Explanation of the upper hand and the lower hand

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said on the pulpit, while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was speaking about charity and refraining from asking; he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The upper hand is better than the lower hand; the upper hand is the one that refrains (from asking), and the lower hand is the one that asks."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering a sermon: "The upper hand is better than the lower hand; the upper hand is the one that spends, and the lower hand is the one that asks."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) says that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The upper hand is better than the lower hand, and the upper hand is the one that refrains (from asking), and the lower hand is the one that asks."

Hafs bin Maysarah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated it from Musa bin Uqbah, and from him the wording was reported as: "And the upper hand is the one that spends."
Hafs (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: Musa (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned this hadith. [Sahih] See the previous one.

Abdullah bin Dinar (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: We used to talk among ourselves that "the upper hand is the one that spends."

Urwah bin Muhammad bin Atiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: My father told me, on the authority of my grandfather, that he said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) among some people of (Banu) Sa'd bin Bakr, and I was the youngest of the group, so they left me behind with their belongings and tents. Then they came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and had their needs fulfilled. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Is anyone of you still remaining?" They said: O Messenger of Allah, there is a boy from among us whom we left behind at our tents. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered them to send me to him (peace and blessings be upon him). They came to me and said: "Answer the call of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." So I came to him (peace and blessings be upon him), and when he (peace and blessings be upon him) saw me he said: "Allah has made you self-sufficient, so do not ask people for anything." And he said: "The giving hand is the upper one, and the lower hand is the one that receives; and indeed, concerning Allah's wealth, it will be asked about and it will be given." He says: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke to me in our own dialect.

Sayyiduna Malik bin Nadlah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hands are three: the Hand of Allah is the uppermost, the hand of the giver is the one next to it, and the hand of the one who asks is the lowest. So give away what is surplus, and do not make yourself helpless."

Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hands are three: the Hand of Allah is the uppermost, the hand of the giver is next to it, and the hand of the one who asks is the lowest until the Day of Resurrection. So refrain from asking as much as you are able. Whoever Allah has given good (blessing and abundance), it should be visible upon him. Begin with those you support, and give away the surplus wealth; you will not be blamed for (keeping) what suffices, and do not make yourself helpless."