الكافي- ط الاسلامية, volume 4, page 20

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from al-Husayn ibn Hammad from the one who had heard abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), say the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Never beg people for financial help; it is humiliation in this world, a poverty that you make it to approach you quickly and on the Day of Judgment presentation of accounts for it will keep you much longer.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hisham ibn Salim from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “Once abu Ja’far (a.s.), said to me, ‘O Muhammad, had people known how despicable begging is, they would never become beggars. Had people known how great the reward for helping a beggar is, no one appealing for financial help would ever have been turned away empty-handed.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid, from his father, from Ahmad ibn al-Nadr in a marfu‘ manner has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Hands are of three kinds: The hands of Allah are the upper hands, the hands of a benevolent person are next in rank, and the hands of recipient of a favor are the lowest in rank. You should abstain from pleading for help (financial) as much as you can. Sustenance is behind a curtain (barrier); therefore, one may protect his dignity to find his sustenance or tear it down to find his sustenance. I swear by the One in whose hand is my life. One of you picks up a rope and goes in the valley to collect firewood. He works hard and collects so much that the length of the rope hardly reaches around the bunch of his collection. He then brings it to the market and sells it for a mud (a certain amount) of dates, saves one-third, and gives the rest in charity. This is better for him than pleading before people for financial help who may give it to him or turn him away empty-handed.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Dawud ibn al-Nu’man from Ibrahim ibn ‘Uthman who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Allah, the Most Blessed the Most High, loves something to be for His own self and He hates something to be for His creatures. He hates His creatures begging for financial help from each other, but He loves their asking Him for help. There is nothing more beloved to Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, than being asked for help; therefore, you must not feel shy to ask Allah for favors from His generosity, even if it is as insignificant as a sandal’s strap that passes between the toes of a wearer.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.