The Prophet (SAW) said: “The one who cares for (and looks after) a widow and a poor person is like a person performing jihad in the cause of Allah, or like one who fasts all the day and stands (in prayer) all the night.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Timidhi, and Ibn Majah)
Among the most vulnerable people in society with respect to the necessities of life such as food, shelter, water, and medical care are the widows, the poor, and orphans. That is why a person who makes it a prime concern to care for their continuous daily needs merits the same great rewards as a person who fasts all day and prays all night or a person who performs jihad in the path of Allah. Similarly, in another hadith, it was narrated by Abu Hurairah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah SAW) said: “The one who sponsors an orphan, whether it is a relative of his or not, he and I will be like these two in paradise – and he pointed with his forefinger and middle finger together.” (Muslim)
Thus, it is a meritorious moral virtue to care for widows, orphans, and the poor: so meritorious that it deserves the mercy of Allah and entry into paradise. That is because it involves sacrificing time, money, and other luxuries for the sake of the weak in society. Today, many people find it very hard to make such sacrifices, and therefore, they neglect or care less about such vulnerable and needy people.
Furthermore, it is a great sacrifice for a person to take care of an orphan as if they were his or her own son or daughter and to provide all the facilities that make it worth living, including tender parental love and care while knowing that the child is not his or her own. The intention of such a person should be to please Allah (SWT) and make the orphan feel well taken care of, just as the father and mother would have done if they were alive. Thus, the person caring for the orphan helps remove the feeling of loss felt by the orphan.
It is reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Do you love that your heart should become soft and that you should be successful in what you seek after? Be merciful to the orphan, stroke his or her head (gently with feelings of love and compassion), and feed him with your food. Your heart will become soft, and you will be successful in what you do.” (Tabrani)
It is in the same spirit that Allah (SWT) admonishes those believers who have sacrificed to take care of orphans to neither treat them harshly nor squander the wealth left behind by the orphans’ parents, as orphans are in a weak and sensitive state from having lost their parents. Allah (SWT) said: “Therefore, do not oppress the orphan.” (Qur’an 93: 9). Allah further said: “They ask you concerning orphans. Say: The best thing to do is what is for their good. If you mix their affairs with yours, they are your brothers. Allah knows the person who means mischief from the person who means good; and if Allah had wished, He could have put you into difficulties. He is indeed Exalted in Power, Wise.” (Qur’an 2: 220)
In fact, Allah has reiterated the just and kind treatment of orphans in at least 16 different places in the Glorious Qur’an. Allah clarified the treatment of orphans and gave guidance on how to live with them. This is because without guidelines some people are likely to take unfair advantage of orphan children whose parents have left some inheritance for them while they are too young to manage and take care of the wealth by themselves.
The widows and the poor are also in the same category as orphans since they too are among the most vulnerable people in society. Hence, those who take orphans, widows, or the poor to live with them, but end up oppressing and mistreating them, are accountable to Allah (SWT) on the Day of Judgement for not taking their duties seriously and forgetting that they will be held accountable for it. Allah (SWT) rebukes them in strong terms because they do not really believe in the Day of recompense. Allah (SWT) said: “No! But you do not honor the orphans! And you do not urge one another to feed the poor! And you devour the inheritance with greed. And you love wealth with excessive love.” (Qur’an 89: 17-20)
Taking care of the needs of the weak and vulnerable in society is a moral virtue that merits our success in this world and in the hereafter. In fact, we are given victory in all that we do from the prayers and supplications of the weak in society. This means whenever the weak and vulnerable are neglected and forgotten, then Allah (SWT) also neglects the needs of those who are considered better off, and thus we lose in all our endeavors. However, when the basic needs of the venerable are looked into and they are happy and supplicate to Allah (SWT), then we are victorious, as reported in two narrations of hadith. Mus’ab ibn Sa’ad narrated that his father thought he was better than other companions of the Prophet (SAW), but the Prophet (SAW) told his father: “On the contrary, Allah supports this ummah because of its weak ones, because of their supplication, their prayers, and their sincerity.” (Nasa’i). Jubair ibn Nafair al-Hadrami narrated from Abu Darda’ (RA) that he heard the Messenger (SAW) say: “Bring me the weak, for you only receive provision and divine support by virtue of your weak ones.” (Nasa’i)
May Allah (SWT) help us always remember to take care of the needs of the weak in our society. Amin.
by Yahya M. A. Ondigo
