“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]
The status of the orphan in Islam is a lofty one. Our beloved Messenger (SAW) was an orphan – his father passed away before his birth, and his mother in his childhood.
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]
To be close to the Prophet (SAW) is something as Muslims we should all strive for.
There are many ways in which we can support the orphan today, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Numerous charities run campaigns which are specifically aimed at supporting those weakest in society; those who are youngest and those without parents or guardians. MyTenNights has partnered with some of the world’s most successful charities, in order to ensure your money is targeted at orphan care. Just a few are mentioned below:
Read Foundation
Read Foundation envision and hope for a world where there is no place for organisations like their own. A world where every individual would have access to an education – which they believe is a right. They also believe sincerely that a world without poverty can exist and when it does, they want to be celebrating that day with you. Their mission to end poverty through education, centres strongly around the orphan and their 390 schools have supported around 11,341 orphans so far. With your help, they hope for much more; with your help to sponsor individual orphans, Read Foundation can provide accommodation, food, education and any other support needed, to give orphans a better chance in life.
Hidaya Foundation
Since 1999, Hidaya Foundation has been serving the poor and in need around the world through social welfare, educational, health care, self employment, and environmental projects. Among its most extensive efforts is supporting orphans as well as their widowed mothers or guardians by helping them meet their day to day needs as well as the educational needs for school aged orphans. Hidaya is currently supporting nearly 13,000 orphans and over 7,000 widows each month in 12 countries: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cameroon, Guinea, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Gambia, Yemen, and Turkey (Syrian Refugees).
Orphans in Need
This is a UK- based organisation supporting and caring for over 30,000 orphans and their families, in 14 countries around the world. Orphans in Need is dedicated to ensuring solutions provided to orphans and widows are sustainable. Their focus is only on orphans and widows, so you can ensure that your donations are targeted to the most vulnerable in society. They work in the areas worst affected by poverty and offer regular food parcels, funding access to education and essential medical care. They ensure that funds are dedicated to creating supportive and caring homes for orphans through two schemes; Orphans Village project and Global Orphan Care.
“Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, and the Prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller…” [The Holy Quran 2:177]