Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
suyuti:12168a
Request/Fix translation

  

السيوطي:١٢١٦٨a

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

مالك، [حم] أحمد [خ] البخاري [م] مسلم [ن] النسائي [ت] الترمذي عن ابن عمر

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Nasāʾī, Mālik, Aḥmad, Dārimī, Ibn Ḥibbān, Nasāʾī's Kubrá
nasai:2533Qutaybah > Mālik > Nāfiʿ > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar

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."  

النسائي:٢٥٣٣أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ

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

malik:58-8Mālik > Nāfiʿ > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar

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."  

مالك:٥٨-٨وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ

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  

ahmad:5728Yūnus > Ḥammād / Ibn Zayd > Ayyūb > Nāfiʿ > ʿAbdullāh

[Machine] "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, while giving a sermon, that the upper hand is better than the lower hand. The upper hand is the giving hand, and the lower hand is the hand of the one who asks."  

أحمد:٥٧٢٨حَدَّثَنَا يُونُسُ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ زَيْدٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَهُوَ يَخْطُبُ الْيَدُالْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُعْطِيَةُ وَالْيَدُ السُّفْلَى يَدُ السَّائِلِ  

ahmad:5344ʿAttāb > ʿAbdullāh > Mūsá b. ʿUqbah > Nāfiʿ > Ibn ʿUmar

[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."  

أحمد:٥٣٤٤حَدَّثَنَا عَتَّابٌ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ أَخْبَرَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ

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

darimi:1692Sulaymān b. Ḥarb > Ḥammād b. Zayd > Ayyūb > Nāfiʿ > Ibn ʿUmar

[Machine] "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may peace be upon him, say: 'The upper hand is better than the lower hand.' He said, 'The upper hand is the giving hand, and the lower hand is the hand of the beggar.'"  

الدارمي:١٦٩٢أَخْبَرَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى» قَالَ «وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا يَدُ الْمُعْطِي وَالْيَدُ السُّفْلَى يَدُ السَّائِلِ»  

ذِكْرُ الْخَبَرِ الْمُصَرِّحِ بِصِحَّةِ مَا تَأَوَّلْنَا الْخَبَرَ الَّذِي تَقَدَّمَ ذِكْرُنَا لَهُ

ibnhibban:3364Jaʿfar b. Aḥmad b. Ṣulayḥ al-ʿĀbid Biwāsiṭ > Aḥmad b. al-Miqdām > Fuḍayl b. Sulaymān > Mūsá b. ʿUqbah > Nāfiʿ > Ibn ʿUmar

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)   

ابن حبّان:٣٣٦٤أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ صُلَيْحٍ الْعَابِدُ بِوَاسِطَ حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْمِقْدَامِ حَدَّثَنَا فُضَيْلُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ

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

nasai-kubra:2324Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Mālik > Nāfiʿ > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar

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)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٢٣٢٤أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَالتَّعَفُّفَ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ «الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالسُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ»