Mukhtasar Muslim

It is 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—and at that time he (peace and blessings be upon him) was on the pulpit mentioning charity and refraining from asking from others. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The upper hand is better than the lower hand, and the upper hand is the one that gives, while the lower hand is the one that asks.

Sayyiduna Hakim bin Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for wealth, and he gave it to me. I asked again, and he gave it to me again. I asked again, and he gave it to me again. Then he said: This wealth is lush and sweet. So whoever takes it without asking for it, or takes it with the giver’s pleasure (not by forcefully demanding it), then there is blessing in it. And whoever takes it by humiliating himself (i.e., by begging or clinging), then there is no blessing in it, and his wealth is such that a person eats from it but is not satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower hand.