Orphans in Islam

“They ask you, [O Muhammad], what they should spend [in charity]. Say, ‘Whatever you spend of good is [to be] for parents and relatives and orphans and the needy and the traveller. And whatever you do of good – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it’“[Al Baqarah: 215].

In Islam, orphans hold a very important and dear place in our hearts. Allah’s (swt) will is for us to protect, feed and give them access to education, and orphan sponsorship is one of the righteous deeds for a Muslim for which Allah (swt) might reward us with a place in Paradise.

By working with war orphans, we can steer vulnerable children away from the very worst options towards a life which offers more hope to them and to the people they interact with.

Child abuse in Afghanistan

After four decades of war, how are Afghan children doing today?

Afghanistan has the highest child mortality rate in the world, with 1 in 5 children dying before the age of 5. Malnutrition is still a prevalent issue across the country.

Another threat is child abuse—often, a consequence of extreme poverty.

“I sold him for 70,000 afghanis (£698) so that my other children would not die of hunger,” Mohammad Khan, a villager from the northern Afghanistan told Reuters about his 40 days old baby.

In our world, we cannot even imagine the pain of having to choose between our children. But, for many Afghan family, there is no other choice. Selling a child to save the others from hunger is a last resort practice that comes with a lot of heartbreak for the parents.

At Aryana Aid, we pray no family has to go through this again. This is why we focus on giving families the means to sustain themselves in the long run.

Vulnerable to sexual abuse

Fourteen-year-old Ahmed has been sexually assaulted repeatedly since he was five: “One day, a man asked me to buy him a pack of chewing gum. I went out and bought it, and took it back to his house” Ahmed told The Guardian. “He then forced me inside his home and raped me.”

We aim to create a better future for these children through orphan sponsorships. These will give Afghan children the support they need to get educated and access better jobs, so they no longer have to beg or put themselves in dangerous circumstances.

“Whoever embraces an orphan of two Muslim parents by feeding him and giving him drink until he is independent of him, Paradise will certainly be necessary for him. Whoever emancipates a Muslim man, he will be his freedom from the Hellfire; he will be rewarded for every limb of his in equal measure” [Musnad Aḥmad 19855].

A better world for Afghan children

Every child deserves a happy childhood that opens up a safe space for them to explore life. Unfortunately, many Afghan children live in an upside-down reality, where they have to go to work at a very young age to help themselves and their families.

How can we make their world better?

At their age, children should play, learn and, live in harmonious families, not worry about money. Many schools might have been destroyed by the Taliban extremists, but Afghan children are still very willing to learn and crowd in small tent classrooms to soak in new knowledge.

At Aryana Aid, our primary aim is to empower the families of these children and ensure they can send them to school, support their optimal growth, and teach them to carve out a better future for themselves. Many of these children have high ambitions and dream of becoming the next generation of doctors, nurses, and lawyers.

We also teach widows new skills that help them earn a living for their families in a stable, safe job. Many then go on to open micro-businesses for the community, like small sewing ateliers.

Another important cause for us is to give disabled children their mobility back, so they can attend school in the first place.

Together, we can help these innocent souls revive their childhoods. Protect them from abuse. Our Prophet (pbuh) teaches us that we have a great power over children. And, with power, comes responsibility.

“Perhaps the reason why the one who sponsors an orphan will be so close to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Paradise is because a Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is usually sent to people who do not know about Allaah and the true religion, so a Prophet is like a sponsor, teacher and guide for them, and the one who sponsors an orphan is taking care of one who does not understand his religion, or even his worldly affairs, so he guides him, teaches him and disciplines him” (Quoted by al-Haafiz in al-Fath, 10/437).

How to Support Aryana Aid

At Aryana Aid, we value a holistic approach when it comes to aiding poor Afghans reclaim their lives. This is why our projects range from immediate relief  like distributing food packs to long-term sustainability programmes such as installing new water pumps and wells, providing orphan sponsorships and delivering wheelchairs to disabled children.

Last year, thanks to your donations, our proudest achievements were providing sponsorship to 1560 orphans and 20 widows, the installation of 5 new tube wells and 25 water pumps, and distributing food to 347 poor families. Find out more about our Zakat eligible projects and donate to support us.