Don urges men to care for widows, orphans

Professor Rafatu Abdulhamid of the Department of Islamic Studies at the University of Abuja urged men to give priority to the welfare and well‑being of widows and orphans. She made the appeal on Saturday in Abuja during a Ramadan lecture on “Divorce and Widowhood,” organized by the Al‑Habibiyyah Islamic Society. Citing several Quranic verses, she highlighted how Prophet Muhammad encouraged men to be sympathetic, kind, and supportive toward widows. “My advice to men is to emulate the Prophet’s gesture toward widows,” she said. “In Islamic history, many of the Prophet’s wives were widows; today, however, wealthy men are reluctant to marry widows, and when widows have children, some men abandon them to avoid added responsibilities.” Abdulhamid warned that such neglect disregards the responsibility that earns Paradise, emphasizing that caring for widows and orphans is a duty endorsed by both the Prophet and the Quran.

Abdulhamid also expressed concern over the alarming rate of divorce, attributing it to insincerity and misconceptions about marriage. “Nowadays marriage is not taken as an act of worship,” she observed. In Islam, she explained, couples are expected to marry with sincere intentions to serve God. “When sincerity is present, everything proceeds smoothly; insincerity is a major cause of divorce.” She urged prospective couples to examine their motives: “Is it to serve God and earn His pleasure, or is it driven by materialism?” She cautioned that many poor choices stem from misplaced priorities, and that the consequences of insincerity reflect a misunderstanding of marriage from an Islamic perspective.

Earlier, the chairperson of the Ramadan lecture, Dr. Bilkisu Magoro, explained that the program focused on the rights of women who are widows or divorcees, aiming to educate them about Islam’s guidance and protections for divorcees. She urged Muslims to consistently adhere to Islamic teachings in all aspects of life. Similarly, the National Chief Imam of the Al‑Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, encouraged Muslim women to maximize the spiritual benefits of Ramadan. “In a nation where women are conscious of God, we shall have a nation that is conscious of God, because women influence all aspects of human endeavour, including their children and husbands,” he said.