In an effort to promote the teachings of Islam during the holy month of Ramadan, Waafah Children’s Home yesterday held its second annual Ramadan lecture at its premises on Stadium Road, Taiwo, Ilorin. The event, titled “Status of Orphans in Islam with Reference to the Quran and Hadith,” had in attendance Islamic scholars, stakeholders, and members of the community to listen to the importance of caring for orphans.
The program was moderated by Alfa Faoz, a key stakeholder of the home, who led the session and invited children from the orphanage to recite verses from the Quran. The children gave a remarkable recitation, one of them read the Quranic verse speaking about thr virtue of this holy month. The guest lecturer, Alhaji Tajudeen Al-Istijabaat, took the audience through the topic, emphasizing the rewards attached to supporting orphans. He referenced Quran 76:9, which states, “We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks,” stressing that Al-Waafah Children’s Home is an example of this teaching, as its work is done purely for the sake of Allah.
He further highlighted that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) placed great importance on the welfare of orphans and that those who ensure the rights of orphans are upheld will receive abundant rewards. He urged attendees to contribute to such causes, stating that no one can give to charity except those whom Allah calls to do so. He also prayed that Allah grants everyone the opportunity to partake in supporting orphan care.
Earlier in the program, the supervisor Waafah Children’s Home, Hajia Nafeesah took attendees on a tour of the facility, narrating the story behind its establishment. She recounted how the founder had once come across a crowd gathered around an abandoned baby by the roadside. Instead of helping, people were merely recording videos of the helpless infant. The founder, moved by the situation, picked up the baby and took it to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), expressing his intention to place the child in an orphanage. However, after searching for a Muslim orphanage without success, he was left with no choice but to take the baby to a government-run orphanage.
Over time, he visited the child regularly until one day, he was informed that the baby had been adopted. While adoption itself was not an issue, he was deeply saddened to learn that the child had been taken in by a Christian family, as he had hoped the baby would be raised in the Islamic faith. This experience planted a vision in his heart to establish a Muslim orphanage where vulnerable children could grow up in an environment rooted in Islamic values. Years later, this dream became a reality with the founding of Waafah Children’s Home.
The event concluded with prayers and calls for continued community support, with the guest lecturer reminding everyone that the care of orphans is a highly rewarded act in Islam.