SurvivorsAreUs Foster R Us

 

What is SurvivorsAreUs Foster R Us?

SurvivorsAreUs Foster R Us is a network of Muslim families who follow the Quran and Sunnah allowing Muslim sisters and/or their children to stay in their home. Due to problems (family, financial and immigrational status), countless Muslim women and children are left homeless. To join, simply call abuse shelters and homeless shelters in your area informing them you are interested in taking any Muslim women and/or children that are in the shelters. Give them your name, phone number and ask them to spread the word to their staff and any affiliates in that area of your willingness to help the Muslim women and children. Explain to them that due to religious restrictions you and your family can best help the Muslim women and children only due to same practises and religous observations.  Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encourages this act by saying, "Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allaah will remove from him one of the grieves of the Day of Judgment. And whosoever alleviates the lot of a needy person, Allaah will alleviate his lot in this world and the next." (Sahih Muslim)

Legally binding contracts for you and your fostee (they can be edited as needed)

Click here for a Word format of the guidelines
Click here for a printable format of the guidelines

What Are Typical Homeless Shelters Like?

The majority of all shelters in the United States are funded and operated by Christian missionaries. The options that these women face can be disastrous, not only to their religion, but also to themselves and their children’s safety. These shelters provide no privacy for women. They are forced into groups with men, even in the sleeping arrangements. They only provide a place to go at night but during the day, everyone is back out on the streets no matter how cold it is. Also, these shelters invite them to Bible classes and prayer groups regularly, which can cause them to lose their faith in Islam, A'oothubillah.

Christian Churches control almost every homeless shelter in the United States; every one of those shelters house criminals, drug addicts, alcohol abusers, prostitutes and child molesters. It is a fact that these shelters are an extremely dangerous place for adult men, let alone women and children. It is the obligation of every Muslim in the United States and abroad to wake up to this alarming situation that is happening to our sisters in Islam. It is our obligation to take care of these sisters and their young children.

Allaah urges us by saying:

"So give to the kindred his due, and to the poor and to the wayfarer. That is best for those who seek Allaah’s Countenance; and it is they who will be successful." (Quran 30:38)

We have an epidemic in the United States which is affecting this Muslim Ummah, specifically women and children. It is the obligation and duty of the Muslims in the United States to take care of our sisters and young children. If we continue to stand by and turn our sisters and children out on the streets we will be held responsible by Allaah (SWT). We will have to answer why...why have we turned our sisters and children away who proclaim La illah ill Allaah Muhammadur Rasoolullah? Many of our American sisters who convert to Islam are disowned by their families and have no one to turn to. Other sisters are brought to the United States after marriage, then abandoned by their husbands and do not even speak the English language. Many of these sisters have small children...even newborn infants. SubhanAllah, it is our duty as a Muslim to protect our sisters in the faith and protect their helpless children. Allaah said,

"It is not piety that you turn your faces toward east or west; but piety is [the quality of] the one who believes in Allaah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Books, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, orphans, the poor and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask…" (Quran 2:177)

We want your stay to be a beneficial one, and we encourage to you to take this opportunity to thank Allaah for His Blessings and use this program as your stepping stone to a better situation. The Islamic guidelines are based on the Quran and Sunnah with the understanding of the Prophet's Companions. These guidelines are for the benefit of preserving your honor and your protection (as well as the minor children who may be residing with you in another Muslim families home). In addition, these guidelines will aid in establishing a clear understanding of what is expected from you as a potential roommate and as a resident. These guidelines are set forth in order to maintain a comfortable and workable relationship between sisters and their children while residing in the homes of the Foster and to aid an increase in your Iman (faith), Insha Allaah. We pray that you will act in a mature and dignified manner by following the rules of Allaah and have Taqwa (conscious of Allaah at all time) in your stay with your Muslim Foster Family.

Islamic Guidelines For Foster and Fostee:

1. Residents must learn the Oneness of Allaah and the fundamental of Islam and must pray the 5 obligatory prayers of Fajr, Dhur, Asr, Maghrib and Isha (if you do not know how to pray, a beginner’s prayer booklet will be provided for you to learn). The result for residents who do not perform prayers will be the committee utilizing the #Three Warning Policy.

2. Residents must observe the correct Islamic dress code especially outside the home.

3. Never be alone with a marriagable man or woman and do not mix freely with the opposite sex. Associating with non-mahrem men (including ex-husbands) inside the home or telephone associations falls under # Zero Tolerance Policy and will terminate your residential agreement automatically.

4. Residents should not display pictures or statues of any living creature with a soul (i.e people, animals or insects) inside the premises of the fostors home.

5. Residents will not be a 'sponge' or a 'lech'. Cleaning up after yourself is a must along with cooking and any other tasks that needs to be done by their Fosters.

6. When in disagreement with your foster's family, quietly and patiently observe their permissible request (s) of you and treat them with respect and honor for taking you in. Please do not argue or disagree about schools of thought, minhaj and ect. Try to keep positive.

How Can You Best Help The Muslim Women and Children While Fostering Them?

A program like SurvivorsAreUs Foster R Us gives these women and children safety, security, belonging and a sense of family. Allow them to share their experiences and give them loving encouragement based on the Quran and Sunnah. It is important for Muslim women especially in America to get support from other Muslims.

Aid your fostee to attend an Islamic studies class at the local masjid once a week . This will aid in strengthening their Iman (faith), and help them to make other Muslim aquaintences, insha Allah.  Any Islamic classes that can be offered for the fostee inside the home will also ensue a positively enforced working relationship between the Fosters and the Fostees.

Your fostee may not have a suitable wardrobe of Islamic clothing, making some available for loaning and/or keeping will make it easier on everyone to make sure the proper dress code requirements are followed.

Help the sister to find a suitable spouse in the area or somewhere else so that she can comfortably move on with her life.