“Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression.” (Qur’an, 93:9)

Prior to the Islamic era, the orphan was an often overlooked or ignored a member of society. When the light of Islam dawned, Allah ﷻ elevated the status of this helpless individual.

“They ask you (O Muhammad ) what they should spend. Say: Whatever you spend of good must be for parents and kindred and orphans and al-Masakin (the poor) and the wayfarers, and whatever you do of good deeds, truly, Allah knows it well.” (Qur’an, 2:215)

The fact that Allah ﷻ speaks about kindness towards the orphans alongside mentioning kindness towards one's parents and family is not merely coincidental. He does so to show us that the care we provide to an orphan must be at par with the care we provide to our loved ones. Just as we would ensure the physical, mental and emotional well-being of our children and our parents, we must ensure the same level of well-being for any orphan we take into our care. Such was the situation in the traditional Muslim world. For a long time there were no traditional orphanages and instead, orphans were given to philanthropic individuals who would love and care for them as they would for their own children.

It is a result of such care and devotion that gave rise to the likes of Imam Shafi’i, Imam Bukhari and Imam Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on them all), all of whom were orphans, well taken care of by a loving and generous community. This culture of caring for the orphan came about from the teachings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) who was himself an orphan. Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’an:

“Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge?” (Qur’an, 93:6)

Once a person came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and complained of grief and sorrow. The Prophet (ﷺ) advised him to stroke the head of an orphan and told him through this simple act, he will find tranquility in his heart. From this we learn that it is not enough to simply feel sympathy for an orphan, but rather the advice of “stroking the head” indicates that concrete action must be taken. It refers to actually physically ensuring that the physical, emotional and educational needs of the orphan are well taken care of.

Thus, the question arises as to how we should practically answer this call of Our Beloved Habib, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), today. Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’an:

O you who have believe, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. (Qur’an, 8:24)

Our duty first is to look within our own family and loved ones and determine if there is any individual in an orphaned state and then put forth all our means and resources to genuinely take care of that person.

If there is no such individual within our kindred then we must look towards the many Islamic charities and aid organizations that run orphan sponsorship programs and sponsor an orphan.

If you cannot afford to do it alone then create a group of four or five friends where everyone can collectively share the financial responsibility.

However, simply donating money and financial support is not enough to live up to the call of the Prophet (ﷺ). We must go above and beyond that and actually try to get to know the orphan we are sponsoring. We must ensure that they receive their due rights such as a warm bed to sleep at night, healthy food to eat, loving caretakers, clean clothes to wear, access to education and so on.

We must adopt a care and concern for that orphan similar to the care and concern we have for our own children and loved ones. If it is possible for us to travel then we should make an attempt to visit our sponsored orphans, to sit with them, eat with them and genuinely get acquainted with them. It is in this heartfelt effort where the true sweet reward from Allah ﷻ lies.

The current state of our Muslim brothers and sisters across the globe is so dire and desperate, with thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing their war torn countries. How upsetting is the situation where our fellow ummatis feel safer in the high tides of the ocean than the countries of their own birth!

Countless children have lost their parents and families, and it is now more than ever a call for those of us with abundant resources at our disposal to stand up and lend a hand. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “the custodian of an orphan and I will be like this on the day of judgement”. He then showed his index and middle finger together with only a slight gap in between. Thus what greater companionship, what greater honour could we ask for on the Day of Judgment than the companionship of Allah’s beloved? It is by answering his call and the commands of Allah ﷻ that we will ultimately unite with our Habib (ﷺ).