I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was on the pulpit speaking about charity, to abstain from asking others for some financial help and about begging others, saying, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand. The upper hand is that of the giver and the lower (hand) is that of the beggar."

سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ ؓ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَذَكَرَ الصَّدَقَةَ وَالتَّعَفُّفَ وَالْمَسْأَلَةَ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى فَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا هِيَ الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالسُّفْلَى هِيَ السَّائِلَةُ

The upper hand is better than the lower one, the upper being the one which bestows and the lower one which begs.

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَالتَّعَفُّفَ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالسُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ

the Messenger of Allah said, when mentioning charity and those who refrain from asking. "The upper hand is better than the lower hand; the upper hand is that which gives and the lower hand is that which asks."

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَالتَّعَفُّفَ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالْيَدُ السُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ

the upper hand is better than the lower one, the upper being the one which bestows and the lower which begs. Abu Dawud said : The version of this tradition narrated by Ayyub from Nafi is disputed. The narrator ʿAbd al-Warith said in his version : ʿThe upper hand is the one which abstains from begging;” but most of the narrators have narrated from Hammad b. Zaid from Ayyub the words “ The upper hand is the one which bestows.” A narrator from Hammad said in his version “the one which abstains from begging.”

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَالتَّعَفُّفَ مِنْهَا وَالْمَسْأَلَةَ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالسُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said from the mimbar when mentioning sadaqa and refraining from asking, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand. The upper hand is the one which expends, and the lower one is the one which asks."

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَالتَّعَفُّفَ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا هِيَ الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالسُّفْلَى هِيَ السَّائِلَةُ

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand. The upper hand is the giving hand, and the lower hand is the asking hand."

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالْيَدُ السُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ

the Messenger of Allah said, when mentioning charity and those who refrain from asking. "The upper hand is better than the lower hand; the upper hand is that which gives and the lower hand is that which asks." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2533)

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ «الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالْيَدُ السُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ»

The upper hand is better than the lower one, the upper being the one which bestows and the lower one which begs. (Using translation from Muslim 1033)

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَالتَّعَفُّفَ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُتَعَفِّفَةُ وَالسُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ

"اليَدُ العُليَا خَيرٌ منَ اليَدِ السُّفلَى، واليَدُ العُليَا هِيَ المُنْفِقَةُ، واليَدُ السُّفلَى هِيَ السَّائِلَةُ".