Encouraging Livelihood by (working with) Hands and Abstaining from Begging
باب الحث على الأكل من عمل يده والتعفف به عن السؤال والتعرض للإعطاء
This chapter encourages earning your own living through honest work and keeping yourself from the habit of begging. It treats labour, even hard or humble labour, as more dignified than asking others for help.
The hadith hold up a clear standard: gathering and selling firewood, or any work of your own hands, is better than stretching out your hand to people. They also point to prophets who lived from what they made themselves, showing that working for your provision is a noble path, not a lowly one.
Hadith 538
Zubair bin 'Awwam (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
عن أبي عبد الله الزبير بن العوام رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : “لأن يأخذ أحدكم أحبله ثم يأتى الجبل فيأتي بحزمة من حطب على ظهره فيبيعها، فيكف الله بها وجهه، خير له من أن يسأل الناس أعطوه أومنعوه" ((رواه البخاري)).
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is far better for you to take your rope, go to the mountain, (cut some firewood) carry it on your back, and sell it and thereby save your face than begging from people whether they give you or refuse." [Al-Bukhari].
In plain words
Earning your bread through hard, honest effort, even gathering firewood, protects your dignity far more than begging, whether people give to you or turn you away.
وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : "لأن يحتطب أحدكم حزمة على ظهره، خير له من أن يسأل أحداً فيعطيه أو يمنعه" ((متفق عليه)).
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is better for anyone of you to carry a bundle of wood on his back and sell it than to beg of someone whether he gives him or refuses." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
In plain words
Carrying and selling a load of wood by your own effort is better than asking others for help, regardless of whether they give to you or refuse.
وعن المقدام بن معد يكرب رضي الله عنه، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: " ما أكل أحد طعاماً قط خيراً من أن يأكل من عمل يده، وإن نبى الله دواد صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يأكل من عمل يده" . ((رواه البخاري)).
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No food is better to man than that which he earns through his manual work. Dawud (ﷺ), the Prophet of Allah, ate only out of his earnings from his manual work." [Al- Bukhari].
In plain words
Nothing a person eats is better than food earned by their own labour, and the Prophet Dawud is given as the example of living from one's own work.