Muslim

Hadith Commentary:

Benefits and Issues:
This hadith establishes that when a person performs righteous deeds during his lifetime, although those deeds come to an end upon his death, if the effects and fruits of those deeds continue to exist after him, he continues to receive their reward. Especially in the case of children—if he raises them according to the correct teachings of the religion, and as a result, they make supplication (du'a) or give charity and alms (sadaqah wa khayrat) on his behalf, he continues to receive the reward for that. Or if he leaves behind any religious or scholarly book, or through teaching and instruction (ta'lim wa tadrees), he produces people of knowledge, or he builds a religious school (madrasah) or mosque (masjid), or through preaching and propagation (wa'z wa tabligh) he inspires people to act upon the religion—essentially, every deed whose results and fruits are enduring and will remain after him, as long as they exist, he will continue to receive reward for them.

Explanation:
1:
Ongoing charity (sadaqah jariyah) refers to such charity that is dedicated for the benefit of the public, for example, the construction of a guesthouse (sarai), digging a well, installing a water tap, building mosques, madrasas, and orphanages, constructing hospitals, building bridges and roads, etc. Any of these works that a person accomplishes during his lifetime or intends to do will all be counted among ongoing charity (sadaqah jariyah).

2:
In knowledge, this includes teaching people, bearing the educational expenses of students, establishing the system of writing and compiling, teaching and lecturing, inviting and propagating (da‘wah and tabligh), constructing madrasas, arranging for the printing and publication of religious books, and similar matters—all are included.

3:
Righteous offspring includes sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, maternal grandsons, maternal granddaughters, etc., as well as spiritual offspring—those to whom one has taught religious knowledge.

Benefits and Issues:
To dedicate enduring and lasting things as charity in the form of endowment (waqf), which become a source of goodness for people, is called ongoing charity (sadaqah jariyah).
As long as these remain, the deceased continues to receive their reward.
As has been mentioned in the above chapter and hadith.
In this way, constructing a mosque, school, inn, or engaging in public welfare works, spreading knowledge, making students, authoring or compiling books, or publishing and endowing them, are all extremely excellent acts of charity.
And raising children on Islamic foundations is the most outstanding ongoing charity of all; every Muslim should be eager for this.

(1) "Sadaqah Jariyah" refers to such charity whose benefit continues to reach people even after the death of the one who gave it. As long as its benefit continues, the reward will also continue. However, what is meant here is the charity that the deceased performed during his own lifetime, not that which is given on behalf of the deceased after his death. From the title of the chapter, it appears that Imam Nasa'i rahimahullah is referring to the second type of charity, but this is not correct because here the discussion is about the deeds of the deceased.

(2) "That knowledge," for example: authored books, trained students, or audio cassettes, etc.

(3) "Righteous offspring" whom he has properly nurtured and accustomed to good deeds. (For further details, see the previous hadith.)

Hadith Authentication (Takhrij al-Hadith):
[صحيح مسلم 4223، ابوعوانه 3؍191 ح47۔ واللفظ له بزيادة من ”قبل صدقةٍ“]

Jurisprudence of the Hadith (Fiqh al-Hadith):
➊ All the deeds of the deceased come to an end, but if he was a believing Muslim, then the aforementioned three deeds continue to benefit him even after his death.
➋ This hadith proves that the dead do not hear the words of the people of the world, nor do they see anything from this world. It should be noted that it is obligatory to have faith in whatever exception is established; for example, it is established that after burial, the deceased hears the sound of the footsteps of those returning. See: [اضواء المصابيح 126]
➌ The scholar (‘alim) and the student of knowledge (talib ‘ilm) have superiority over ordinary people.
➍ After death, arranging for recitation of the Qur’an, or holding gatherings such as “Qul”, “Seventh”, “Fortieth”, etc., does not benefit the deceased in the least, except for the above-mentioned three deeds. Therefore, one should avoid such innovations (bid‘at).