The upper hand is better than the lower hand

Islam > Hadiths > Jurisprudence and juristic principles > Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles

Hadith narrated by Agreed upon

Authenticity grade : Authentic

Hadith text: The upper hand is better than the lower hand

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ وَهُوَ عَلَى المِنْبَرِ، وَذَكَرَ الصَّدَقَةَ، وَالتَّعَفُّفَ، وَالمَسْأَلَةَ: «اليَدُ العُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ اليَدِ السُّفْلَى، فَاليَدُ العُلْيَا: هِيَ المُنْفِقَةُ، وَالسُّفْلَى: هِيَ السَّائِلَةُ».

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said while he was on the pulpit, mentioning charity and refraining from asking people: "The upper hand is better than the lower hand; the upper hand is the giving hand, and the lower hand is the begging hand."

Explanation of the hadith: The upper hand is better than the lower hand

Lessons: The upper hand is better than the lower hand

• It highlights the virtue of giving and spending in good causes and the dispraise of begging.
• It encourages refraining from asking others and being self-sufficient and urges the pursuit of noble matters while avoiding lowly ones, for Allah loves lofty aspirations.
• There are four types of hands in terms of virtue, ranked as follows: the highest is the giving hand, followed by the one that refrains from taking, then the one that receives without asking, and the lowest of them is the begging hand.

Categories : Voluntary Charity · Expenses