helping the orphans

2:52:23

2018-04-19

1475

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all.

The mercy and piety of an individual is revealed through the way they treat orphans. These children have lost one of the greatest blessings, and that is their parents. Here the only right thing to do is to treat them with love and give them a sense of comfort. Those who do otherwise and treat orphans in an abusive and violent way are going against what Allah wants. Allah prohibits subjecting orphans to harsh treatment and condemns those who mistreat them, in the Holy Quran Allah says “Have you seen him who denies the religion? He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the poor. So woe to those who do prayer, and are forgetful of their prayer, those who show off and deny help to others.”

Contrary to such offensive treatment, Quranic morality demands tolerant and compassionate treatment of orphans as expressed in the verse, "(be good to) orphans and the very poor. And speak good words to people".

A true believer will see no problem in treating the orphans rightly. Their conscience and understanding of humanity entail the protection of orphans who need help and care, and the meeting of all their spiritual and material needs. Believers never oppress orphans, expect them to appreciate their kindness or strive to obtain any material or spiritual benefits from them. On the contrary, they protect their rights and adopt the best possible attitude. Their strong sense of what is right, their profound fear of Allah and their compassion account for this meticulousness. The Holy Quran Revels to us that we should treat orphans as our own decent. In the Holy Quran Allah says “…They will ask you about the property of orphans. Say, "Managing it in their best interests is best". If you mix your property with theirs, they are your brothers…”

Reading the Quranic verse you almost get the sense that it is obligatory to take these orphans under our wings and treat them with respect and dignity. In the Holy Quran Allah says “Give orphans their property, and do not substitute bad things for good. Do not assimilate their property into your own. Doing that is a serious crime.”

Imam ‘Ali (as) used to tell his followers to love and be kind to orphans, especially the orphans of martyrs killed in the path of Allah. “They have lost their loving fathers,” he used to say. “So cheer them up and look after them just like a father.

Imam ‘Ali (AS) was so kind to orphans and laid so much stress on them in his teachings that one of his companions said: “How I wish that I too was a young orphan so that I would receive kindness and love from Imam ‘Ali (AS)

Abu -Basir said: Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: ‘Ali (AS) used to declare, “I am the guide and I am the rightly guided. I am a father to the orphans and a help to widows and the destitute. I am the shelter of the poor and the weak and the asylum for all the oppressed people.”

Imam Ali (AS) the father of the orphans says “Those who support orphans and the impoverished people will be honored by Allah.”

As Shia Muslims we should strive to be like the Prince of believers Imam Ali (AS).

With this we ask Allah to give us the courage and power to help the orphans.