Father of the Orphans: Lesson4, A sense of responsibility for their well-being
Imam Ali’s behaviour towards orphaned children as narrated to us through traditions demonstrates his feeling of duty towards their well-being. He did not consider his care for them as a charitable act. In one narration, Imam Ali comes across a woman carrying a goatskin of water on her shoulder and carries it off her to her house. He then learns that she is a widow of a soldier with orphaned children. This leaves him in great distress and he returns with bags of food. When helping the woman light a fire, Imam Ali chides himself saying, “O Ali! This is the punishment of the one who neglects the widows and the orphans.” When the woman later apologises for failing to recognise him, he replies, “I am ashamed of you, since I did neglect you.”
This teaches us that we are all collectively responsible for the well-being of orphaned children. In an age where charitable acts of kindness are sometimes considered secondary, we ought to remind ourselves that any care we offer to orphaned children is only responding to our duty to share our blessings.
