• Oppression — the most hateful practice
Oppression is, indeed, the most hateful practice a human being may follow. It is degrading to the one who commits it and to the one at the receiving end of it. It is for this reason that Islam stresses in a variety of methods the importance of justice. The Prophet lists seven groups of people who will have Allah's shelter on the day of judgment. The first of these is a 'just ruler'. With such emphasis, it is not surprising that Islamic history has known a long chain of fair-minded rulers.
• Orphans: Raising the orphan and adoption
1. The Prophet has spoken very highly of those who bring up orphans and said that they will be rewarded generously by Allah. Yet we see in society that orphans, particularly if they do not have known parents, are not accepted in the society; much less in homes. Fostering parents may feel it necessary to inform their family members about the origin or parents of the orphan they are fostering. A childless couple may wish to foster an orphan but pressure of society may cause them not to consider this option which could be very highly rewarding for both of them in terms of happiness in the life and grace of Allah on the day of judgment. Is it true to say that there is a gap between theory and practice; that what people have learned of Islamic values do not have much bearing on their behavior.
2. As there are many abandoned and orphan children in the world today, would it be permissible to keep one or two children and to raise them as Muslims?
1. This dichotomy between theory and practice is not peculiar to Muslims or Islamic society. It is indeed very common. Quite often people cannot live up to ideals they profess. You may sometimes want to point out to a friend that he needs to bring his practices in line with his beliefs, but you try to be gentle with him by putting your comments in a very general manner. You will find him immediately concurring with what you say. He may be even more enthusiastic and say clearly that if everyone of us would care to implement about one quarter of his ideals, our society would improve tremendously. His enthusiasm may leave you no option but to refrain from pursuing the discussion, because you may fear that once you point out that his behavior is not quite in line with his beliefs, he would take your comments in bad taste. The dichotomy is a very real one. It is simply that people fail to live up to what they profess.
The fact that this is a common situation which we may encounter in most countries offers no consolation. Other communities and societies may accept this as a fact of life and try to live with it. As Muslims we may recognize it as a fact of life but that should not stop us working to change it. The change should aim at bringing practice in line with belief.
It is important to understand that this life of ours is merely a journey which can end up in either one of two widely different destinations. On the day of resurrection, we are judged by Allah on the basis of our actions in this life. If our actions do not match up to our professed beliefs, Allah will question us about this fact which we will not be able to justify by claiming ignorance of Islamic values. This is because we have been claiming that we truly believe in Islamic values, so the knowledge is there.
The dichotomy is a result of our failure to act on the basis of our knowledge. Hence, we will not be able to give any good answer to this question which Allah will put to us about our failure. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has emphasized in every possible manner that Muslims must show that their beliefs are real and that they truly implement their religious teachings. He defines true faith as something that is "deeply entrenched in our hearts and to which credence is given by action." This means that a person cannot be a true believer unless his actions acquire the true colors of his faith.
In the example you have given, you have put your finger on something where social considerations are widely different from Islamic teachings. Allah tells us in the Qur'an to be kind to orphans. The Prophet has emphasized the high reward Allah has in store for those who take good care of orphans. Yet, people attach too much important to lineage and family connections. An orphan whose parents are unknown is treated as if his abandonment by his parents is his own fault. While this attitude is quite common, it is by no means general. Some people certainly look at an abandoned child as totally blameless. His parents may have been guilty of a very serious offense, but he bears no responsibility for their offenses. He is to be treated as free of all kinds of guilt.
There are many couples who consider fostering an orphan or bringing up in order to earn Allah's reward. There is, however, an important point to consider in this connection. This relates to the adoption of an orphan child. As you may know, Islam does not approve of adoption, because it is based on a false attachment. While it is highly commendable to bring up an orphan child, it is forbidden to claim that child as yours. Perhaps the reluctance of Muslims to foster an orphan is due, in some measure, to that. I know of a couple who have decided to bring up an orphan girl. They encountered a long list of red-tape obstacles before they could regularize her situation with them.
Whatever the reasons, we should look at the situation in a wider perspective. Everyone of us should work hard within our community in order to ensure that people give practical credence to their beliefs. We have to tell them that Allah will not accept what they profess unless they practice what they preach. We should give every encouragement to those who are brave enough to defy the social norm in order to implement the religious value. By doing so, we help make our community more truly Islamic. That is a great task to which we should all contribute.
2. What we have to distinguish here is that raising a child is different from adopting it as one’s own. Islam encourages looking after orphans, giving them caring homes and bringing them up as one’s own children. Indeed this is a sure way of earning rich reward to offset one’s sins. The Prophet, peace be upon him, says: "Whoever brings up two girls and looks after them until they are adult, will be my companion in heaven like these (signaling with his two fingers to indicate the close companionship)." That applies whether the girls are one’s own daughters or other girls. The Prophet, peace be upon him, uses the same gesture to indicate his close companionship in heaven with a person who takes care of an orphan child, boy or girl.
What is forbidden is to adopt a child as one’s own child, giving her or him one’s own family name, and stating in official papers that the child is his own son or daughter. This is deception, which is not allowed in Islam. The reason is that such action creates rights of inheritance, which do not belong to the adopted child, and bars certain marriages, which God has allowed. In short, there is much that is false in formal adoption that is practiced in other societies. Islam does not permit it. It wants Muslims to look after orphans and abandoned children, but to call them after their real parents if these are known. If these are unknown, they may be given any name, but must not come to be known as the children of the family that looks after them.
May I ask whether Muslims are permitted to have orthodontic treatment, whereby teeth are pulled together to close gaps between them? Does this come under the same heading as changing what Allah has created?
There is an authentic Hadith in which the Prophet has cursed women who try to give themselves a prettier appearance by widening the gaps between their teeth, thereby changing what Allah has created. Those women to whom the Prophet refers used to take off a part of their teeth with a file or some other tool in order to make their teeth look smaller and leave gaps between them. In certain societies, this is considered a mark of beauty. The Prophet has made it clear that these women deserve to be cursed because they go to such trouble in order to look beautiful, thereby attracting people's admiration. This is an attitude which Islam rejects.
On the other hand, orthodontic treatment seeks to correct irregularities in teeth and jaws. Some people may have irregularities in various parts of their bodies. If the intention is to remove a cause of physical or mental pain, or to give more self confidence to the person, or to remove what is unsightly, then it is appropriate.