Islam strongly encourages, praises, and rewards taking care of orphans, both in this life and the next (See Caring for the Orphan in Islam). Sponsoring a child is one of the most important and holy things a person can do in this life, according to Islam.

Because of this, God makes up for it in huge ways, both now and in the next life. In this world, men try to get the airs of respect and fame by getting things and being known by other people, but Islam gives real dignity to the home of a believing orphan sponsor.

Even though we don’t always recognise this noble quality, it will be clear in the next life when God lets the believer who takes care of an orphan into the Garden’s highest level and gives them the highest honour: they will live forever with His beloved Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him.

What Good Things Come From Taking Care Of An Orphan?

One of the strongest commands in the Quran is for Muslims to take in orphans and care for them like family. The Prophet, may peace be upon him, made this very clear in his messages. See also: Helping an Orphan in Islam.

But the benefits of taking care of a child don’t just happen in the next life. They start helping the sponsor right away and keep helping them in this world. Today, God gives the person who sponsors a child six of the best things that can happen in their life.

It Makes Your Home More Respectable Among Muslims

According to reports, Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, said:

The best household among the Muslims is a household wherein an orphan is treated well. And the worst household among the Muslims is a household wherein an orphan is ill-treated” (Ibn Majah).

This means that the families in this faith group who sponsor orphans with love, kindness, and honesty are the real good people. In Islam, you can only reach this rank by following Allah’s and His Prophet’s (peace be upon him) most important instructions and advice to protect the weak. It has nothing to do with money, birth, or a title.

It Makes Your Money Grow

When asked about giving money to orphans, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

Indeed, this wealth is fresh and sweet. For blessed is all the Muslim possesses from which he gives the poor, and the orphan, and the wayfarer (Bukhari and Muslim, 1465 and 1052, respectively)”.

Someone asked the Prophet, peace be upon him if good things can ever lead to bad things. At that very moment, Allah spoke to him and told him to answer that good can never lead to evil.

He showed this by talking about an animal that was near a creek that was full of herbs, some of which were good for it and some of which would make it sick or kill it.

But the animal only grazes on the juicy plants and eats until it’s full. Then it basks in the sun for a while, digesting the food and getting rid of waste until it goes back to eating.

He said that giving money to orphans, the poor, and travellers was like giving healthy plants a lot of money that eventually kills or poisoning the people who eat them.

Adaqah given to the child. It makes the person who gives it happy. It takes him to the light. It covers his wealth with a covering of grace and cleans it. It also leads to rich growth among those who need it the most and starts a cycle of kindness that keeps giving these gifts.

It shields the person who gives it from the hardships and temptations of wealth and greed, and it earns Allah’s forgiveness.

What Allah tells us:

So fear God as much as you can. Thus, hear and obey His commandments and spend charitably on what is good for your own souls. For whoever is safeguarded from the avarice of his own soul, then it is these who are the truly successful. If you lend God a goodly loan by your charitable offerings, He will multiply for you its reward. Moreover, He will forgive you. For God is ever thankful, most forbearing” (Surat Al-Taghabun, 64:16-17).

The best way to fight the evil but natural human urge to collect and store up material goods is to give them away. This desire comes from our lower clay natures, but it goes hand in hand with an even meaner one: to see other people have less than us, even if it means denying them their fair supply and basic needs.

Giving freely to others, which we call “sadaqah” in Arabic, is God’s way of controlling this base urge in us and fixing our greed and wastefulness. It brings out the divine qualities that Allah put into us in the first place (see Why Is Sadaqah Important?).

It is important to note that Allah calls our acts of kindness, like supporting an orphan, a “loan,” not to the orphan or anyone else, but to Himself. In this way, sadaqah is the very meaning of taqwa, which means holy.

Lastly, sponsoring an orphan is the type of kindness that fulfils Allah’s promise to forgive our sins, which is necessary to avoid going to Hellfire.

It Makes You Feel Better.

May peace be upon the Prophet Muhammad, who said:

Call the orphan to you. Pat him tenderly on the head. Then feed him from your food. This will soften your heart and bestow upon you [the blessing] of gaining what you need” (Kharanti, The Noblest Virtues, p. 661).

Another man went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and told him how sorry he was for having a hard heart. The Prophet, peace be upon him, told him:

If you want to soften your heart, feed the poor and pat the head of the orphan in tenderness” (Musnad Ahmad, No. 7576).

It is a great blessing to have a soft heart because it makes it easy to follow Allah’s direction and brings one closer to Him and to His paradise forever.

It Helps Someone Be Good In God’s Eyes.

Allah says:

Righteousness in the sight of God is not the mere turning of your faces toward the East or the West. Rather, true righteousness dwells in one who believes in God, and in the coming Judgment of the Last Day, and in the angels, and in every revealed Book, and in all the prophets; and dwells in one, who — despite his love for it — gives of his wealth in charity to close relatives and orphans, and to the indigent and the wayfarer, and to beggars, and for the emancipation of slaves; and dwells in one who establishes the Prayer and gives the Zakat-Charity; and dwells in all those who fulfill their covenant when they make a covenant, as well as in those who are patient during periods of affliction and harm and times of conflict. These are the ones who have been truehearted, and it is such as these who are the God-fearing.” (Surat Al-Baqarah, 2:177) 

7 Benefits Of Caring Orphans 

In Islam, taking care of children is very important. The Qur’an talks about orphans 22 times. Abusing them is a very bad thing to do, but taking care of and supporting them is a very good thing to do. In this life and the next, this good act helps in the following ways:

You’ll Be Near The Prophet Muhammad (Saw)

Adopting children was a cause that was very important to the Prophet Muhammad (saw). His father had died before he was born, and his mother had died when he was a child. They left him without a parent.

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), you don’t have to be one of his Sahabah (Companions), pray all night, or give away all your money. To reach this very high level, you only need to support one orphan.

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]

In the end, the “best house” isn’t the one with the highest land value, the nicest garden, or the most expensive renovations. The “best house” is the one that cares about orphans.

During lockdowns, when we have to stay home all the time, we should make our homes blessed places where angels meet, people remember Allah’s name, and the Sunnah is lived out.

You Will Be Among The Righteous People

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) told us in his Last Sermon on Hajj that all people are equal in every way except for their piety and good deeds.

In Allah’s eyes, our standing depends on how good we are, and one way to be good is to help orphans:

In this verse, right after listing the basic views that all Muslims must have, Allah says that spending money for His sake is a good thing to do. The Prophet (PBUH) says that children deserve our wealth.

Thus, taking in an orphan is a good act that Allah has given the highest honour to.

Your Wealth Will Bring You Good Luck

We may give a little less aid during a crisis, whether we are aware of it or not. We may feel that we can’t afford to be kind when things are unstable. But the great thing about giving is that it never takes away from your wealth.

‘Blessed is the wealth of the Muslim, from which he gives to the poor, the orphan and the wayfarer’. [Muslim]

Because only Allah can control our rizq (supply), giving to others makes our wealth grow. Giving during a hard time is a beautiful way to show that you trust Allah and remind yourself that you only count on Him.

This Is A Great Way To Pay Zakat Every Month

Giving their yearly Zakat in smaller amounts every month instead of all at once is easier for some people. Giving to orphanages is the best way to spread your Zakat all year long.

You Will Earn Jannah’s Food

In the Qur’an, when Allah talks about good deeds, He also goes into great detail about the beautiful things in Jannah that we will get for doing these good deeds. In Surah Insan, Allah talks about people who feed children and poor people just because they want to please Him:

’And they give food, in spite of love for it, to the needy, the orphan, and the captive. [Saying], “We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We don’t want from you either reward or gratitude. Indeed, we fear from our Lord a Day austere and distressful”’. (The Noble Qur’an, 76:8-10)

As a direct reward for this good deed, Allah promises:

SubhanAllah! He is really the Most Generous! If we feed orphans and poor people in this world, Allah will repay us with the comforts and tasty food of Jannah, many times over what we gave.

Conclusion

In Islam, taking care of orphans is one of the most rewarding acts. By helping orphans, you not only gain respect and blessings in this world but also a high place in the afterlife, near the Prophet. This noble act brings joy, mercy, and divine rewards to those who participate.