A distinctive development is the sadaqah jariyah, the ongoing or flowing charity, whose reward is held to continue reaching the giver after death for as long as its benefit endures. A well-known saying names three things whose reward does not cease when a person dies, an ongoing charity, knowledge from which others benefit, and a righteous child who prays for them. On the strength of this teaching the tradition has directed much sadaqah into lasting public goods: wells, mosques, schools, orchards and, in classical Islamic society, the great endowment institution of the waqf, which held property in perpetual trust for charitable ends.
Sadaqah is also urged as a remedy and a protection, given quietly to avert harm, in gratitude for relief, or on behalf of the dead. Its concealment is praised: charity given in secret is ranked in the sources above charity given openly, since it is freer of the wish to be seen.