Unpleasantness of Begging

Never beg people for financial help; it is humiliation in this world, a poverty that you make it to approach you quickly and on the Day of Judgment presentation of accounts for it will keep you much longer.’”

“Once abu Ja’far (a.s.), said to me, ‘O Muhammad, had people known how despicable begging is, they would never become beggars. Had people known how great the reward for helping a beggar is, no one appealing for financial help would ever have been turned away empty-handed.’”

“The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Hands are of three kinds: The hands of Allah are the upper hands, the hands of a benevolent person are next in rank, and the hands of recipient of a favor are the lowest in rank. You should abstain from pleading for help (financial) as much as you can. Sustenance is behind a curtain (barrier); therefore, one may protect his dignity to find his sustenance or tear it down to find his sustenance. I swear by the One in whose hand is my life. One of you picks up a rope and goes in the valley to collect firewood. He works hard and collects so much that the length of the rope hardly reaches around the bunch of his collection. He then brings it to the market and sells it for a mud (a certain amount) of dates, saves one-third, and gives the rest in charity. This is better for him than pleading before people for financial help who may give it to him or turn him away empty-handed.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Allah, the Most Blessed the Most High, loves something to be for His own self and He hates something to be for His creatures. He hates His creatures begging for financial help from each other, but He loves their asking Him for help. There is nothing more beloved to Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, than being asked for help; therefore, you must not feel shy to ask Allah for favors from His generosity, even if it is as insignificant as a sandal’s strap that passes between the toes of a wearer.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once, members of a tribe of al-Ansar (people of al- Madinah) came to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. They offered greetings of peace and he responded likewise. They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we have a request from you.’ He asked, ‘What is your request?’ They replied, ‘It is a very great matter.’ He asked, ‘What is it?’ They replied, ‘Provide us a guarantee from your Lord to admit us into Paradise.’ He bent down his head and made a few marks on the ground, then raised his head and said, ‘I am ready to do it with one condition. The condition is that not one of you will ever ask anyone to give you something.’ The Imam has said that thereafter, because of that condition, a man of that tribe when on a journey; even if his whip fell off his hand while riding, he disliked to ask another person to fetch his whip. Instead, he would dismount to pick up his whip to keep his promise with the Messenger of Allah. While sitting at the table for food, they would not ask a person nearer the water to fetch them the water container. Rather they would stand up to get water.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Allah grants mercy to one of His servants who has maintained chastity, continues to do so, and abstains from asking (people) for a favor; doing so brings lowliness for one in this world quickly, and people cannot make him self-sufficient.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then mentioned a line of the poems of Hatim (a famous generous person) as an example: ‘Once I understood “giving up all hope” properly, I found it to be self-sufficiency and wealth when the soul also understood it as well; (it ) found that greed is not anything other than poverty.’”

“Once I visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and mentioned to him certain matters about my conditions. The Imam asked the housemaid to bring to him a certain bag, then he said, ‘This is the four hundred dinar that abu Ja’far (the Abbaside rule) has sent to me as a gift. Take it to ease your difficulties.’ I then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I do not want to take the money; it is not everything in my life. I love most that you pray for me before Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious.’ The Imam said, ‘I will certainly do so; however, you must never speak to people about your conditions; you will seem insignificant in their sight.’”

8. “It is narrated that Luqman said to his son, ‘Son, I have tested patience and have consumed tree barks for food. I have not found anything as bitter as poverty. If you ever face poverty, do not tell people about it; you will seem insignificant in their sight and they will be of no benefit to you. You must turn to the One who has placed it upon you as a trial. He has all the power to grant you relief, but you must ask Him for help. No one asking Him for help is ever turned away empty-handed, and no one who has placed his trust in Him is ever abandoned.’”