Sahih Muslim: Book 12, Hadith 137

Abu Huraira is reported to have heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: It is better 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 dependents.

حَدَّثَنِي هَنَّادُ بْنُ السَّرِيِّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ بَيَانٍ أَبِي بِشْرٍ، عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ، أَبِي حَازِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏
“‏ لأَنْ يَغْدُوَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَيَحْطِبَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَيَتَصَدَّقَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْنِيَ بِهِ مِنَ النَّاسِ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ رَجُلاً أَعْطَاهُ أَوْ مَنَعَهُ ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّ الْيَدَ الْعُلْيَا أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَابْدَأْ بِمَنْ تَعُولُ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

Sahih Muslim: Book 12, Hadith 137

 

The above hadith is from the Sahih Muslim collection of hadiths. Sahih Muslim is a classic compilation of hadith that carries immense weight in Sunni Islamic theology. The scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj is the compiler behind this vital work, which he brought to completion around 875 CE. It is rightly classified as one of the Kutub al-Sittah, the six books that constitute the most reliable hadith collections in Islam. The complete set includes the works of al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i, and ibn Majah. The Sahih Muslim collection is notably comprised of 7,459 individual hadiths, all distributed across 54 major thematic sections or books.

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For more Hadith in Book 12: The Book of Zakat
 

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