ORPHANS

I was sitting here thanking the Almighty for my kids and praying to God that they all find their correct way to God and for Him to have mercy on them like He had mercy on bringing them to us in the first place. I know that we gave the message to all of our kids—ten boys and one girl—and they all accepted Islam. But some have gotten affiliated with different sects. They know the message of worship God alone, but I pray they truly choose to be with God alone.

Most of them came from foster homes and others from the streets. It was God who put it in my heart to adopt these children, and I had a husband who felt the same way. We never had our own birth children, but God says in the Quran to raise them as your own (33:5), and we did that. We gave plenty of love and guidance from God alone; exposed them to many things such as travel, different people and ideas; and all my brothers and sisters in submission helped throughout the years (2:215), so we could do all the things we did with them. They all read Quran and tried to follow it, but this society continues to fall under the sway of Satan. This is why I pray for them. All of them came with different hardships and abuse or neglect. We were poor in money, so we did not have worldly gifts to give to our children (2:220, 4:5-6). But we gave all we could, and that meant giving them the message of God alone. We raised

them up as believers, doing Salat and Zakat, following Quran alone. Now it’s up to them to continue on God’s path.

A lot of times I wish I could have given them a college education, a house, a car, a big bank account. But we couldn’t, and off in this big world they went. The boys and my daughter are grown now and responsible adults, praise God. Thank You, God, for all the help with all the orphans You had me be guardian over. I may have been their worldly guardian, but the One truly watching over my children and all our children is God. They all knew the message. I thank God and the believers for all their support. To those who have orphan children, just remember to continue to trust in God alone, and God will bring you all through A-OK, like He brought my family. Never despair of God’s mercy and grace.

[4:127] They consult you concerning women: say, "GOD enlightens you regarding them, as recited for you in the scripture. You shall restore the rights of orphaned girls whom you cheat out of their due dowries when you wish to marry them: you shall not take advantage of them. The rights of orphaned boys must also be protected as well. You shall treat the orphans equitably. Whatever good you do, GOD is fully aware thereof."

[93:5-11] And your Lord will give you enough; you will be pleased. Did He not find you orphaned and He gave you a home? He found you astray, and guided you. He found you poor, and made you rich.

Therefore, you shall not forsake the orphan.  Nor shall you reprimand the beggar. You shall proclaim the blessing your Lord has bestowed upon you.

And remember the story of Moses and his teacher and how God protected the orphaned boys. [18:82] “As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city. Under it, there was a treasure that belonged to them. Because their father was a righteous man, your Lord wanted them to grow up and attain full strength, then extract their treasure. Such is mercy from your Lord. I did none of that of my own volition. This is the explanation of the things you could not stand.”

[Bible James 1:26-27] If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

[Psalm 146:9] The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
Dedicated to God, and for my children: Sharonne, the twins Cecil and Cedrick, Dewaun, Aaron, Tiwaun,  Chavez, Nigel, Cedric, Eric, and Shannon, who died at age 19.

Carolyn