*Riyad al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous) from the Words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter on Contentment, Chastity, Moderation in Living and Spending, and the Censure of Begging Without Necessity.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"A person continues to beg from people until he meets Allah Almighty with not a single piece of flesh on his face."
Agreed upon. *Al-muz'ah* means a piece or shred.
Begging (*al-mas'alah*) means asking others for handouts.
"Meets Allah" means when he is resurrected on the Day of Judgment.
Among the benefits of the hadith is the deterrence from begging and being persistent in it,
due to the humiliation it brings in this worldly life and the torment in the Hereafter.
A servant harms himself in proportion to how much he begs.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
said while standing upon the pulpit, mentioning charity and abstaining from begging:
"The upper hand is better than the lower hand.
The upper hand is the one that gives, and the lower hand is the one that begs."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever begs from people to amass wealth is only asking for live coals,
so let him ask for little or ask for much."
Narrated by Muslim.
"To amass wealth" (*takathuran*)
means to increase one's wealth through what one accumulates from others.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of begging without genuine need,
and that whatever is acquired through this means will be a curse and calamity upon the recipient.
Whoever takes something unlawfully deserves punishment.
The servant has free will over his actions.
On the authority of Samurah Ibn Jundab, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Begging is a scratch with which a man disfigures his face,
unless a man asks a ruler,
or asks concerning a matter that is unavoidable."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
*Al-kadd*
means scratching, lacerating, or the like.
"A ruler" (*sultan*)
refers to the leader or person in authority,
asking him for what Allah has rightfully designated for oneself,
such as zakat.
"A matter that is unavoidable"
means an indispensable necessity without which one cannot survive.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The permissibility of claiming one's rightful dues from the ruler,
as well as asking people out of dire necessity,
alongside the prohibition of begging in circumstances other than these.
The ruler ought to look after the welfare of his subjects
and ensure that their rightful dues are delivered to them.
On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever is afflicted by poverty
and discloses it to people,
his poverty will not be relieved;
but whoever discloses it to Allah,
Allah will soon grant him provision, either immediately or in the future."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
*Yushik* means to hasten.
*Faqah* means poverty or dire need.
"Discloses it to people"
means seeking relief from them through their assistance
and placing his reliance upon them.
"Will not be relieved" means his need will not be fulfilled.
"Allah will soon enrich him"
means He will swiftly and readily grant him self-sufficiency.
"Discloses it to Allah"
means entrusting it entirely to Allah,
complaining of his condition to his Creator,
and submitting his affairs to Him.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Encouragement to bear a hardship-stricken life with patience,
and to refrain from complaining to people.
Encouraging the person afflicted by hardship
to entrust its removal entirely to his Creator, Glorified and Exalted is He.
Discouraging the servant from relying on other than Allah to fulfill his requests
or to relieve his distress.
Whoever relies on other than Allah goes astray,
whoever seeks honor through other than Allah is humiliated,
and whoever entrusts his affairs to Allah
will neither falter nor go astray.
On the authority of Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever guarantees for me that he will not ask people for anything,
I will guarantee Paradise for him."
I said, "I will."
And thereafter, he would never ask anyone for anything.
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
"Guarantees" means pledges and ensures.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The exhortation to refrain from asking people for handouts,
and to rely upon oneself in fulfilling one's needs.
The great virtue of Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him.
The Companions' eagerness to fulfill their pledges.
It is indeed authentically reported concerning Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him,
that his whip would fall while he was mounted on his riding beast,
and he would not say to anyone, "Hand it to me,"
but would instead dismount to pick it up himself.
On the authority of Abu Bishr,
Qabisah ibn al-Mukhariq, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I incurred a financial guarantee to settle a dispute,
so I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
to ask him for financial assistance regarding it.
He said:
"Stay with us until the charity arrives,
so that we may order some of it to be given to you."
Then he said:
"O Qabisah,
begging is not lawful except for one of three people:
a man who incurs a financial guarantee to make peace between parties,
for whom begging is lawful until he covers it, after which he must refrain;
a man who is struck by a calamity that devastates his wealth,
for whom begging is lawful until he attains enough to sustain a basic living,"
or he said:
"a sufficient means of subsistence;
and a man who is stricken by poverty,
such that three sensible men of understanding from his people attest:
'So-and-so has indeed been stricken by poverty,'
for whom begging is lawful until he attains enough to sustain a basic living,"
or he said:
"a sufficient means of subsistence.
Any other form of begging, O Qabisah, is illicit gain (*suht*),
which the one who takes it consumes as unlawful wealth."
Narrated by Muslim.
*Hamalah* (financial guarantee)
refers to when fighting or the like occurs between two groups,
and an individual reconciles between them by personally assuming a financial liability.
*Al-ja'ihah* (calamity)
is a blight or disaster that strikes a person's wealth.
*Al-qiwam* (sustenance)
is the minimal wealth or provisions that sustain a person's living.
*Al-sidad* (sufficiency)
is that which covers the basic needs of the destitute and suffices him.
*Al-faqah*
means poverty.
*Al-hija*
means intellect and discernment.
"The charity"
refers to zakat,
because he is a debtor who incurred debt for a good cause (*gharim*), and thus is eligible to receive from it.
"Until he covers it" (*hatta yusibaha*)
means until he pays off the debt he incurred for that reconciliation.
"Devastates" (*ijtahat*)
means completely wipes out and uproots.
*Al-suht*
means purely unlawful wealth,
regarding which there is no ambiguity or valid justification.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Whoever incurs a financial guarantee and is unable to pay it
is permitted to seek assistance from the ruler to help him settle it.
The permissibility of staying with the ruler until one's legitimate need is fulfilled.
Begging is not permissible except for one who has incurred a financial guarantee to reconcile between people,
or a man struck by a disaster that has wiped out his wealth,
or a man struck by severe, attested poverty.
Begging is permissible for those mentioned only until their basic need is met;
once that is achieved,
it becomes obligatory to refrain from asking,
because anything beyond that is unlawful.
The ruler ought to tend to his subjects with advice and guidance,
encouraging them to cooperate in righteousness and piety,
and fulfilling the needs of the destitute.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The truly poor person is not the one who goes around begging from people,
turned away by a morsel or two,
or a date or two.
Rather, the truly poor is the one who does not find sufficient wealth to enrich him,
whose poverty is not noticed so that charity might be given to him,
and who does not stand up to beg from people."
Agreed upon.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Exhortation to seek out the poor who noble-mindedly refrain from begging,
who present an outward appearance of self-sufficiency and shield themselves with patience,
and that they are the most deserving of receiving charity.
Chapter on the Permissibility of Accepting a Gift Without Having Asked for It or Coveted It.
On the authority of Salim ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
from his father, 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
from 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to give me a grant of wealth,
and I would say,
"Give it to someone who is poorer and in greater need of it than me."
Thereupon he said:
"Take it!
If any of this wealth comes to you
without you coveting it or begging for it,
take it and make it your property.
If you wish, consume it,
and if you wish, give it in charity.
But as for whatever does not come to you in this manner,
do not let your soul chase after it."
Salim said:
"Thus, 'Abdullah would never ask anyone for anything,
nor would he ever turn down anything given to him."
Agreed upon.
*Mushrif* (coveting)
means yearning for it and anticipating it.
*Afqar* (poorer)
means in greater need.
*Fatamawwalh* (make it your property)
means take it as personal wealth.
"do not let your heart covet it."
That is, do not become attached to it.
Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:
The permissibility of accepting wealth and owning it
if it comes without asking for it
or harboring longing for it;
the virtue of possessing wealth
if one uses it to benefit the creation
and in avenues of goodness;
the encouragement of altruism
and prioritizing those in greatest need;
the asceticism of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them)
regarding worldly pleasures
and their desire to make do with little of it;
that the ruler may give to certain subjects
when he sees a legitimate justification for doing so
that serves a Shar'i interest,
even if someone else is in greater need of it;
that rejecting the gift of a just ruler
is bad etiquette;
that the disapproval of the salaf (early generations)
toward gifts from the authorities
applies specifically to unjust rulers;
that he whose wealth is known to be lawful
should not have his gift rejected;
that he whose wealth is known to be unlawful
makes accepting his gift prohibited;
and that regarding whoever is of doubtful wealth,
precaution lies in rejecting it,
which is of scrupulous piety (wara').
Also, the strict adherence of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar
(may Allah be pleased with them both) to the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
which was a trait particularly well-known of him.
Chapter on the Encouragement to Eat from the Work of One's Own Hands,
to Refrain from Begging,
and to Avoid Exposing Oneself to Being Given Charity.
Allah Almighty said:
"And when the prayer has been concluded,
disperse within the land
and seek from the bounty of Allah."
On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah,
az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"For one of you to take his ropes,
go to the mountain,
and bring a bundle of firewood
— bring a bundle of firewood
upon his back to sell it,
whereby Allah spares his face from humiliation —
is better for him than asking people,
whether they give him or refuse him."
Related by al-Bukhari.
"Ahbula" is the plural of "habl" (rope).
"Whereby Allah spares his face,"
meaning: He enriches him by its proceeds so that he does not need to beg from people.
And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"For one of you to gather a bundle of firewood on his back
is better for him than to ask anyone,
who may either give him or refuse him."
Agreed upon.
Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:
The encouragement to refrain from begging and to rise above it;
the urging to work in order to earn a livelihood;
that begging is not permissible when one is capable of working
and earning a livelihood through the labor of one's own hands and the sweat of one's brow;
that one ought to exert effort in seeking lawful sustenance,
for the sky does not rain gold or silver;
that taking the means and undertaking work
does not contradict reliance on Allah (tawakkul);
a depiction of the humiliation of begging that befalls the beggar,
namely the humiliation of rejection if he is given nothing;
and that one should not look down upon work or feel ashamed of it,
even if it is simple, modest, and of no value in the eyes of people.
And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:
"Dawud (peace be upon him) used not to eat except from the work of his own hands."
Related by al-Bukhari.
Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:
Urging the Muslim to work
and to ensure his sustenance comes from his own manual earnings
and the fruit of his effort;
the virtue of manual labor;
and that what a person undertakes himself
is superior to what he has others do on his behalf.
Dawud was specifically mentioned
because his restricting himself to eating from the labor of his own hands
was not out of necessity,
since he was a ruler in the earth, as Allah Almighty said,
but rather he sought to eat through the most virtuous means;
this is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) cited him by way of exemplary evidence.
Earning a living does not undermine reliance on Allah;
pursuing a profession does not distract from calling to Allah (da'wah),
nor does it divert one from seeking knowledge.
And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"Zakariyya (peace be upon him) was a carpenter."
Related by Muslim.
Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:
The virtue of work and manual crafts,
following the exemplary path of the Prophets (peace be upon them).
And on the authority of al-Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:
"No one has ever eaten better food
than that which he eats from the work of his own hands.
Indeed, the Prophet of Allah Dawud (peace be upon him)
used to eat from the work of his own hands."
Related by al-Bukhari.
Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:
The purest food and most wholesome living
is that which is the result of one's own striving;
this was the way of the Prophets,
and Allah, Glorified is He, has explained
that among the hallmarks of their methodology
was that they never asked people for a reward.
Riyad as-Salihin.