ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ORPHANS AND ITS REWARD IN ISLAM BY SHAYKH MASHOOD DAGBO

The Chief Imam, Government Girls’ Day Secondary School, Okesuna, Amilengbe, Ilorin, said Islam places a profound emphasis on the welfare and protection of orphans and advocates for their good care as a fundamental aspect of faith and social responsibility. In establishing the importance of taking good care of orphans, Imam Mashood Dagbo defined orphan as an underage (either boy or girl) who lost his/her parents; especially father at the age when he/she can not take care of his/herself or take care of the properties left behind for him/her by the parents while explaining the verses 2 and 3 of Suratun-Nusa’i (Chapter 2) in his evening Tafsirul-Qur’an at Alhaji Sulyman Master Mosque at Irewolede Community, Foma Babalaje, Ilorin South Layout, Abayawo Quarters, Madinah Road, Ilorin on the 9th of Ramadhān 1446H/2025CE.

The Chief Imam of GGDSS, Okesuna who is the Mufassir (Exegete) of Alhaji Sulyman Master Mosque established that the easiest deed to attract the rewards from Allah is the kindness to orphans, while the fastest way to unlock the wrath of Allah is maltreatment of orphans as he substantiated his explanation of Chapter 2: 3 when Allah warns the guardian of orphans to return their properties of them when they are matured and capable of handling the properties. Allah says: “And give to the orphans their property, and do not substitute worthless (things) for (their) good (ones), and do not devour their property (as an addition) to your own property; this is surely a great crime”. The Mufassir; Shaykh Mashood Dagbo continued to explain that treatment of orphans extends to giving them good food, best cloth, good advice, marrying them justly and taking care of their properties left by their parents and many more. The Chief Imam further advised the guardians of orphans to treat them kindly and to never mix their (orphans) good properties with bad ones and to also never eat up their properties unjustly, it is because such an act is a grievous offence in the sight of Allah.

The Mufassir, who doubled as the Imam of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), North Central Zone, Ilorin and National Imam for Al-Jama’at RudwanuLlaah Al-Akbar Al-Adabiy (AJRAA) with its headquarters in Babanloma, Ifelodun LGA, Kwara State, affirmed that the best house is the house where an orphan is being treated nicely, while the worst house is the house where an orphan is being maltreated as he evidenced his claims with Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) quoted thus: “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.” (Sunan ibn Majah).

The Chief Imam, who is also a Marriage Counselor, Cultural expert, educationist and public presenter; emphasized the need for collaborative efforts of individuals, corporate bodies and society to consider the good treatment of orphans as religious and social responsibility by quoting Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq who said: “One who maintains the orphans, Allah makes Paradise Wajib (compulsory) upon him, in the same way as he makes Hell wajib (compulsory) upon those who usurp the property of the orphans.” (Greater sins, volume 1). This statement of Shaykh Ja’far added to the understanding of earlier quoted Hadith that encouraged the treatment of orphans as best practice to attract Paradise, while it also condemned who maltreated the orphans to hellfire.

The Exegete; Shaykh Mashood Dagbo added that, Islam has never stopped guardian of orphans not to take out of the properties of the orphans if they are poor, but it must be taken with care and moderation in a such a way that will take care of his immediate needs and take care of orphans too without extravagance. The Imam substantiated his explanation with the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) narrated from ‘Amr bin Shu’ayb, from his father, from his grandfather, that a man came to the Prophet and said: “I am poor and I do not have anything, and I have an orphan (under my care).” He said: “Eat from the property of your orphan without being extravagant, wasteful or keeping it as capital for yourself.” Sunan an-Nasa’i 3668

The Mufassir; Imam Mashood Dagbo highlighted the ethical ways of treating the orphans and benefits accrued for whoever follows suit diligently as give below:

1. Give orphans the best food to eat like their r own family members
2. Give orphans good clothes, the same they give to their children
3. Sponsor the orphans to best schools where their children go
4. Give the best shelter to orphans, the same type they put out their family members in
5. Approach the orphans with respect and honour, the same way they treat and respect their children and family members
6. Take care of the orphans’ proprieties just like the way they guide their properties they intend to leave for their children
7. Marry them justly if they so cherish or give their hands in marriage to best suitors when they come of age
8. Return their properties to them when they are matured and capable of taking care of them and continue to guide them further
9. Provide necessary needs to the orphans within the affordable means, so that he/she would not feel the absence of their parents
10. Islam does not stop guardians of orphans from eating from the properties of the orphans if they are poor, but it must be considerately and moderately devoured without being extravagant in the handling their properties
11. At the same time, the ethical treatment of orphans by their guardians earned them paradise on the Day of Judgement

The Chief Imam concluded his Tafsirul-Qur’an ILij this blessed month of Ramadhān at Alhaji Sulyman Master Mosque, Foma Babalaje, Ilorin, by advising the generality of Muslims to take good care of orphans under their custody, he also advised the market women to be lenient and kind with their customers during Ramadhān and after, while he prayed to Allah to preserve us beyond this year’s Ramadhān, to give us the opportunity o witness Laylatul-Qadr, to observe many more years of Ramadhān on earth in good faith, sound health, blessed wealth and prosperity and pray to Allah to accept our Ramadhān fast as an act of Ibadah in this life and hereafter.