The Prophet ﷺ said: Acts of begging are lacerations with which a man disfigures his face, so he who wishes may preserve his self-respect, and he who wishes may abandon it; but this does not apply to one who begs from a ruler, or in a situation which makes it necessary.  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ الْمَسَائِلُ كُدُوحٌ يَكْدَحُ بِهَا الرَّجُلُ وَجْهَهُ فَمَنْ شَاءَ أَبْقَى عَلَى وَجْهِهِ وَمَنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ الرَّجُلُ ذَا سُلْطَانٍ أَوْ فِي أَمْرٍ لاَ يَجِدُ مِنْهُ بُدًّا  

I became a guarantor for a payment, and I came to Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him). He said: Wait till I receive the sadaqah and I shall order it to be given to you. He then said : Begging, Qabisah, is allowable only to one of three classes: a man who has become a guarantor for a payment to whom begging is allowed till he gets it, after which he must stop (begging); a man who has been stricken by a calamity and it destroys his property to whom begging is allowed till he gets what will support life (or he said, what will provide a reasonable subsistence); and a man who has been smitten by poverty, about whom three intelligent members of his people confirm by saying: So and so has been smitten by poverty, to such a person begging is allowed till be gets what will support life (or he said, what will provide a reasonable subsistence), after which he must stop (begging). Any other reason for begging, Qabisah, is forbidden, and one who engages in such consumes it as a thing which is forbidden.  

تَحَمَّلْتُ حَمَالَةً فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَقِمْ يَا قَبِيصَةُ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَنَا الصَّدَقَةُ فَنَأْمُرَ لَكَ بِهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا قَبِيصَةُ إِنَّ الْمَسْأَلَةَ لاَ تَحِلُّ إِلاَّ لأَحَدِ ثَلاَثَةٍ رَجُلٌ تَحَمَّلَ حَمَالَةً فَحَلَّتْ لَهُ الْمَسْأَلَةُ فَسَأَلَ حَتَّى يُصِيبَهَا ثُمَّ يُمْسِكُ وَرَجُلٌ أَصَابَتْهُ جَائِحَةٌ فَاجْتَاحَتْ مَالَهُ فَحَلَّتْ لَهُ الْمَسْأَلَةُ فَسَأَلَ حَتَّى يُصِيبَ قِوَامًا مِنْ عَيْشٍ أَوْ قَالَ سِدَادًا مِنْ عَيْشٍ وَرَجُلٌ أَصَابَتْهُ فَاقَةٌ حَتَّى يَقُولَ ثَلاَثَةٌ مِنْ ذَوِي الْحِجَا مِنْ قَوْمِهِ قَدْ أَصَابَتْ فُلاَنًا الْفَاقَةُ فَحَلَّتْ لَهُ الْمَسْأَلَةُ فَسَأَلَ حَتَّى يُصِيبَ قِوَامًا مِنْ عَيْشٍ أَوْ سِدَادًا مِنْ عَيْشٍ ثُمَّ يُمْسِكُ وَمَا سِوَاهُنَّ مِنَ الْمَسْأَلَةِ يَا قَبِيصَةُ سُحْتٌ يَأْكُلُهَا صَاحِبُهَا سُحْتًا  

A man of the Ansar came to the Prophet ﷺ and begged from him. He (the Prophet) asked: Have you nothing in your house? He replied: Yes, a piece of cloth, a part of which we wear and a part of which we spread (on the ground), and a wooden bowl from which we drink water. He said: Bring them to me. He then brought these articles to him and he (the Prophet) took them in his hands and asked: Who will buy these? A man said: I shall buy them for one dirham. He said twice or thrice: Who will offer more than one dirham? A man said: I shall buy them for two dirhams. He gave these to him and took the two dirhams and, giving them to the Ansari, he said: Buy food with one of them and hand it to your family, and buy an axe and bring it to me. He then brought it to him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ fixed a handle on it with his own hands and said: Go, gather firewood and sell it, and do not let me see you for a fortnight. The man went away and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he came to him and bought a garment with some of them and food with the others. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said: This is better for you than that begging should come as a spot on your face on the Day of Judgment. Begging is right only for three people: one who is in grinding poverty, one who is seriously in debt, or one who is responsible for compensation and finds it difficult to pay.  

أَنَّ رَجُلاً مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَسْأَلُهُ فَقَالَ أَمَا فِي بَيْتِكَ شَىْءٌ قَالَ بَلَى حِلْسٌ نَلْبَسُ بَعْضَهُ وَنَبْسُطُ بَعْضَهُ وَقَعْبٌ نَشْرَبُ فِيهِ مِنَ الْمَاءِ قَالَ ائْتِنِي بِهِمَا فَأَتَاهُ بِهِمَا فَأَخَذَهُمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِيَدِهِ وَقَالَ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي هَذَيْنِ قَالَ رَجُلٌ أَنَا آخُذُهُمَا بِدِرْهَمٍ قَالَ مَنْ يَزِيدُ عَلَى دِرْهَمٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا قَالَ رَجُلٌ أَنَا آخُذُهُمَا بِدِرْهَمَيْنِ فَأَعْطَاهُمَا إِيَّاهُ وَأَخَذَ الدِّرْهَمَيْنِ وَأَعْطَاهُمَا الأَنْصَارِيَّ وَقَالَ اشْتَرِ بِأَحَدِهِمَا طَعَامًا فَانْبِذْهُ إِلَى أَهْلِكَ وَاشْتَرِ بِالآخَرِ قَدُومًا فَأْتِنِي بِهِ فَأَتَاهُ بِهِ فَشَدَّ فِيهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عُودًا بِيَدِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ اذْهَبْ فَاحْتَطِبْ وَبِعْ وَلاَ أَرَيَنَّكَ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا فَذَهَبَ الرَّجُلُ يَحْتَطِبُ وَيَبِيعُ فَجَاءَ وَقَدْ أَصَابَ عَشَرَةَ دَرَاهِمَ فَاشْتَرَى بِبَعْضِهَا ثَوْبًا وَبِبَعْضِهَا طَعَامًا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ هَذَا خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَجِيءَ الْمَسْأَلَةُ نُكْتَةً فِي وَجْهِكَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ الْمَسْأَلَةَ لاَ تَصْلُحُ إِلاَّ لِثَلاَثَةٍ لِذِي فَقْرٍ مُدْقِعٍ أَوْ لِذِي غُرْمٍ مُفْظِعٍ أَوْ لِذِي دَمٍ مُوجِعٍ