and gives matters careful thought and reflection until he understands. Matters also require determination, resolve, and patience. These are indispensable: one needs resolve to drive oneself forward and patience to remain steadfast; otherwise, opportunities—or many of them—will be lost. Allah is the One whose help is sought.
Allah Almighty says: ﴿As for the orphan, do not oppress him.﴾ This corresponds to: ﴿Did He not find you an orphan and shelter you?﴾ Since Allah sheltered you in your orphanhood, do not oppress the orphan—unless some outwardly forceful treatment is in his best interest. That is not true oppression, even if it appears outwardly to be so, because it serves the orphan’s considerable welfare. Therefore, do not oppress the orphan; rather, honor him. Showing kindness to orphans and honoring them are among the commands and virtues of the Sharia. An orphan—one whose father died before he reached puberty—is broken-hearted and needs comfort. He needs someone to console him and bring him joy, especially if he has reached an age at which he understands matters, such as seven or ten years old, or thereabouts.
﴿And as for one who asks, do not rebuke him.﴾ This corresponds to: ﴿And He found you lost and guided you.﴾ ﴿And as for one who asks, do not rebuke him.﴾ Foremost among those included in “one who asks” is someone asking about the Sharia and religious knowledge. Do not rebuke him, for if he asks you because he wants you to explain the Sharia to him, you are obliged to explain it, in accordance with Allah Almighty’s words: ﴿And when Allah took the covenant of those who were given the Scripture: You must make it clear to the people and not conceal it﴾ [Āl ʿImrān: 187].
Do not rebuke him, for if you do, you will drive him away. Moreover, he regards you as being above him—it was only because of this that he came to ask you. If you rebuke him while he feels that you are above him, he may become terrified and his faculties confused. He may then fail to express his question properly or to understand the answer you give him. Consider your own case: if you spoke to a man of higher standing than yourself and he rebuked you, your faculties would become confused and you would be unable to arrange your thoughts properly. Therefore, do not rebuke one who asks.
This may also include a person asking for money. That is, if a beggar comes asking you for money, do not rebuke him. This general statement, however, admits exceptions: if you know that the person asking about religious knowledge merely seeks to be contentious and to gather