Squandering Orphans’ Wealth Leads To Hell, Islamic Scholar Warns

A Professor of Islamic Law at the University of Ilorin, Abdur-Razaq Alaro, has warned that squandering and misusing the wealth left for orphans could lead one to hell fire.

The Don stated this in Ilorin while delivering a paper at the 5th Annual Ramadan Lecture of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) Muslim Community.

The lecture is themed: “The Role of Muslims in Supporting the Bereaved: Attitude and Responsibilities During and After Burial”.

Alaro, who is also an Advisor to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on non-interest Islamic Banking, said: “Care for the orphans and the bereaved in our society becomes a collective duty and shared responsibility.”

According to him, Muslims must ensure that support for the bereaved in the society is a religious duty as enshrined in the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

The expert on Islamic Law described an orphan as anyone who lost his/her father before attaining the age of maturity, while a bereaved as someone who lost a closed associate.

He added that supporting the bereaved goes beyond attending burial rites, while urging Muslims to maintain contact with grieving families with materials and emotional support.

Alaro pointed out that the world “is slowly engulfed in chaos and wars which creates more orphans and bereaved people everywhere.”

The don warned against injustice and creation of mayhem to disrupt peaceful co-existence, citing example of the present Middle East war.

“Do not be power drunk in life. There have been history of civilisation that were Super Powers before, whom Allah has taken away their powers now, and Allah can do it again,” he warned.

He enjoined Nigerians to appreciate the country and coexist in peace while also urging them to pray for the leaders to be guided aright.

Earlier, the Director-General of MINILS, Mr Issa Aremu, explained that the programme, which started five years ago, was expected to become a continuous programme to be funded by members.

Aremu appealed to Nigerians to continue to pray for the country and its leaders, observing that the Holy Month of Ramadan and the Lent Fasting season remained an opportunity to go spiritual and seek guidance from Allah.

He also reminded Nigerians not to take peace for granted, adding that conflict resolution still remained the best option to resolve crisis.