Uthman and the Well of Rumah

When the Muslims migrated to Madinah, sweet water was scarce. The best well — the well of Rumah — belonged to a man who sold its water cup by cup, and the poor among the muhajirun could not afford it.

The Prophet ﷺ made an announcement: "Whoever buys the well of Rumah and makes it free for the Muslims will have a spring in Paradise."

Uthman ibn Affan رضي الله عنه went to the owner. The man refused to sell it whole — he knew its value. So Uthman, a merchant to his bones, negotiated something unusual: he bought half the well — one day his, one day the owner's, alternating. Then he made his day free for everyone.

You can guess what happened. On Uthman's day, the whole city drew water for two days, and no one came to the owner's day at all. The well's price as a business collapsed — and the owner sold Uthman the other half. Uthman made the whole well a waqf, an endowment free for every Muslim, rich and poor, forever.

He did it again and again through his life: he equipped the entire army of al-'Usrah for Tabuk from his own wealth — hundreds of camels and a thousand dinars poured into the Prophet's lap, until the Prophet ﷺ said: "Nothing Uthman does after today will harm him" (Tirmidhi 3701).

And here is the quiet miracle: the well of Rumah still exists in Madinah. Over the centuries its endowment grew — gardens of date palms watered by it were added to the waqf, their profits reinvested — so that Uthman's sadaqah has been producing charity, uninterrupted, for fourteen hundred years. A bank account in his name receives its proceeds to this day.

One afternoon's generosity, given purely — still flowing. That is what the Quran means: "The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed which grows seven ears; in every ear a hundred grains" (2:261).