Who is an Orphan?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Assalamu alaykum,
We have, from the child welfare, been given the responsibility of a two days old baby. His mother dosen’t want anything to do with him, and the father is said to be immature.They are non muslims.
Is this baby a yateem/orphan? What are his rights that we have to fulfill?
Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.
The orphan is the child whose father dies. [Nasafi, Tilbat al-Talaba]
What you have described would be considered to be adoption. Treat the child as your own, give him a healthy, religious upbringing, and ask Allah to make this opportunity a means of winning unto His Supreme Good Pleasure in this life and the Next.
Please see the following articles for further advice and details: The Fiqh of Adoption and: Giving an Adopted Child Your Family Name and: The Position of Islam on Divorce, Adoption and Abortion
And Allah alone gives success.
wassalam,
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani