Why Should You Donate to Muslim Hands?
You’ve found yourself on the Muslim Hands website. Maybe you clicked on an ad or a link somewhere, or perhaps you Googled us and now you’re here. You might be thinking, ‘What makes Muslim Hands so different from the endless list of other charities?’
We understand that choosing the right charity for you can be a difficult task. There are so many things to consider. To help you decide, we’ve compiled a simple list to explain who we are, what we do and (cliché as it sounds) why we are different. Have a read and see why Muslim Hands is the charity for you!
1. We have 30 years of experience – but we started out small
Muslim Hands is a fully registered charity (Registration Number 1105056) and we now have over 30 years of experience in delivering aid to those in need. But we started out small.
In 1993, we mobilised the local community in Nottingham to send aid to the people of Bosnia, moved by the plight of our brothers and sisters. Since then, we have expanded our reach to over 30 countries, delivering your amanah (the trust you placed in us to distribute your donations) to the people who really need it.
We are much bigger than we started out, but we still have a grassroots ethos and we don’t want to forget our roots. We still rely on individual donations over and above institutional support and our volunteers are at the heart of what we do.
Alhamdulillah, we have grown completely organically, as Allah (swt) continued to give us more opportunities and expand the Muslim Hands family.
2. We are helping more people every year
As your donations have increased year-on-year, the number of people we can help has also increased. In 2024 alone, our generous donors:
- Gave clean drinking water to over 1.6 million people, by constructing water wells, rainwater harvesting systems and water filtration plants.
- Opened another Open Kitchen, this time in Manchester, so that we could meet the rising demand for our services as the impact of the cost-of-living crisis took deepened.
- Provided emergency relief to over 3.4 million of our brothers and sisters,including over 2 million people in Gaza.
You can see more details in our Annual Reports here and on the Charity Commission website.
Beyond the facts and figures are so many stories of people who were in hardship before generous donors offered their support. We are so grateful to have expanded over the years to reach this many people. Whether we are distributing emergency relief or tackling the root causes of poverty, we strive to spread hope and make long-term improvements to communities worldwide.
3. We have global teams – including in war zones
We have dedicated teams on the ground, to be your hands, delivering your aid to orphans, widows and vulnerable families. With established global offices, we can mobilise swiftly as soon as a crisis strikes, such as the war in Gaza, droughts in Somalia and the Sudan conflict.
With years of experience at hand, our country offices have the necessary knowledge and expertise to direct your donations to the right communities – where they are most needed.
Long-running projects in each community mean we can keep our fingers on the pulse and give people what they say they need.
For example, widows who send their children to our global Schools of Excellence let us know that they are struggling to find work – so we train them in sewing, raising chickens or running a small business. Another example is Motherkind, our maternal health clinics in Afghanistan and Somalia, where we offer home visits to accommodate new mothers who are unable to travel.
With worldwide infrastructure and experts in every office, we are grateful that we have the resources to solve people’s problems in the best way for them.
Moreover, we are grateful to have access to emergency zones where few organisations can venture.
For example, Muslim Hands is one of the few charities to have access to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, the largest refugee camp in the world. With your support, we have set up vital projects to serve the Rohingya refugees, including running medical clinics, providing safe water, building shelters and distributing food. Our donors have also provided a children’s centre for the much-needed safe space they need as children growing up in refugee camps.
If we did not have strong infrastructure or experienced expertise, we would not be able to access places like the Rohingya camps. Alhamdulillah, we have the best of both worlds – at heart, we still have a grassroots ethos, but we also have the resources to take your Zakat and Sadaqah where it needs to go.
4. We have exclusive and unique projects
As well as access to emergency areas, we’ve also been blessed with unique opportunities to serve the Ummah!
Historic masjids
Masjid Al-Aqsa
Alhamdulillah, we have had the honour of helping to preserve Islam's third holiest site, the Blessed Masjid Al-Aqsa, for over 15 years! In that time, our donors have updated lighting and sound systems, replaced paving stones, renovated wudu areas and even maintained the Masjid's olive trees. We still offer incredible Sadaqah Jariyah opportunities for our donors wanting to support Al-Aqsa, including renovation of the Bab al-Qattanin Wudu area and sponsoring Qur'an recitation in the name of your loved ones. Read about exactly how you have helped Masjid Al-Aqsa over the years here.
Djenne Mosque
Muslim Hands has been supporting the running of the Djenne Mosque since 2008. The city has been a centre of Islamic learning since the 13th century. Along with the legendary city of Timbuktu, Djenne is the most important historic site in Mali, with the mosque being one of the most iconic landmarks in Africa. Before we began funding Djenne Mosque, the Imam and his two assistants, the Muezzins and the cleaners were all working without a salary and struggled to make ends meet. Your donations are ensuring they are cared for as they serve this important site.
Ummayad Mosque of Damascus
Located in the heart of the Syrian capital, the Ummayad Masjid is one of the most important Islamic sites in the world. It contains the noble head of the Prophet Yahya (as) and the noble head of Imam Husain (ra), the beloved grandson of the Prophet (saw) was brought here after the horrific events of Karbala.
Of its three minarets, one is believed to be the exact location where the Prophet ’Isa (as) will return in his second coming. The Prophet (saw) said, “The Messiah (’Isa), son of Maryam [peace be upon them both] will descend at the white minaret in the eastern side of Damascus…” [Muslim]
Unfortunately, the masjid was damaged and neglected during the Syrian war, but our donors are invited to help renovate it by installing a modern underfloor heating system to the main prayer hall, a brand-new state-of-the-art digital sound system for the entire Masjid and providing new copies of the Noble Qur’an to its worshippers.
Serving the people of the Blessed Lands
The Prophet (saw) said, ‘O Allah bless us in our Shaam! O Allah bless us in our Yemen!’ [Tirmidhi]
Although there are many charities carrying out fantsastic WASH projects across the world, our work in Yemen is completely unique. Even before the conflict, Yemen suffered from water-scarcity. Mass displacement and the deterioration of the country's infrastructure has made the need even greater. Our donors are already providingwater for LIFE to 1.7 million people in Aden and 1.2 million people in Ma'rib by supporting our massive infrastructure projects in both cities (read more about our Aden and Ma'rib projects). Now, our team is continuing to rehabilitate water wells and infrastructure across Yemen, benefitting thousands of families in Lahj, Ta’iz, Aden and Abyan.
As well as providing water, you can also feed communities in the Blessed Lands through our bread factories in Syria and Yemen. Just £100 will provide 1,000 fresh loaves to vulnerable people, including widows, elderly people and people with disabilities.
These unique projects in Palestine, Syria and Yemen are why so many people come to the Muslim Hands family. We know that our supporters urgently want to serve the most blessed people in the Ummah and we strive to facilitate that to the best of our ability.
5. We offer a personalised approach
So far, we have talked about large-scale, multi-donor projects – running a bread factory in Syria or providing maternal healthcare in Somalia. However, we also have that ‘small charity’ desire to help our supporters fulfil their personal wishes as they spend their Zakat and Sadaqah.
If you would like a personal charity project just for you:
- You can sponsor an orphan. Many of these orphans attend our Muslim Hands Schools of Excellence where they receive a high standard of education, medical check-ups and even counselling. You will be a part of their progress right up until they graduate, watching them fulfil their potential over the years.
- You can build your own water well with a plaque, starting from just £190. Whether you want to provide clean water for a family for years to come, or for an entire village, our teams on the ground can make that a reality. We dig thousands of new wells every year and each of these projects also come with feedback so you can see the smiles of those beneficiaries and what your donation has achieved.
- You can also sponsor a child with disabilities in either Yemen, Pakistan or Somalia. We are working with specialised centres that support their development and prioritise the needs of each child.
- If you want to invest in an even bigger project – or if you have your own plan but you need experts to help you carry it out – our Major Giving team are ready to support you! They can help you build a masjid or a school, set up unique water projects, start running a health clinic or an eye camp and so much more. Your legacy will bring joy to people’ to lives – on your plan and budget.
6. We are an award-winning charity
In 2019, we were glad to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – because it specifically recognised our volunteers and the incredible dedication. This is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. The award acknowledged our volunteers’ efforts in tackling hunger through our first Open Kitchen, which provides food to low-income families and homeless people in West London. (We have since opened kitchens in Nottingham and Manchester).
Our Founder and Chairman, Syed Lakhte Hassanain, has also been awarded Pakistan’s Star of Excellence, which is the third highest accolade in the country. Our work has included the running of 200 schools, which has provided an education to over 60,000 orphans and children living in poverty.
7. We create a range of Islamic resources for you
We pride ourselves on our commitment to an Islamic ethos. Our motivation for the work we do is for the sake of Allah. Be it through our email newsletters, blog or social media content, we love to spread the message of Islam and inspire people to be better and more charitable individuals. We have created a comprehensive Zakat guide with everything you need to know, two hadith collections about Masjid Al-Aqsa and Yemen for this purpose, as well as designed Hilye posters, Ramadan storybooks and more.
We even have our very own podcast – Sunnah Stream – available on our platforms for anyone to benefit from and learn about the religion. Also, many of our projects are geared towards maintaining existing Islamic sites such as the Djenne Masjid, as well as establishing new mosques and schools for the future.
8. Beyond the 100% donation policy – we aim for efficiency and growth
We are completely open about how your money is spent. For every £1 you donate, 90p goes towards the intended cause, and 10p goes towards generating further funds. That 10p may grow to even more than that and be used to fund so many other projects, granting you a share in those rewards too. We do everything we can to reduce the costs of delivering our projects so that at least 90% of your donation will benefit communities directly.
Our admin costs are covered by Gift Aid, at no additional cost to you. We don't operate using a '100% Zakat donation' policy, and you can learn about the reasons why here.
We deliver your donation in an efficient and wholly accountable way. For complete transparency, our financial reports are readily available here and on the Charity Commission website.
To summarise, with over 30 years of experience and dedicated teams on the ground, Muslim Hands can direct your donation to where it can really make a difference. We work in difficult-to-access emergency areas, as well as offering unique projects in Palestine, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere. Moreover, you can take part in a large-scale cause or set up your own personal project – it’s entirely up to you! Above all, we dedicate our mission to Allah and we strive to deliver your amanah transparently and efficiently, always maintaining the dignity of our brothers and sisters.
If you’re ready to join the Muslim Hands family – welcome aboard! We pray Allah puts barakah in everything you give, increases you in wealth and rewards you generously, amin.
