help in softening the heart -

[Medina83]

no... not that i know of..

i heard that a yateem (orphan) is an orphan as long as there is no father according to either the arab culture or islam??. Is this true?

I know thats the definition that Muslim Hands the charity uses anyway.

 

[Miss Palestine]

i never knew thatt...but Mashaa'Allah pretty cool....i need 2 tell my uncle 2 go do that lolz

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you IbnAbdulHakim;

The request was a plea to soften the heart and the Prophet pbuh, replied feed the orphans and the poor, he did not say only feed them if they are Muslim. I truthfully believe that all people are created by the same God regardless of our faith, and we each have a duty of care to all of God’s creation.

About three years ago we sponsored a child in Uganda through World Vision and she sends us letters three or four times a year, it is truthfully a heart softening process over time. I still do not know which faith she follows and I would not like to ask.

About a billion people live on less than a dollar a day in grinding poverty, we really can make a difference to one of them. The softening of the heart comes over time and it is a humbling experience as the child grows.

As Malaikah has said there are also Muslim charities that do this too.

In the spirit of praying for Trade Justice

Eric

 

[Malaikah]

no... not that i know of..

i heard that a yateem (orphan) is an orphan as long as there is no father according to either the arab culture or islam??. Is this true?

Yeh that is true... because if they still have their father they don't need our financial support because they still have that from their father.

Don't we say that every baby is a muslim at birth, just diverted by parents/society etc to other religions or atheism? Therefore, if an orphan was once a muslim and has been led astray unknowingly, I wouldn't regard them as 'children of kaafir' until they make their own choice at a later stage.

But children of the kuffar means their parents are not Muslim, so I don't see what their choice has to do with anything? :?

Either way we are encouraged to help the poor of both the Muslims and non-Muslims.

 

[Ummu Sufyaan]

Don't we say that every baby is a muslim at birth, just diverted by parents/society etc to other religions or atheism? Therefore, if an orphan was once a muslim and has been led astray unknowingly, I wouldn't regard them as 'children of kaafir' until they make their own choice at a later stage.

by the way if you are looking to feed the poor and you want to do it physically yourself as opposed to just sending money abroad or whatever, and if there turns out to be no muslim organisation in your area you can work with, then I would encourage you to just take a walk some evening down a street in london or your town and if you see a homeless person or a begging person stop and ask them if you can get them something hot to eat.

In my experience it's appreciated by any human soul as most of them are sitting in the cold for hours.

sis, if you were refering to me, what i meant was i'd prefer to look after a muslims offsring, rather than a non-muslim. my heart feels more at ease, thats all.

btw, brother IbnAbdulhakim, i found this hadith:
Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd (رضي الله عنه): The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, "I and the person who looks after an orpahn and provides for him, will be in Paradise this," putting his index and middle fingers together (Sahih Al-Bukhari, 8/6005 (O.P. 34). i dont know what O.P.34 means though.
i was thinking maybe you should spend a whole day wth them, for example. what i mean is, an orphan may find it a little strange if you just randomly pat his head. so maybe you could invite him/her to your house for lunch, or take them to a park, buy them icecream, take them to the masjid and teach them how to perfom wudoo and prayers, etc etc. make sure that the day is aaaall about them.

 

[IbnAbdulHakim]

^ ive spoken to some brothers and they say that best thing to do is to go to another country.... london is the place for hard heartedness and sin, seriously how does one achieve a soft state in london?????

 

[Ummu Sufyaan]

you just have to try your best. you really do. like i said before, dont wait for people to get the ball rolling. if you dont see anything being done, get the ball rolling yourself. dont wait for people.

 

[Re.TiReD]

:salamext:, Is helping orphans the only means you have found to soften your heart? And I know you want to actively do something but have you tried sponsoring an orphan? or doing other charitable deeds, e.g fundraising? because wallahi, doing something like that...no matter how far you are to the people who are receiving your aid- is always an eye opener and it makes you feel so good SubhanAllah, I'm talking from experience.

So whatever it is you do, as long as the correct intention is at heart, you will find the reward with Allah SubhanahuWata'aala. May Allah guide you. Ameen

 

[poga]

assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah

for ages i have felt hard hearted, and the only thing i know which can greatly help is:



but im asking where can one find orphans and physically go to distribute food amongst the poor here in london?


all input will be greatly appreciated

if you lose father and mother you get orphan siblings
if you lose grandfather then you get orphan father and uncles
just to say don't go looking in london start from you home

 

[poga]

^ ive spoken to some brothers and they say that best thing to do is to go to another country.... london is the place for hard heartedness and sin, seriously how does one achieve a soft state in london?????

hard hearted people have very soft brain
so if you can make the brain strong then you will have soft heart
because greedy people are stupid

 

[IbnAbdulHakim]

poga the amount of sense ur weirdness makes is quite amazing

jazakAllah khair brother, i appreciate it

 

[Intisar]

:salamext: Perhaps you can go to a local soup kitchen, or invite someone over and give them a meal? :?

 

[Re.TiReD]

:salamext:

Without Doubt, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest- Ar Ra'd 13:28

 

[Ayesha Rana]

Assalamu-alaikum people!!!
Just wanted to point out... I think an orphan whether his parents were non-muslim or not is as equally deserving of our help and support because whatever his/her parents were, they aren\'t alive any more... gettit? And it\'s the intention that counts
Oh and in Islam one who loses his father is considered an orphan for as long as he is not old inough to be independant.
And i wanna open an orphanage some day Insha\'Allah... any ideas:?
Not in this country. Firstly with all the state benefits and stuff it isn\'t as needed and i\'d feel better if it was a muslim country cos i wouldn\'t have to worry about the law too much...

 

[Re.TiReD]

Assalamu-alaikum people!!!
Just wanted to point out... I think an orphan whether his parents were non-muslim or not is as equally deserving of our help and support because whatever his/her parents were, they aren\'t alive any more... gettit? And it\'s the intention that counts
Oh and in Islam one who loses his father is considered an orphan for as long as he is not old inough to be independant.
And i wanna open an orphanage some day Insha\'Allah... any ideas:?
Not in this country. Firstly with all the state benefits and stuff it isn\'t as needed and i\'d feel better if it was a muslim country cos i wouldn\'t have to worry about the law too much...

:salamext:

why not support the existing orphanages and help to make them more successful insha'Allah, rather than opening another?

 

[Ayesha Rana]

^^^
ooooh nice idea-thanx sis but i want it to be MY orphanage so i can influence it and bring the kiddies up lovingly the way I want to-gettit? Then it would be so much more satisfying and i\\\'d enjoy myself more and so do better... Insha\\\'Allah
being with orphans and seeing what they go through really makes u realise how much u hav to be thankful for... a family for instance

 

[Re.TiReD]

yes I get that, but I am sure all orphans in an orphange would be bought up 'lovingly' Insha'Allah.

And I know the level of satisfaction varies, but I was merely suggesting something a little more practical and in my opinion beneficial.

For example, new masjids are always being built whilst old ones are only half full. Although orphanages may already be full, making a new one may not be as beneficial as helping one that is already established.

 

[poga]

^^^
ooooh nice idea-thanx sis but i want it to be MY orphanage so i can influence it and bring the kiddies up lovingly the way I want to-gettit? Then it would be so much more satisfying and i\\\'d enjoy myself more and so do better... Insha\\\'Allah
being with orphans and seeing what they go through really makes u realise how much u hav to be thankful for... a family for instance

do you like to bring up like your very own doll house
your very own dolly doing your very own game
very nice call it barbyn-nessa
orphange and mardrasa

 

[...]

Reading the Qur'an and remembering death softens the heart..

 

[Ummu Sufyaan]

brother, you do realise that there a numerous ways to soften teh heart. if you are unable to do it this way, try another way, inshallah.