Episode 28 - The Wealth of the Orphan - The Ten Commandments / 6

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah

Brothers and sisters, in the previous episodes, we discussed the first five commandments from our Lord, the Most High, mentioned in verse 151 of Surah Al-An'am: "Say, 'Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited for you: [Do not] associate anything with Him, and to parents do good, and do not kill your children because of poverty - We provide for you and them.'"

The Sixth Commandment: The Orphan's Wealth

The sixth commandment that we stop at today is His saying, the Most High: "And do not approach the orphan's property except in the best way until he reaches maturity."

Allah's Mercy for the Weak and Protection of the Orphan's Right

Look at the mercy of the Most Merciful, the Most High, towards the weak among His servants and His defense of their rights. Allah, the Most High, did not say, "Do not deal with the orphan's property," but He said, "Do not approach the orphan's property," emphasizing the warning against delving into this property without right.

Then He did not say, "Do not approach the orphan's property except with good dealings," but He said, "except in the best way." That is, the best ways of dealing with what suits the orphan's condition and achieves the best balance between meeting his needs and saving for his future, until he reaches maturity, so that his weakness is removed and he is given what remains of the property.

Understanding of the Companions and Easing of the Sharia

When Allah, the Most High, revealed: "And do not approach the orphan's property except in the best way," and His saying in another verse: "Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only devouring into their bellies fire, and they will be burned therein," those who had taken in an orphan separated their food from their own and their drink from their own. So they would buy food for the orphan from the inheritance money, and if there was any leftover food from the orphan's portion, they would save it until the orphan ate it or the food spoiled, fearing that they might fall into consuming the orphan's property.

This became difficult for the Companions who had taken in orphans, so they mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. And Allah knows those whose intention was to invade the orphan's property from those who intended good for the orphan and his property. And Allah does not want to put His servants in hardship and difficulty. So the Companions returned to mixing their food with the food of the orphans and their drinks with their drinks.

The Islamic Balance in Preserving Rights

This is one of the forms of Islamic balance that preserves the rights of the weak categories in society without that being at the expense of other categories and narrowing them down. This is what human positive systems fail in, as they support one category at the expense of another category.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, this is the sixth commandment from the commandments of our Lord, the Most High: "And do not approach the orphan's property except in the best way." And we will continue with the other commandments in the upcoming episodes, by the permission of Allah.

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.