Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA), founded in Los Angeles in 1993, is part of the global Islamic Relief family, which is among the world’s largest Islamic NGO networks with offices in dozens of countries worldwide. IRUSA imagines a world free of poverty and carries out a range of philanthropic activities in line with the core values of social justice, compassion, excellence, sincerity, and custodianship.
“I have worked in the humanitarian sector for over 20 years. I have seen firsthand the incredible impact Islamic Relief has made across the globe, but our work is more than statistics and numbers,” explains IRUSA CEO Ahmed Shehata. “It is about the people, stories, and hearts we touch. It’s about being there, hand-in-hand, when our brothers and sisters need us the most.”
To that extent, IRUSA has performed humanitarian service, including disaster relief, sponsoring orphans, and providing free meals, to families in need both in the US and abroad. It has fed millions of Americans through its Hot Meals Monday program and responded to domestic disasters and crises, as well as those in Palestine, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan, among other countries.
You can keep up with IRUSA’s important humanitarian work and sponsor specific charitable programs or activities through its mobile applications.
Two useful mobile apps
IRUSA has two different mobile apps, both of which are compatible with Android and iOS devices. The IRUSA app, designed with the global Muslim community in mind, includes a variety of features that help you effect change and better connect with your faith. The second app, Sadaqah, is a charitable giving app through which you can donate to important IRUSA causes worldwide and strengthen your relationship with Allah (SWT).
Both applications are free to download on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
Signing up for the IRUSA app
Upon opening the main IRUSA app, you will be prompted to either log in or sign up for a new account. To open a new account, all you need to do is enter your first and last name, email address, and desired password. After creating an account and signing in, you can scroll through the app to view its various features, make donations, or calculate your Zakat.
For signing up with the Sadaqah app, you can enter new account information and link your Google or Facebook accounts.
IRUSA app features and resources
More than just an app designed to facilitate positive change in the global Muslim community, the IRUSA app has several features that can help you connect with other Muslims and your faith. Notably, the app has a Dua library with more than 50 of the most popular Islamic duas to help during periods of hardship or spiritual lows. The app also has a Quran reader with an English translation so you can read from sacred scripture any time.
Another handy feature: the IRUSA mobile app uses location settings and permissions to display prayer times at nearby mosques. These helpful notifications can be shown on the home screen of iPhone and iPads via the IRUSA iOS widget.
Charitable giving for Muslims is not only crucial as a means of helping vulnerable people, but also a way to purify annual earnings that exceed what a person requires to meet their essential needs. Zakat represents the proportion of a person’s wealth they should give to charity. The IRUSA app has a Zakat calculator that makes it easy for you to ensure you give the correct amount each year.
The app also has other useful features, including Qibla directions, a Hijri calendar, and a library of Muslim baby names for boys and girls.
Giving to important causes in the Sadaqah app
Sadaqah is an Islamic term that describes wide-reaching, voluntary acts of charity. Because this is such a critical component of IRUSA’s mission, the organization has a separate Sadaqah app through which you can learn about—and contribute to—more than 38 different causes, including donating much needed funding to orphaned children and helping to build wells in villages without access to clean water.
A different category of philanthropy is highlighted in the app each month, allowing you to learn more about the impact of your charitable gift while also strengthening your relationship with Allah (SWT). For example, you can contribute to health or education causes worldwide, or choose to donate to 30 domestic food banks in 30 days. There’s also a social element, since you can invite friends to donate to specific causes and see the collective impact.
In addition, the Sadaqah app has a FAQ section through which users can learn more about IRUSA and charitable giving. In the profile section of the app, you can manage your charitable giving subscriptions and see how much you’ve donated.
Both apps are an excellent way to stay connected with all things IRUSA—not to mention an easy way to contribute to the humanitarian causes that matter the most to you. And on a busy day, these apps can provide a small, but meaningful connection to your faith, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Download both apps today!