Mishkat al-Masabih

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “If I were invited to eat a trotter I would accept the invitation, and if I were presented with a fore-leg I would accept it.” Bukhari transmitted it.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, "The poor man (miskin) is not the one who goes round to people and is dismissed with one or two morsels, and one or two dates, but is he who does not get enough to satisfy him, is not taken notice of so that alms may be given him, yet does not get up and beg from people.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Rafi' said God’s messenger sent a man of the B. Makhzum to collect sadaqa and he asked him to accompany him so that he might get some of it; but he refused to do so till he went to God's messenger and asked him. He went to the Prophet and asked him, and he said, “The sadaqa is not lawful for us, and the clients of a people are treated as being of their number.” * Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it. * Abu Rafi’ had been a slave of the Prophet by whom he was set free. The point of the tradition is that the rules which apply to any people apply to their freedmen as well, and so Abu Rafi' was not entitled to receive sadaqa.

'Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported God’s messenger as saying, “Sadaqa may not be given to a rich man, or to one who has strength and is sound in limb.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it, and Ahmad, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah transmitted it from Abu Huraira.

‘Ubaidallah b. ‘Adi b. al-Khiyar said two men informed him that they had come to the Prophet when he was at the Farewell Pilgrimage while he was dividing the sadaqa and asked him for some of it. He looked them up and down, and seeing that they were robust, he said, “If you wish I shall give you something, but there is no share in it for a rich man or for one who is strong and able to earn a living.” Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

one who fights in God’s path, or one who collects it, or a debtor, a man who buys it with his money, or a man who has a poor neighbour a no has been given sadaqa and gives a present to the rich man.” Malik and Abu Dawud transmitted it. A version by Abu Dawud from Abu Sa'id has ‘‘or a traveller.”

Ziyad b. al-Harith as-Suda’i said he came to the Prophet and swore allegiance to him, and after telling a long story he said that a man came to him and asked him to give him some of the sadaqa. God’s messenger then said to him, ‘‘God is not pleased with a prophet's or anyone else's decision about sadaqat till He has given a decision about them Himself. He has divided those entitled to them into eight categories,* so if you come within those categories I shall give you something.” Abu Dawud transmitted it. * Reference is to Al-Qur'an 9:60

Zaid b. Aslam said that ‘Umar b. al-Khattab drank some milk which pleased him and asked the man who gave him the drink where that milk had come from. He informed him that he had gone down to a watering-place which he named and found there some camels which had been given as sadaqa being watered. Saying that the people had drawn off some of their milk, he added, “I put it in this milk-skin of mine, and this is it.” ‘Umar thereupon put his hand in his mouth and made himself vomit. Malik and Baihaqi, in Shu’ab al-iman, transmitted it.

a man who has become a guarantor for a payment, to whom begging is allowed till he gets it, after which he must stop begging; a man whose property has been destroyed by a calamity which has smitten him, to whom begging is allowed till he gets what will support life (or he said, what will provide a reasonable subsistence); and a man who has been smitten by poverty, the genuineness of which is confirmed by three intelligent members of his people, to whom begging is allowed till he gets what will support life (or he said, what will provide a reasonable subsistence). Any other reason for begging, Qabisa, is forbidden, and one who engages in such consumes it as a thing which is forbidden.”** Muslim transmitted it. * The word hamala is used of an undertaking to pay a debt or bloodwit. ** The word here used is suht, for its use of Quran (5:42,62,63)

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “He who begs the property of others to increase his own is asking only for live coals,* so let him ask little or much.” Muslim transmitted it. * A reference incurring some of the punishment of hell.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar reported God’s messenger as saying, “When a man is always begging from people the result will be that he will come on the day of resurrection with no flesh on his face.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Mu'awiya reported God’s messenger as saying, “Do not beg importunately, for I swear by God that none of you who asks me for anything and gets out of me what he asks when I disapprove of it will receive a blessing concerning what I have given him.” Muslim transmitted it.

Az-Zubair b. al-‘Awwam reported God’s messenger as saying, “It is better for one of you to take his rope, bring a load of firewood on his back and sell it, God thereby preserving his self-respect, than that he should beg from people whether they give him anything or refuse him.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Hakim b. Hizam said he begged from God’s messenger and he gave him something, later he begged again and when he had given him something he said, “Hakim, this property is green and sweet, and he who receives it with a liberal mind will be blessed in it, but he who receives it with an avaricious mind will not be blessed in it, being like one who eats without being satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower one.” * Hakim told that he replied, “Messenger of God, by Him who sent you with the truth, I shall not accept anyone’s bounty after this till I leave the world.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) * The upper hand is that of the giver and the lower hand is that of the receiver. The sentence is equivalent to saying that it is better to give than to receive.

Ibn ‘Umar reported that God’s messenger said when he was on the pulpit speaking of sadaqa and abstention from begging, “The upper hand is better than the lower one, the upper being the one which bestows and the lower the one which begs.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said some of the Ansar begged from God’s messenger and he gave them something. They later begged from him again and he gave them something so that what he had was exhausted. He then said, “What I have I shall never store away from you, but God will strengthen the abstinence of him who abstains, will give a competence to him who is satisfied, and will strengthen the endurance of him who shows endurance. No one has been given a better or more ample gift than endurance.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

The Prophet was giving me something and I asked him to give it to someone who had more need of it than I had, but he said, “Take it, keep it with your property and give it as sadaqa. Take what comes to you from this property when you are neither avaricious nor begging, but in other circumstances do not let your desire go after it.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Samura b. Jundub reported God's messenger as saying, “Acts of begging are lacerations with which a man disfigures his face, so he who wishes may preserve his self-respect and he who wishes may do otherwise; but this does not apply to one who asks from a ruler, or in a situation which makes it necessary.” Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Nasa’i transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “He who begs from people when he has a sufficiency will come on the day of resurrection with his begging showing itself as scrapes, scratching or lacerations on his face.” On being asked what constituted a sufficiency, God’s messenger replied that it was fifty dirhams or their value in gold. Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and Darimi transmitted it.

Sahl b. al-Hanzaliya reported God’s messenger as saying, “He who begs when he has a sufficiency is simply asking for a great amount of hell.” An-Nufaili, who was one of its transmitters, said in another place that he was asked what was a sufficiency which made begging unfitting and replied that it was what would provide a morning and an evening meal. In another place he said it was when one had enough for a day, or for a night and a day. Abu Dawud transmitted it.