, creating things that will bear fruit for others even after they are gone.
The trees around the Dawah Center aren't the only sadaqah jariyah project growing at the mosque and community center. Nearly a year ago, the Dawah Center began a project to put solar panels on its roof, another initiative that would help fulfill the Koran's teachings about protecting the environment, Clark says.
