REWARD OF TAKING CARE OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

REWARD OF TAKING CARE OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

The believers are protectors of one and other. So when we find those in need, such as the orphans and the widows, we should strive to help them. Below is are some reminders of the rewards for doing so.
"And they feed, for the love of Allah, the poor, the orphan, and the captive..." [Soorah al-Insaan, 8]
When a little girl cries halfway around the world, are her tears any less real? Would you like to be like a Mujaahid or like those who spend their days fasting and their nights praying?
"One who cares for widows and the poor is like those who fight in the way of Allah or those who spend their days fasting and their nights praying." [Agreed upon, also in Adab al-Mufrad of Imaam Al-Bukhari in chapter "The Virtue of Those Who Care for Orphans"]
The excellence of someone who provides for an orphan
Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The person who strives on behalf of the widows and poor is like those who strive in the way of Allah and like those who fast in the day and pray at night."
The excellence of someone who provides for his orphan
'A'isha said, "A woman came to me who had two of her daughters with her. She asked me for something, but I could not find anything except for a single date which I gave her. She divided it between her daughters and then got up and left. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came in and I told him what had happened. He said, 'Whoever looks after these girls in any way and is good to them will have them as a veil from the Fire.'"
The excellence of someone who provides for an orphan in the company of his parents
Umm Sa'id bint Murra al-Fihri related from her father that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I and the guardian of an orphan will be in the Garden like these two." (His two fingers)
Would you like your heart to soften and Allah subhaanahuwata`aalaa to answer your prayers?
A man once came to the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu`alaihiwasallam, and complained that he feels hardness in his heart. The Messenger of Allah said, what translated means, "Would you like that your heart becomes soft and that you acquire what you need? Be merciful with the orphan, pat his head and feed him from what you eat. This will soften your heart, and enable you to get what you need." [At-Tabaraanee & As-Silsilah as-Saheehah]
Would you like Allah Subhanahuwata`alaa to remove one of your griefs on the Day of Judgment?
"Whoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the griefs of the Day of Judgment" [Saheeh Muslim]
Sahl ibn Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I and the guardian of the orphan will be in the Garden like that," indicating his forefinger and middle finger.
The best house is a house in which orphans are well treated
Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best house among the Muslims is the house in which orphans are well treated. The worst house among the Muslims is the house in which orphans are ill treated. I and the guardian of the orphan will be in the Garden like that," indicating his two fingers.
Would you like forgiveness and bounty from Allah subhanahu wata`ala?
“Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.” [Soorah al-Baqarah, 268]
Would you like angels to make Du'aa for you?
"No day dawns upon [Allah's] servants without two angels descending [to Earth]. One of them says, 'O Allah, give recompense (khalaf) to those who give [charity]!'; the other says, 'O Allah give loss (talaf) to those who withhold [charity]!'" [Agreed upon]
Would you like to be in the eternal Jannah with our beloved Prophet and the best of creation, sallallaahu`alaihiwasallam?
"I and the caretaker of the orphan will enter Paradise together like this, raising (by way of illustration) his forefinger and middle finger jointly, leaving no space in between." [Saheeh al-Bukhaari]
In Islam, re-marriage of widows has been greatly emphasized. At the same time, it has also been often stated that people, who bring up orphans, are very dear to Allah (swt). This should give a very good idea, as to what is the reward for someone who gets married to a widow and supports her children from her deceased husband.
“A giver of maintenance to the widows and the poor is like a giver in the way of Allah (swt), an utterer of prayers all night and fasting during the day.” (Bukhari)
mentioning kindness towards ones 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, Answering the Call of the Prophet ﷺ in Caring for Orphans

Summarized by Samah Syed from the ‘Uniting with Our Habib ﷺ through Serving Orphans’ webinar by Shaykh Junaid Kharsany.
“Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression.” (Qur’an, 93:9)
Prior to the Islamic era, the orphan was an often overlooked or ignored 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 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).

 

The Rights of An Orphan in Islam

An orphan is a person who has lost his father or both his parents before the age of maturity. The Prophet (pbuh) was an orphan too and as such, orphans hold a special place in Islam. Anyone, whom Allah (s.w.t) has chosen to be the guardian of an orphan must be steadfast and must give these rights to the child.

1. The right to being raised:
Every child holds the right to being raised by either a mother (if alive) or by any responsible person who will serve as a guide. It entails caring for the child both emotionally and physically. Children must be nurtured, loved, care for. They must be taught good Islamic morals, disciplined and taught to differentiate right from wrong. This is to ensure that the child grows up to become a good member of society who will benefit the people around him positively. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “The caretaker of the orphan will enter paradise together like this, raising (by way of illustration) his vcforefinger and middle finger jointly leaving no space in between.” (Saheeh-al-Bukhari)
2. The right to inheritance
If the parents of the orphan left behind property, it is absolutely important that the guardian of that child keeps it until the child is of age, and give it to him. One should never use what belongs to the orphan except if he intends to invest it into something that will benefit the child when he comes of age. Whatever happens, the orphan must be given every dime of what is his. Wrongfully consuming the property of orphans incurs the wrath of Allah.
“Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire and they will be burned in a blaze.” (Qur’an. Al-nisa. 10)
“And give to the orphans their property, and do not substitute worthless (things) for (their) good (ones) and do not devour their property (as an addition) to your own property; this is surely a great sin.” (Surah an-Nisā’ 4:2)
3. The right to child support
This includes the right to education, clothing, feeding, shelter, and healthcare.
“And they feed for the love of ALLAH, the poor, the orphans, and the captive” (Qur’an, Al-Nisa.8)
A parent can never be replaced, but as Muslims, we can still give these children the best we can. Allah knows why he chose to make someone an orphan, and why he chooses you to be the guardian of that child. Have faith and remember that Allah is ever seeing, all hearing of what we do. Indeed, there is great reward for taking care of an orphan.
Keep a close check on orphans until they reach a marriageable age, then if you perceive that they have sound judgement hand over their property to them. Do not consume it extravagantly and precipitately before they come of age. Those who are wealthy should abstain from it altogether. Those who are poor should use it sensibly and correctly. When you hand over their property to them ensure that there are witnesses on their behalf. Allah suffices as a Reckoner. (Surat an-Nisa’: 6)