Blessings of contentment, self-sufficiency, and patience; Patience is the ultimate blessing

Some people from the Anṣār asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he gave them. They again asked him and he gave them again until all that was with him finished. And then he said, "If I had anything, I would not keep it away from you. Whoever abstains from asking others, Allah will grant him contentment, and whoever tries to make himself self-sufficient, Allah will grant him self-sufficiency. And whoever remains patient, Allah will grant him patience. No one can be given a blessing better and greater than patience."  

أَنَّ نَاسًا مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ سَأَلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَعْطَاهُمْ، ثُمَّ سَأَلُوهُ فَأَعْطَاهُمْ، حَتَّى نَفِدَ مَا عِنْدَهُ، فَقَالَ: «مَا يَكُونُ عِنْدِي مِنْ خَيْرٍ، فَلَنْ أَدَّخِرَهُ عَنْكُمْ: وَمَنْ يَسْتَعْفِفْ يُعِفَّهُ اللَّهُ، وَمَنْ يَسْتَغْنِ يُغْنِهِ اللَّهُ، وَمَنْ يَتَصَبَّرْ يُصَبِّرْهُ اللَّهُ، وَمَا أُعْطِيَ أَحَدٌ عَطَاءً خَيْرًا وَأَوْسَعَ مِنَ الصَّبْرِ۔»  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "By Him in Whose Hand my life is, it is better for anyone of you to take a rope and cut the wood (from the forest) and carry it over his back and sell it (as a means of earning his living) rather than to ask a person for something and that person may give him or not."  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ فَيَحْتَطِبَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ رَجُلاً فَيَسْأَلَهُ أَعْطَاهُ أَوْ مَنَعَهُ  

The Prophet ﷺ said, "It is better for anyone of you to take a rope (and cut) and bring a bundle of wood (from the forest) over his back and sell it and Allah will save his face (from the Hell-Fire) because of that, rather than to ask the people who may give him or not."  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ لأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ فَيَأْتِيَ بِحُزْمَةِ الْحَطَبِ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَيَبِيعَهَا فَيَكُفَّ اللَّهُ بِهَا وَجْهَهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ النَّاسَ أَعْطَوْهُ أَوْ مَنَعُوهُ  

Hakim bin Hizam said, "(Once) I asked Messenger of Allah ﷺ (for something) and he gave it to me. Again I asked and he gave (it to me). Again I asked and he gave (it to me). And then he said, "O Hakim! This property is like a sweet fresh fruit; whoever takes it without greediness, he is blessed in it, and whoever takes it with greediness, he is not blessed in it, and he is like a person who eats but is never satisfied; and the upper (giving) hand is better than the lower (receiving) hand." Hakim added, "I said to Messenger of Allah ﷺ , 'By Him (Allah) Who sent you with the Truth, I shall never accept anything from anybody after you, till I leave this world.' " Then Abu Bakr (during his caliphate) called Hakim to give him his share from the war booty (like the other companions of the Prophet ﷺ ), he refused to accept anything. Then ʿUmar (during his caliphate) called him to give him his share but he refused. On that ʿUmar said, "O Muslims! I would like you to witness that I offered Hakim his share from this booty and he refused to take it." So Hakim never took anything from anybody after the Prophet ﷺ till he died.  

سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَعْطَانِي ثُمَّ سَأَلْتُهُ فَأَعْطَانِي ثُمَّ سَأَلْتُهُ فَأَعْطَانِي ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا حَكِيمُ إِنَّ هَذَا الْمَالَ خَضِرَةٌ حُلْوَةٌ فَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ بِسَخَاوَةِ نَفْسٍ بُورِكَ لَهُ فِيهِ وَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ بِإِشْرَافِ نَفْسٍ لَمْ يُبَارَكْ لَهُ فِيهِ كَالَّذِي يَأْكُلُ وَلاَ يَشْبَعُ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى قَالَ حَكِيمٌ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ لاَ أَرْزَأُ أَحَدًا بَعْدَكَ شَيْئًا حَتَّى أُفَارِقَ الدُّنْيَا فَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ ؓ يَدْعُو حَكِيمًا إِلَى الْعَطَاءِ فَيَأْبَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَهُ مِنْهُ ثُمَّ إِنَّ عُمَرَ ؓ دَعَاهُ لِيُعْطِيَهُ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا فَقَالَ عُمَرُ إِنِّي أُشْهِدُكُمْ يَا مَعْشَرَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ عَلَى حَكِيمٍ أَنِّي أَعْرِضُ عَلَيْهِ حَقَّهُ مِنْ هَذَا الْفَىْءِ فَيَأْبَى أَنْ يَأْخُذَهُ فَلَمْ يَرْزَأْ حَكِيمٌ أَحَدًا مِنَ النَّاسِ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى تُوُفِّيَ