Imam Ali - Father of the Orphans part1
Orphaned Children
It goes without saying that caring for orphaned children is considered an essential element of a morally functioning society by most standards, religious and secular alike. In Islam, more than twenty verses in the Qur’an refer to the good treatment of orphans. But what do the lives of our historical leaders teach us about putting these verses into practice?
We know Imam Ali (as) as the ‘Father of Orphans’, a title that attests to his care for orphaned children like they were his own children. A care so genuine that tradition says when he was poisoned and on his deathbed, the orphans of the city of Kufa gathered around his house carrying bowls of milk in an effort to cure him. A closer look at the life of Imam Ali holds valuable lessons for us in caring for orphaned children.
Lesson 1: Learning from the orphaned
Imam Ali began his life learning everything he was to know from the greatest of orphans, Prophet Muhammad (saww). The Prophet, whose father had died before he was born, was taken under the care of his uncle Abu Talib as a child thirty years earlier. In a similar way, Imam Ali grew up under the care and direction of the Prophet. Imam Ali’s education from the Prophet continued until the Prophet’s tragic death, after which Imam Ali would pass on and share teachings from his close time with the Prophet, to those around him.
We cannot know the precise wisdom behind the orphanhood of the Holy Prophet. What we do know is that the experience of being orphaned at a young age carries unique struggles that have the potential to teach us invaluable lessons on strength of character and resilience. Although this was emulated in the most perfect form in the Holy Prophet, we have an opportunity to pause and reflect on the stories of orphaned children of our age, and think about what important lessons they have to teach us to help build our character. We can learn to shift our perspective on orphaned children, from thinking of them as under-privileged members of society, to our educators who have unique experiences which we can learn from.
Lesson 2: Providing orphaned children with the best
A number of traditions available to us describe how Imam Ali ensured orphaned children were taken care of, particularly during the period of his caliphate. These include narrations of Imam Ali visiting their homes under the cover of evenings to feed and cater to their needs. One such narration tells us of a time when honey and figs were brought to Imam Ali from Hamadan and Hulwan, a delicacy presented to him as the Caliph of the time.
Imam Ali’s first response was to order the authorities of all tribes to bring along the orphans of the city. The narration tells us that “he seated them above the leather containers of honey to eat from it”. When questioned, he responded “I am the father to the orphans. Indeed I had them eat honey as their father.
Imam Ali’s insistence on prioritising the orphaned children when offered a delicacy teaches us all to present the very best we have to them. Imam Ali did not wait until his close family and friends had their turn before providing the children with leftovers, nor did he consider the delicacies a ‘non-essential’ that the orphaned children did not need. The lesson here extends beyond subsistence and clothing to include all aspects in life: if you think your children deserve the best-in-class education and access to opportunities, so do orphaned children.
