The upper hand is better than the lower hand

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), while delivering a sermon from the pulpit, mentioned charity and refraining from begging; then he said: The upper hand—the one that gives and spends—is better and more beloved to Allah than the lower hand—the one that asks.

Lessons

• 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.