Sunan Abi Dawud 1641
Narrated Anas ibn Malik: A man of the Ansar came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and begged from him. He (the Prophet) asked: Have you nothing in your house? He replied: Yes, a piece of cloth, a part of which we wear and a part of which we spread (on the ground), and a wooden bowl from which we drink water. He said: Bring them to me. He then brought these articles to him and he (the Prophet) took them in his hands and asked: Who will buy these? A man said: I shall buy them for one dirham. He said twice or thrice: Who will offer more than one dirham? A man said: I shall buy them for two dirhams. He gave these to him and took the two dirhams and, giving them to the Ansari, he said: Buy food with one of them and hand it to your family, and buy an axe and bring it to me. He then brought it to him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fixed a handle on it with his own hands and said: Go, gather firewood and sell it, and do not let me see you for a fortnight. The man went away and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he came to him and bought a garment with some of them and food with the others. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: This is better for you than that begging should come as a spot on your face on the Day of Judgment. Begging is right only for three people: one who is in grinding poverty, one who is seriously in debt, or one who is responsible for compensation and finds it difficult to pay.
- This hadith from Sunan Abi Dawud narrates an incident where a man from the Ansar (the residents of Medina who supported and aided Prophet Muhammad) came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and begged for assistance. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the man if he had anything in his house, to which the man replied that he had a piece of cloth that was used for both wearing and spreading on the ground, and a wooden bowl for drinking water. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then asked the man to bring him these items, and when the man brought them, the Prophet (peace be upon him) took them in his hands and asked who would buy them. A man offered to buy them for one dirham, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked if anyone would offer more. Another man offered to buy them for two dirhams, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted the offer. He gave the two dirhams to the Ansari man and instructed him to buy food for his family with one dirham and use the other dirham to buy an axe, which he should bring back to the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) then fixed a handle on the axe with his own hands and told the man to go and gather firewood to sell, and not to come back for a fortnight (two weeks). The man followed the Prophet’s instructions, gathered firewood, and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he returned to the Prophet (peace be upon him), used some of the money to buy a garment and food, and kept the rest. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then told the man that this was better for him than begging, as begging is only permissible for three types of people: those in extreme poverty, those in serious debt, or those responsible for compensation but are unable to pay. By helping the man find a means of earning a livelihood and encouraging him to be self-sufficient, the Prophet (peace be upon him) showed the importance of dignity and self-respect in Islam, and the value of working for a living rather than relying on begging.
