"وَالَّذِي نَفْسي بِيَدِهِ لأنْ يَأخُذَ أَحدُكم حَبْلَهُ فَيَحْتَطِب على ظهرهِ خيرٌ له من أن يأتى رجلًا فَيَسألَه أعطاه أو مَنَعه".
See similar narrations below:
Collected by Bukhārī, Muslim, Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, Mālik, Aḥmad, Nasāʾī's Kubrá, SuyūṭīMessenger 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
It is better for any one of you to tie a bundle of firewood and carry it on his back and sell it than to beg a person, he may give or may refuse.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لأَنْ يَحْتَزِمَ أَحَدُكُمْ حُزْمَةً مِنْ حَطَبٍ فَيَحْمِلَهَا عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَيَبِيعَهَا خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ رَجُلاً يُعْطِيهِ أَوْ يَمْنَعُهُ
"By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if one of you were to take a rope and gather firewood on his back that would be better for him than coming to a man to whom Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has given of His bounty and asking him (for help). Which he may or may not give.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ فَيَحْتَطِبَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ رَجُلاً أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ ﷻ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ فَيَسْأَلَهُ أَعْطَاهُ أَوْ مَنَعَهُ
his grandfather said: “The Messenger of Allah said: 'If one of you were to take his rope (or ropes) and go to the mountains, and bring a bundle of firewood on his back to sell, and thus become independent of means, that would be better for him than begging from people who may either give him something or not give him anything.'”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَحْبُلَهُ فَيَأْتِيَ الْجَبَلَ فَيَجِيءَ بِحُزْمَةِ حَطَبٍ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَيَبِيعَهَا فَيَسْتَغْنِيَ بِثَمَنِهَا خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ النَّاسَ أَعْطَوْهُ أَوْ مَنَعُوهُ
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "By Him in whose hand myself is! To take your rope and gather firewood on your back is better for you than that you come to a man to whom Allah has given some of His favour and ask him, so he gives to you or refuses."
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ فَيَحْتَطِبَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ رَجُلاً أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ فَيَسْأَلَهُ أَعْطَاهُ أَوْ مَنَعَهُ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “For one of you to take a rope and go to the mountains, then bring a bundle of firewood on his back and sell it, and make himself independent of means thereby, is better for him than to ask of people, whether they give him something or not.”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لأنْيَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَحْبُلَهُ فَيَأْتِيَ الْجَبَلَ فَيَجِيءَ بِحُزْمَةٍ مِنْ حَطَبٍ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَيَبِيعَهَا فَيَسْتَغْنِيَ بِثَمَنِهَا خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ النَّاسَ أَعْطَوْهُ أَوْ مَنَعُوهُ
It is better for any one of you to tie a bundle of firewood and carry it on his back and sell it than to beg a person, he may give or may refuse. (Using translation from Muslim 1042c)
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَأَنْ يَحْتَزِمَ أَحَدُكُمْ حُزْمَةَ حَطَبٍ فَيَحْمِلَهَا عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَيَبِيعَهَا خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ رَجُلًا يُعْطِيهِ أَوْ يَمْنَعُهُ
[Machine] "By Allah, it is better for one of you to take a rope and cut wood with it, then carry it on his back and give it in charity or eat from it, than for him to come to a man who has been given abundance by Allah, and ask him for something, and he either gives it to him or withholds it from him. This is because the upper hand is better than the lower hand."
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَاللهِ لَأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلًا فَيَحْتَطِبَ فَيَحْمِلَهُ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَيَأْكُلَ أَوْ يَتَصَدَّقَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ رَجُلًا أَغْنَاهُ اللهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ فَيَسْأَلَهُ أَعْطَاهُ أَوْ مَنَعَهُ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ الْيَدَ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى
"By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if one of you were to take a rope and gather firewood on his back that would be better for him than coming to a man to whom Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has given of His bounty and asking him (for help). Which he may or may not give. (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2589)
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ فَيَحْتَطِبَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ رَجُلًا أَعْطَاهُ اللهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ فَيَسْأَلَهُ أَعْطَاهُ أَوْ مَنَعَهُ»
"لأَنْ يَأخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ فَيَأتِى الجَبَلَ فَيَجِئَ بِحُزْمَةِ الْحَطَبِ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَيَبِيعَهَا فيَكُفَّ اللهُ بِهَا وَجْهَه خَيرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أنْ يَسْألَ النَّاسَ أعْطَوْهُ أَوْ مَنَعُوه".