The upper hand and who most deserves kindness

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hands are of three kinds: the Hand of Allah Almighty is the uppermost, the hand of the giver is the one next to it, and the hand of the one who begs is the lowest."
Ahmad and Abu Ya'la recorded it. They added the words: "The hand of the one who begs will remain the lowest until the Day of Resurrection. Refrain from begging and from asking as much as you can. If you are given something (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) if you are given good, its effect should be seen on you. Begin spending on those under your care, give away what is surplus, and no one is blamed for refraining from begging." The narrators of this narration have been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The giving hand is better than the lower hand."
Ahmad, al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded it; however, they recorded these words: Sayyiduna Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: "He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with the delegation of his people. When they came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Has anyone other than you come with you?' The people said: 'Yes, a young man whom we left behind with our mounts.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Send for him and call him.' When I was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), my companions were with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) received me and said: 'The muntiyah (that is, giving) hand is the upper one, and the asking hand is the lower one. As long as you are free of need, do not ask, for the wealth of Allah Almighty is asked for and is given.' The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke with me in my own dialect." The narrators of Ahmad are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Rimthah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was delivering a sermon, and he said: "The giving hand is the upper one. (When you spend, spend in this way, that first come) your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, and then your closest relatives, degree by degree."
Ahmad recorded it, and al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains al-Mas'udi, who is thiqah (trustworthy), but his memory became confused (ikhtilat).

A man from Banu Yarbu' narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and heard him (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The giving hand is the upper hand. (When you spend, spend in this way, that first come) your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, and then your closest relatives, degree by degree."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Tha'labah bin Zahdam al-Yarbu'i (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "The hand of the giver is the upper one. (Spend in this way:) your mother, your father, your sister and your brother, and then your nearest relatives, degree by degree."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Through other chains it is reported from al-Aswad bin Tha'labah, who narrated something similar. The narrators of both are thiqat (trustworthy), and the narrators of the first are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The upper hand is better than the lower hand, and begin your spending with those who are under your care."
Al-Bazzar recorded it from Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Tamimi, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The upper hand is better than the lower hand, and begin your spending with those who are under your care."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. It has another route whose narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The hand of the giver is the upper one, and the hand of the taker is the lower one, and it will remain so until the Day of Resurrection."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Hammad bin Shu'ayb, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best charity is that which leaves (the giver) in sufficiency, and the upper hand is better than the lower hand, and begin your spending with the one you support."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, al-Hasan bin Abi Ja'far al-Jufri, and there is criticism concerning him.

Sayyiduna Imran (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) report this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The upper hand is better than the lower hand, and begin your spending with the one you support: your mother and your father, and then your nearest relatives, degree by degree."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Hakim bin Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The upper hand is better than the lower one. Let each of you begin (his spending) with the one he supports. The best charity is that after which a person remains in sufficiency. Whoever refrains from asking, Allah Almighty keeps him chaste (from it), and whoever seeks to be free of need (of people), Allah Almighty keeps him free of need."
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: This narration is in the Sahih, except that it does not contain these words: "Whoever refrains from asking, Allah Almighty keeps him chaste (from it), and whoever seeks to be free of need (of people), Allah Almighty keeps him free of need."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Adi al-Judhami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during one of his journeys and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I had two wives, and they fought each other. I struck one of them and killed her." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You will pay her blood-money, and you will not inherit from her." The narrator says: It is as if I can still see the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mounted on his red she-camel, Jad'a', and he (peace and blessings be upon him) was saying: "O people! Know that hands are of three kinds: the Hand of Allah Almighty is the uppermost, the hand of the giver is the middle one, and the hand of the one who receives is the lowest. So refrain from asking, even if it means (earning by) gathering bundles of firewood. Behold! Have I conveyed (the message)? Behold! Have I conveyed (the message)?"
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. It also has another chain, which will come later in the chapter on inheritance (al-fara'id), if Allah wills. Its chain contains a narrator who has not been named.