29/05/2021
Sponsoring orphans is a cause particularly dear to the Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) heart. He (saw) was also an orphan - his father passed away before he was even born, and his mother passed away when he was a young child.
‘The Prophet (saw) said, “The one who cares for an orphan and myself will be together in Paradise like this,“and he (saw) held his two fingers together to illustrate’. [Bukhari]
SubhanAllah, to be close to the Prophet (saw) you don’t have to be one of the Sahabah (Companions), stand in prayer all night or give away all your wealth. You only have to sponsor one orphan to attain this incredibly high status.
Two: You will have ‘the best house’
The Messenger of Allah (saw) 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’. [Bukhari]
Ultimately, the status of ‘best house’ is not achieved by anything material such as property value, a beautiful garden or an expensive refurbishing - the best home is one which shows care and concern for orphans.
Especially during self-isolation, when we are spending all our time at home, we should strive to make our homes blessed places where angels gather, the Name of Allah is remembered and the Sunnah is lived.
Three: You will be among the righteous people
In his Last Sermon given on Hajj, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) taught us that all human beings are completely equal in status ‘except in piety and good deeds’.
Our status in the eyes of Allah is dependent upon our righteous actions - and one of the ways we can achieve righteousness is by giving to orphans: