It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that some people asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he gave them. Then they asked again, and he gave them again, until whatever he had was finished. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whatever wealth I have, I will not withhold from you. But whoever refrains from asking, Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, will protect him; and whoever seeks to be content and shows self-sufficiency, Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, will make him self-sufficient; and whoever is patient, Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, will grant him patience. And no blessing has been given to people that is better and more expansive than patience."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said — and he (peace be upon him) was at that time on the pulpit mentioning charity and avoiding asking —: "The upper hand is better than the lower hand. And the upper hand is the one that gives, and the lower hand is the one that asks."

It is narrated from ‘Attar bin Yasar that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sent some wealth to Sayyiduna ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. Sayyiduna ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, returned it. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked:“Why did you return it?”Sayyiduna ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: O Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him! You, peace and blessings be upon him, said that the best person is the one who does not take anything from anyone. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:“It means that he should not ask for anything, and whatever comes to him without asking is what Allah has given.”Sayyiduna ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: By Him in Whose hand is my soul! Now I will not ask anything from anyone, and whatever comes to me without asking, I will take it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul! If one of you were to tie a bundle of wood to his rope and carry it on his back, that would be better for him than that he should go to someone whom Allah has given wealth and ask him, whether he gives or refuses."

It is narrated from a man who was from Banu Asad that I and my family settled in Baqi' al-Gharqad (the name of a cemetery in Madinah Munawwarah). My wife said: Go to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and ask him for something to eat and tell him about your neediness. So I went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and saw that a man was asking him for something, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was saying: "I do not have anything to give you." That man turned away angrily and as he was leaving, he was saying: By my life! You give only to whom you wish. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Look, he gets angry because I do not have anything to give him. Whoever among you asks while he has forty dirhams, or wealth equal to that, then he has clung to begging." I said: One camel is better for us than forty dirhams. Then I returned and did not ask the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, for anything. After that, barley and dried dates came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he gave us a share from it, until Allah made us self-sufficient.

Al-Ala bin Abdur Rahman says that giving charity does not decrease or diminish wealth, and the servant who keeps forgiving, his honor increases, and whoever shows humility, Allah the Exalted raises his rank even higher.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: I do not know whether this hadith is marfu‘ (attributed) up to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, or not.