It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) saw a man turning his mount to one side of the people. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Whoever has extra riding animal should give it to the one who does not have a riding animal, and whoever has extra provision should give it to the one who does not have provision. Upon hearing this statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), it occurred to us that none of us has any right to anything surplus to his need.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man said: O Messenger of Allah! Which charity is the best? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Your charity when you are healthy and greedy, hoping for life and fearing poverty, and do not delay so much that when the soul reaches the throat, you begin to say: Give this much to so-and-so, give that much to so-and-so, whereas at that time the wealth has already become the property of others.

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: The best charity is that which is given after fulfilling one's own need, and when spending, begin with those whose maintenance is your responsibility, and the upper hand is better than the lower hand. Mu'ammar says: I asked Ayyub, what is the meaning of "an zahr ghina"? He said: That which is more than your need and sufficiency.

(Second chain) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best charity is that which is given after fulfilling one's own need, and the upper hand is better than the lower hand. Start spending on those who are under your care. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked: Who are the people under one's care? He said: Your wife, who says, "Feed me and provide for me, otherwise divorce me"; your servant, who says, "Feed me first, then take work from me"; and your daughter, who says, "If you do not fulfill my needs yourself, then to whom will you hand me over?"

Sayyiduna Hakim bin Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) has also narrated a similar hadith from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, who says: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Which charity is the most virtuous?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The charity given by a person of little means through his own hard work is the best, and begin (spending) with those whose maintenance is your responsibility."

Narrated by Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him): The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do you know which charity is the most virtuous? The Companions said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: To lend something to someone, for example, if one of you gives his Muslim brother a dirham, or a riding animal, or the milk of a goat, or the milk of a cow.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Lending something to someone is the best charity; that thing becomes a cause of reward in the morning and in the evening. Lending a she-camel to someone is equal to freeing a red slave, and lending a goat to someone is like freeing a black slave.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There are forty good deeds, the greatest of which is to lend a milch goat to someone. Whoever performs any one of these forty good deeds, hoping for reward and affirming the promised thing, Allah Almighty will admit him into Paradise.

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: Whoever spends a pair of anything from his wealth in the way of Allah, he will be called from the gates of Paradise. Paradise has several gates. Whoever is a person of prayer will be called from the gate of prayer (Bāb al-Ṣalāh); whoever is a person of charity will be called from the gate of charity (Bāb al-Ṣadaqah); whoever is a person of jihad will be called from the gate of jihad (Bāb al-Jihād); and whoever is a person of fasting will be called from the gate of al-Rayyan (Bāb al-Rayyan). Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah, O Messenger of Allah! No one will have any need for anything except that he is called from whichever gate of Paradise he wishes (because the objective is to enter Paradise), but I want to ask: Will there be anyone who will be called from all the gates of Paradise? O Messenger of Allah! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes! And I hope that you will be among them.