In a society like ours, where paternity is considered a divine blessing and a social milestone, the lack of children often has emotional and cultural charges. Meanwhile, millions of orphaned children throughout the country yearn for a family, a home and a life opportunity. What would happen if these two unsatisfied needs can meet with each other?
Adoption is not just an act of compassion; It is an answer to two silent sentences. Bring emotional peace to couples unable to have children and provide love, security and opportunity to children who have lost everything. In a nation that struggles with social inequality, displacement and orphanage, promote both culturally and religiously adoption can be a transformative force.
I have seen many couples in our society who remain without children even after several years of marriage. Despite being financially strong, emotionally mature and socially well established, they continue to wait for their “own” son, resorting to expensive medical treatments or spiritual solutions, while rarely consider adoption.
I remember that during my time in Karachi, I knew at least seven to eight couples of those who had been married for more than six to seven years and still had children. They were loving and capable people who had everything necessary to raise a child, except a change in mentality. They could have changed the life of a child and perhaps yours, simply opening their hearts to adoption.
I also remember my time as a school teacher, where I often interacted with colleagues and parents during meetings and school events. Even there, I met couples who had no children and often talked about their desire to become parents. Looking at the growing number of orphaned children in Pakistan, I often asked me in silence: why don’t they adopt? Why can’t these love people open their homes to children who have no one?
In Pakistan, it is estimated that 15 to 20 percent of married couples cannot have children, according to national health data. That means that one in five to six couples fights silently with infertility. However, few consider adoption as a solution.
About a year ago, I met a Nawabshah couple, Sindh, whose story completely changed my perspective on adoption. They were not highly educated, but the decision they made was deeply wise and compassionate. After several years of trying and waiting for a boy, they chose to adopt a girl. Despite coming from a modest environment, they raised it with unconditional love, they made sure that he received adequate education and gave him everything a child deserves in terms of attention, affection and dignity.
Milaculously, a few years later, they were also naturally blessed with biological children. His adoptive daughter grew happily, surrounded by brothers, thriving in a home where she was never treated differently. That decision not only transformed his life, but brought emotional and spiritual satisfaction to the whole family. He was a powerful reminder that he does not need a high degree to make an educated decision; You just need a kind heart.
This story showed me that adoption does not block blessings; Multiply.
A forgotten generation
According to the UN, there are more than 4.6 million orphaned children in Pakistan, and above all are less than 17 years old. This significant part of our population suffers from social deprivation, without only love of parents but also access to basic rights such as education, medical care, security and emotional support. Its condition reflects a crisis that must be addressed at an urgent and national scale.
Vulnerability does not end there. A shocking 3.3 million children in Pakistan are dedicated to child labor, many of whom are orphaned or come from broken houses and not supported. These children are forced to domestic work, begging, factory work or even dangerous jobs that steal their health and future. Without education or stability, their dreams are crushed before they even begin to grow.
Many of these children have lost their families due to poverty, terrorism, diseases or natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Without the care and protection of parents, they often end up in superpoblated orphanages or in the streets where they face negligence, exploitation and abuse.
Natural disasters have worsened this problem. The 2005 Kashmir earthquake left thousands of orphan children during the night. In the midst of this anguish, a story still inspires many: the renowned singer Hadiqa Kiani adopted a baby, Naad-E-Ali, of the affected region. She gave her a home, an identity and a future.
Its action remains a brilliant example that motherhood is not defined by birth, but for love.
These are not just numbers. These are lives; Young souls with without exploiting and waiting for someone to worry. When opening our hearts and homes, we can rewrite their stories.
Islam and adoption
Contrary to cultural hesitation, Islam does not prohibit adoption. In fact, it encourages the care of orphans in powerful and explicit terms. While religion maintains the lineage and identity of the child (Nasab), it urges believers to assume all the responsibility of orphaned children, providing them with love, protection and sustenance.
The Quran says: “They ask you about orphans. Let’s say: improvement for them is better.”
(Surah al-Baqarah, 2: 220)
“And they give food despite the love for the needy, the orphan and the captive, [saying]And ‘we feed you just for Allah’s countenance. We do not want your reward or gratitude. “
(Surah Al-Insan, 76: 8-9)
The prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) himself was an orphan. His love for orphans is deeply invested in Islamic teachings. He said:
“I and the one who cares about an orphan we will be together in paradise like this,”
and indicated his two fingers together to illustrate the proximity. (Sahih Bukhari)
This Hadiz should only be enough to motivate Muslim couples to consider the care of an orphan. The adoption, in the Islamic framework of Kafalah (guardianship), allows a child to retain his name and identity while raising with love and dignity in a stable home.
When a child is adopted in a stable and loving home, he gets access to education, medical care, emotional support and social security. It is no longer lost in a system, the child now has a real opportunity to leave the cycle of poverty and trauma.
From the children of Street Shelter to the CEO, the success stories begin with the opportunity. When couples without children adopt, they not only fulfill their own dream of parenting, but also give a child the gift of a new life. That child can grow to become a doctor, teacher, leader or creator of changes. But more than anything, that child grows loved.
In addition, the couple wins emotional compliance, the company in old age and a deeper sense of purpose. Adoption makes a painful silence into rooms full of laughter. Transforms lives on both sides.
Cultural silence
Despite the religious stimulus and emotional need, adoption remains taboo in many parts of Pakistani society. Some families fear social judgment, some care about the inheritance and purity of the bloodline, and others doubt simply because it is not the “norm.” But we must break this silence.
Let us remember ourselves and our communities that Islam encourages the care of orphans, and modern legal systems in Pakistan already allow adoption under the law of guardianship. It is possible to adopt while the child’s lineage is preserved and complies with religious values.
We need bold voices, including academics, teachers, celebrities and religious leaders, to speak openly about adoption and their blessings. We need media campaigns that show successful adoptive families. We need government policies that relieve legal barriers and provide support after adoption.
A social and national responsibility
Adoption is not just a private matter; It is a national social responsibility. With thousands of orphaned children who grow up without care, the consequences for society are serious. These children, if they are not compatible, are vulnerable to child labor, drug abuse, traffic, extremism and chronic poverty.
By encouraging adoption, we are investing in human potential. Each child deserves a family, and each family has the power to change the lives of a child. Adoption not only reduces the state burden on orphanages and shelters, but also strengthens the social fabric of the nation.
Let’s change the narrative: each adoptive child is not a burden that will appear, but a blessing brought home.
Pakistan is at a crossroads. On the one hand there are millions of orphaned children living without love; On the other hand, thousands of couples without children who live without the joy of raising children. Among them is a cultural wall that we can only demolish with empathy, education and courage.
We must learn from the examples that surround us. From the couple I met, who adopted and then they were blessed with biological children, to public figures such as Hadiqa Kiani, who showed the nation what motherhood really means.
Let’s answer the call of our faith:
“Don’t oppress the orphan.” (Surah Ad-Duhaa, 93: 9)
We do not fear what society will say, but we ask ourselves: what will Allah say?
For each couple without children that a child longs for, and for each orphan child who longs for a father, the answer can be found in the other. We are going to open our houses. Let’s open our hearts. We believe families not only for blood, but for love, faith and choice.
Because sometimes, the most beautiful families are not born, they are made.
Rabia Khan is a teacher and independent collaborator
All facts and information are the exclusive responsibility of the writer
