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 any one of you were to take a rope, go to the mountain, cut wood, carry it on his back, bring it and sell it, and eat from it, this is better for him than begging from people, and it is better for a servant to put dust in his mouth than to put anything forbidden by Allah into his mouth.

(Second chain) The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: By Allah! If any one of you were to take a rope, go out, gather firewood, carry it on his back, and thus earn his food or give charity from its price, this is better for him than going to someone whom Allah has made wealthy and asking him, whether that person gives him something or not. This is because the upper hand is better than the lower hand.

(The third chain) The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Whoever opens the door of begging and asking for himself, Allah Almighty opens the door of poverty and need for him. If a man takes a rope and goes towards the mountain, cuts firewood on his back and brings it, and eats from it (i.e., earns his living this way), then this is better for him than asking people, where sometimes he is given something and sometimes he is deprived.

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: Whoever among you keeps begging constantly, he will meet Allah Almighty in such a state that there will not be a single piece of flesh on his face.

It is also narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Begging will be a cause of scratches on the face of the beggar on the Day of Resurrection, so now whoever wishes, let him keep those scratches on his face. In this matter, the easiest request is to ask from relatives, but that too should be at the time of need. And the best charity is that which is given after fulfilling one's own needs, and when spending, begin with those under your care.

Yazid bin Uqbah Fazari says: I went to Hajjaj bin Yusuf and said: May Allah rectify the affairs of the Amir, shall I narrate to you a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) which I heard from Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him)? He said: Yes. Yazid said: I heard from Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him), he used to say that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Asking (begging) is a scratch, by which a servant wounds his own face. Now, whoever wishes, let him protect his face, and whoever wishes, let him leave it. Yes, a person should ask from the ruler or fulfill a need for which there is no other way.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! I heard so-and-so and so-and-so mentioning you in a good way, saying that you (peace and blessings be upon him) had given them two dinars. Upon hearing this, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: By Allah! That person is not like that; I have given him from ten to a hundred dinars, but he did not say anything (to show gratitude or speak good words). Beware! By Allah, one of you asks me for wealth and takes it away, tucking it under his arm, but in reality, he is carrying fire under his arm. Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! Then why do you give to such people? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: What can I do? They do not stop asking, and Allah does not allow me to be miserly.

Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do not persist in asking; by Allah! Whoever asks me and then his request causes me to give him wealth, there will be no blessing in it for him.

It is also narrated from Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I am only a treasurer (and distributor), the Giver is Allah Almighty. When I give something to a person willingly, it will be blessed for him, and when I give to someone due to his intense greed and persistent asking, he will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: By Allah! I can neither give you anything nor deprive you of anything. I am merely a treasurer (and distributor); I act according to the command I receive.