The Caliph ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān and the Well That Never Dried.
In Madinah, there once stood a well owned by a Jewish man. It was the only source of water in that area, and its owner charged the Muslims exorbitant prices for access. Seeing the hardship this caused, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (رضي الله عنه) offered to purchase the well outright. The owner refused.
Undeterred, ʿUthmān proposed an alternative: he would buy half of the well, with each party drawing water on alternate days. The owner, pleased to partner with a man known for his business acumen, agreed—believing this arrangement would increase his profits.
What followed was the opposite of what he had imagined.
On the days the well belonged to ʿUthmān (رضي الله عنه), he opened it freely for the sake of Allah, allowing people to draw as much water as they wished. The people began collecting enough water for two days, leaving the owner’s day completely ignored. Realizing his loss, the man eventually returned to ʿUthmān and offered to sell the remaining half. ʿUthmān (رضي الله عنه) purchased it for 20,000 dirhams, completing the transaction and dedicating the entire well as a waqf for the Muslims.
Years later, a Companion sought to buy the well from him. ʿUthmān (رضي الله عنه) refused, explaining that he had already been offered far more. When asked by whom, he replied:
“Allah has offered me a reward multiplied a hundredfold for charity given to the Muslims.”
The well remained free for public use during the lifetime of ʿUthmān (رضي الله عنه) and after his martyrdom. During the Umayyad period, the land surrounding it—still held as charitable property in his name—was preserved. Date palms grew, multiplied, and were harvested, with their yield distributed in charity on his behalf. This continued through the ʿAbbāsid era and beyond.
In modern Saudi Arabia, the endowment was formally organized into a plantation. Its income was divided into two parts: half distributed as charity, primarily to widows and orphans, and half reinvested to sustain and expand the waqf. To this day, a bank account exists in the name of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (رضي الله عنه), from which the proceeds continue to flow.
From this blessed endowment, land was later purchased near al-Masjid al-Nabawī in Madinah. A hotel and accommodation complex was built for visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque, with its income similarly divided—half reinvested, and half given in charity.
Thus, a single act of sincerity became a river of reward flowing uninterrupted for over fourteen centuries.
May Allah be pleased with the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ—not only for their charity, but for their sacrifice, loyalty, and for faithfully conveying this religion to us. May Allah grant them al-Firdaws al-Aʿlā, and unite us with them in the Hereafter.
