What is Sunan Abu Dawud 1649 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of Zakat (Kitab Al-Zakat)), narrated by Abd Allah b. ‘Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said when he was on the pulpit speaking of sadaqah and abstention from it and begging :, states: "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.…"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Abu Dawud, which contains 5,276 hadiths across 43 books. It is hadith number 1649 in the Book of Zakat (Kitab Al-Zakat).

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

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#1648

#1649

Sunan Abu Dawud

#1650

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Sunan Abu Dawud #1649

Zakat (Kitab Al-Zakat)

Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَالتَّعَفُّفَ مِنْهَا وَالْمَسْأَلَةَ ‏"‏ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُنْفِقَةُ وَالسُّفْلَى السَّائِلَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ اخْتُلِفَ عَلَى أَيُّوبَ عَنْ نَافِعٍ فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ ‏"‏ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُتَعَفِّفَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ ‏"‏ الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا الْمُنْفِقَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ وَاحِدٌ عَنْ حَمَّادٍ ‏"‏ الْمُتَعَفِّفَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

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 `Abd al-Warith said in his version : `The 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.”

Narrated by Abd Allah b. ‘Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said when he was on the pulpit speaking of sadaqah and abstention from it and begging :

Context

In this hadith, Abdullah b. 'Umar relays the message of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) about the virtues of giving charity. He emphasizes that the 'upper hand' is better than the 'lower hand,' indicating that it is preferable to be in a position to give rather than to receive. This teaching encourages self-sufficiency and generosity.

Modern Application

This hadith serves as a reminder for individuals to strive for self-sufficiency and to contribute to their communities through charitable acts. It promotes a culture of giving and encourages people to support those in need while maintaining dignity.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Charity and Good Deeds because it emphasizes the virtue of giving and the importance of being in a position to help others.

Charity Good Deeds