Mishkat al-Masabih

‘Ata’ b. Yasar, on the authority of a man of the B. Asad, reported God’s messenger as saying, “If any of you begs when he has an Uqiya* or its equivalent, he has begged immoderately.” Malik, Abu DawQd and Nasa’i transmitted it. * The Uqiya (ounce) of the Arabs was forty dirhams.

Hubshi b. Janada reported God’s messenger as saying, “Begging is not allowable to a rich man, or to one who has strength and is sound in limb, but only to one who is in grinding poverty or is seriously in debt. If anyone begs to increase thereby his property, it will appear as lacerations on his face on the day of resurrection and as heated stones which he will eat from jahannam. So let him who wishes ask little, and let him who wishes ask much.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

one who is in grinding poverty, one who is seriously in debt, or one who is responsible for blood-wit he finds it difficult to pay.” Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted up to “the day of resurrection.”

Ibn Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “If one who is afflicted by poverty refers it to men, his poverty will not be brought to an end; but if one refers it to God, He will soon give him sufficiency, either by a speedy death or by a sufficiency which comes later.” Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ibn al-Firasi said that al-Firasi asked God's messenger whether he might beg, and the Prophet replied, “No; but if there is no escape from it, beg from the upright.” Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

‘Umar employed me to collect the sadaqa, and when I finished doing so and gave it to him he ordered payment to be given me, but I said, “I did it only for God’s sake, and my reward will come from God.” He replied, “Take what you are given, for I acted as a collector in the time of God’s messenger, and when he assigned me a payment I said the same kind of thing as you have said, to which he replied that when I was given something without asking for it I should use it for my own purposes and as sadaqa.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

'Ali told how, when he heard a man begging from the people on the day of ‘Arafa, he said, "On this day and in this place do you beg from anyone but God?” He then struck him with a whip. Razin transmitted it.

'Umar said, "You people must know that covetousness is poverty, despair is wealth, and that when a man despairs of anything he can dispense with it.”. Razin transmitted it.

Thauban reported God’s messenger as saying, "If anyone guarantees me that he will not beg from people, I will guarantee him paradise.” Thauban said that he would, and he never asked anyone for anything. Abu Dawud and Nasa'i transmitted it.

Abu Dharr said that God's messenger called him and laid a condition on him that he should not ask people for anything. When he agreed he said, "Not even for your whip when you drop it. You must dismount and get it yourself.” Ahmad transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "If I had gold to the extent of Uhud I would not like to keep any of it more than three days, except what I put aside to pay a debt.” Bukhari transmitted it.

He reported him as saying that two angels come down every morning and one says, "O God, give him who spends something in place of it;” the other says, “O God, give him who withholds destruction.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Asma’ reported God’s messenger as saying, "Spend, do not calculate and so have God calculating against you, do not hoard and so have God hoarding from you, but give such small amounts as you can.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as stating that God most high had said, "If you spend, son of Adam, I shall spend on you.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Umama reported God’s messenger as saying, "Son of Adam, to give away what you have extra is better for you and to withhold it is worse for you, but you are not blamed for having a sufficiency. Give first to those who are dependent on you.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "The niggardly man and the one who gives alms are like two men wearing coats of iron with their hands pressed closely to their breasts and their collar-bones. As often as the one who gives alms does so it becomes expanded for him, but as often as the niggardly man thinks about giving alms it contracts and every ring keeps to its place.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir reported God’s messenger as saying, "Beware of oppression, for oppression (zulm) will produce excessive darkness (zulumat) on the day of resurrection; and beware of niggardliness, for niggardliness destroyed your predecessor, inducing them to shed one another's blood and to treat things forbidden them as lawful." Muslim transmitted it.

Haritha b. Wahb told that God's messenger exhorted the people to give sadaqa, for the time was coming when a man would go with his sadaqa and find no one to accept it. A man would say, “If you had brought it yesterday I would have accepted it, but I have no need of it today." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira told that when a man asked God’s messenger which sadaqa produced the greatest reward he replied, “That which you give when you are healthy and inclined to be mean, fearing poverty and hoping for a competence. Do not put it off and then say when you are about to die that you give such and such to so and so and such and such to so and so when it has already become the property of so and so.”* (Bukhari and Muslim.) * i.e. by inheritance.

I came to the Prophet when he was sitting in the shade of the Ka'ba, and when he saw me he said, “By the Lord of the Ka'ba, they are the ones who suffer the greatest loss." I asked, “Who are they, you for whom I would give my father and my mother as ransom?" He replied, “Those who have most property, except those who say, ‘Take this and this and this,’ before them, behind them, on their right and on their left; but they are few." (Bukhari and Muslim.)