The Book of Zakat

This hadith has been narrated with the same chain of transmitters except with this change (of words): " Which charity is most excellent?"

Abdullah b. Umar reported that as Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was sitting on the pulpit and talking about Sadaqa and abstention from begging, he said: The upper hand is better than the lower one, the upper being the one which bestows and the lower one which begs.

Hakim b. Hizam reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said this: The most excellent Sadaqa or the best of Sadaqa is that after giving which the (giver) remains rich and the upper hand is better than the lower hand, and begin from the members of your household.

Hakim b. Hizam reported: I begged the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), and he gave me. I again begged, he again gave me. I again begged, he again gave me, and then said: This property is green and sweet; he who receives it with a cheerful heart is blessed in it, and he who receives it with an avaricious mind would not be blessed in it, he being like one who eats without being satished, and the upper hand is better thad the lower hand.

Abu Umama reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: O son of Adam, it is better for you if you spend your surplus (wealth), but if you withhold it, it is evil for you. There is (however) no reproach for you (if you withhold means necessary) for a living. And begin (charity) with your dependents; and the upper hand is better than the lower hand.

Mu'awiya said: Be cautious about ahadith except those which were current during the reign of Umar, for he exhorted people to ftar Allah, the Exalted and majestic. I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: He upon whom Allah intends to bestow goodness, He confers upon him an insight in religion; and I heard the Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) as saying: I am the treasurer. To one whom I give out of (my own) sweet will, he would be blessed in that, but he whom I give (yielding to his constant begging and for his covetousness is like one who would eat, but would not be satisfied.

Mu'awiya reported AUah's Messenger (may prom be upon him) as saying: Do not beg importunately, for, I swear by Allah, none of you who asks me for anything and manages to get what he asks for when I disapprove td it will he be blessed in that which I give him.

'Amr b. Dinar reported from Wahb b. Munabbih: I went to his house in San'a' and he offered me nuts grown in his house to eat. And his brother said: I heard Mu'awiya b. Abu Sufyan saying that he had heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying, and then he made a mention (of a hadith) like one mentioned above.

Abd al-Rahman b. Auf reported: I heard Mu'awiya b. Abu Sufyan saying in an address that he had heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: He to whom Allah intends to do good, He gives him insight into religion. And I am only the distributor while Allah is the Bestower.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The poor man (miskin) is not the one who goes round to the people and is dismissed with one or two morsels. and one or two dates. They (the Prophet's Companions) said: Messenger of Allah, then who is miskin? He said: He who does not get enough to satisfy him, and he is not considered so (as to elicit the attention of the benevolent people), so that charity way be given to him. and he does not beg anything from people.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Miskin is not he who is dismissed with one or two dates, and with one morsel or two morsels. (In fact) miskin is he who abstains (from begging). Read if you so desire (the verse):" They beg not of men importunately)" (ii. 273).

This hadith has been narrated through another chain of transmitters.

Hamza. son of 'Abdullah, reported on the authority of his father that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When a man is always begging from people. he would meet Allah (in a state) that there would be no flesh on his face.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of the brother of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters, but no mention has been made of the word" muz'a" (piece).

Hamza b. 'Abdullah b. Umar heard his father cay that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: The person would continue begging from people till he would come on the Day of Resurrection and there would be no flesh on his face.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who begs the riches of others to increase his own is asking only for live coals, so let him ask a little or much.

Abu Huraira is reported to have heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is letter for one among you to bring a load of firewood on his back and give charity out of it (and satisfy his own need) and be independent of people, than that he should beg from people, whether they give him anything or refuse him. Verily the upper hand is better than the lower hand, and begin (charity) with your dependants.

Qais b. Abu Hizam reported: We came to Abu Huraira and he told Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said this: By Allah, (it is better) that one among you should go and bring a load of firewood on his back and he should sell it, and the rest of the hadith was narrated (like the previous one).

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is better for any one of you to tie a bundle of firewood and carry it on his back and sell it than to beg a person, he may give or may refuse.

Malik al-Ashja'i reported: We, nine, eight or seven men, were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and he said: Why don't you pledge allegiance to the Messenger of Allah? -while we had recently pledged allegiance. So we said: Messenger of Allah, we have already pledged allegiance to you. He again said: Why don't you pledge allegiance to the Messenger of Allah? And we said: Messenger of Allah, we have already pledged allegiance to you. He again said: Why don't you pledge allegiance to the Messenger of Allah? We stretched our hands and said: Messenger of Allah. we have already pledged allegiance to you. Now tell (on what things) should we pledge allegiance to you. He said I (You must pledge allegiance) that you would worship Allah only and would not associate with Him anything, (and observe) five prayers, and obey- (and he said onething in an undertone) -that you would not beg people of anything. (And as a consequence of that) I saw that some of these people did not ask anyone to pick up the whip for them if it fell down.

Qabisa b. Mukhariq al-Hilali said: I was under debt and I came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and begged from him regarding it. He said: Wait till we receive Sadaqa, so that we order that to be given to you. He again said: Qabisa, begging is not permissible but for one of the three (classes) of persons: one who has incurred debt, for him begging is permissible till he pays that off, after which he must stop it; a man whose property has been destroyed by a calamity which has smitten him, for him begging is permissible till he gets what will support life, or will provide him reasonable subsistence; and a person who has been smitten by poverty. the genuineness of which is confirmed by three intelligent members of this peoples for him begging is permissible till he gets what will support him, or will provide him subsistence. Qabisa, besides these three (every other reason) for begging is forbidden, and one who engages in such consumes that what is forbidden.

Salim b. Abdullah b. 'Umar reported on the authority of his father ('Abdullah b. 'Umar) that he had heard 'Umar b. Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) saying: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) gave me a gift, but I said: Give it to one who needs it more than I. He gave me wealth for the second time but I said: Give it to one who needs it more than I. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Take out of this wealth which comes to you without your being avaricious and without begging, but in other circumstance's do not let your heart hanker after it.

Salim b. 'Abdullah reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) gave to 'Umar b. Khattab some gift. Umar said to him: Messenger of Allah, give it to one who needs it more than I. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Take it; either keep it with you or give it as a charity, and whatever comes to you in the form of this type of wealth, without your being avaricious or begging for it, accept it, but in other circumstances do not let your heart hanker after it. And it was on account of this that Ibn 'Umar never begged anything from anyone, nor refused anything given to him.

This hadith has been narrated by Abdullah b. al-Sa'di from 'Umar b. al-Khattab who heard it from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).

Ibn al-Sa'di Maliki reported: 'Umar b. Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) appointed me as a collector of Sadaqa. When I had finished that (the task assigned to me) and I handed over that to him (to 'Umar), he commanded me to (accept) some remuneration (for the work). I said: I performed this duty for Allah and my reward is with Allah. He said: Take whatever has been given to you, for I also performed this duty during the time of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). He assigned me the task of a collector and I said as you say, and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to me: When you are given anything without your begging for it, (then accept it), eat it and give it in charity.

Ibn al-Sa'di reported: 'Umar b. Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) appointed me as a collector of Sadaqat. The rest of the hadith in the same.

Abu Huraira reported from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as having said this: The heart of an old person feels young for the love of two things: love for long life and wealth.

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said this: The heart of an old person is young for two things: for long life and love for wealth.

Anas reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The son of Adam grows old, but two (desires) in him remain young: desire for wealth and desire for life.

A hadith like this has been narrated by Anas through another chain of transmitters.