NOTE: If you ever see that we have met our goal, please still donate! Any funds collected after the goal has been met will still go towards the same cause!

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu, my name is Con, and this Ramadan, I'm fundraising for the Palestine Olive Tree Challenge by Penny Appeal.

As a revert and a resident of a community with a sizable Palestinian population, I have been fortunate enough to come into contact with many Palestinian-Americans, as friends in this dunya and as brothers and sisters in the deen. Many of my closest friends are Palestinian, and they have not only helped me in my journey to Islam, but also in learning more about their culture and history. 

Olive trees are important, in more ways than one, to the Palestinian people. Traditionally, the olive has long been a staple of Palestinian agriculture, and the olives produced by the trees can be pressed into oil, the sale of which contributes millions of dollars to the Palestinian economy, serving as a vital source of income for poor farmers.

Olives are specifically mentioned 6 times in the Quran by Allah (SWT), including as part of an oath in ayat 1 of Surat at-Tin. Olives are also a food from the Sunnah, and the importance of them and their trees is emphasized by the Prophet ﷺ who said: "Eat the olive and use it as an ointment as it comes from a blessed tree" [Tirmidhi].

Let us not forget that trees in general are important in our deen. Planting trees is a form of sadaqa jariyah (continuous charity), as the Prophet ﷺ said: "There is none amongst the Muslims who plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, but is regarded as a charitable gift for him." [Bukhari]. The Prophet ﷺ even said: "If the Resurrection were established upon one of you while he has in his hand a sapling, then let him plant it." [Musnad Ahmad]

As you can see, this is not a cause that will be weighed lightly on your scales. The Palestine Olive Tree Challenge is raising funds to plant 3,000 olive trees in the Jordan Valley, Jenin, Salfeet, al Quds, Hebron and Tulkarem to improve the lives of poor Palestinian farmers and their families. A little olive tree seedling has the power to change lives - Big things really do come in small packages, Alhamdulillah! Even a simple donation could help me reach my fundraising goal to plant 100 olive trees.

To plant one tree costs roughly $13. For less than what most people spend every week on cups of coffee, you can earn sadaqa jariyah for a very worthwhile cause. JazakumAllahu khairun for reading and I hope you'll consider donating.