WCP: Wealth, Poverty and Al-Islam (Revisited)

“What do you have??”

Hadrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that when a man of the Ansar came to Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) and begged from him, he asked him whether he had nothing in his house.

When he said that he had a piece of cloth, which he used for wearing as well as for spreading on the ground, and a wooden bowl from which he drank water, he told him to bring them to him, and when he did so he took them in his hand and asked, "Who will buy these?" When a man offered a dirham he asked twice or thrice. "Who will offer more than a dirham?" and he gave them to a man who offered two dirhams. He then 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 with the other and bring it to me." When he bought it, Allah's Prophetic Messenger fixed a handle on it with his own hand and said, "Go gather firewood and sell it, and don't 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 others. Then Allah's Prophetic Messenger said, "This is better for you than that begging should come as a spot on your face on the Day of Resurrection. Begging is right for only three people: one who is in grinding poverty, one who is seriously in debt, or one who is responsible for blood-wit he finds it difficult to pay." (Abu Dawud)