Yūsuf ibn Mūsā narrated to us, saying: Jarīr narrated to us, from Ibrāhīm ibn Muslim al-Hajarī. Muhammad ibn Yahyā also narrated to us, saying: Asbāt narrated to us, saying ⦗157⦘: Ibrāhīm al-Hajarī narrated to us. Muhammad ibn Bashshār also narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Ja‘far narrated to us, saying: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Ibrāhīm al-Hajarī, who said: I heard Abū al-Ahwas narrate from ‘Abdullāh, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said:

“There are three hands: Allah’s hand is the highest, the giver’s hand comes next, and the hand of the one who asks is the lowest, until the Day of Resurrection. So refrain from asking as much as you can.”

This is the wording of Bundār’s narration. Yūsuf and Muhammad ibn Rāfi‘ said: “From Abū al-Ahwas, from ‘Abdullāh.” Ibn Rāfi‘ said: “The giver’s hand is second,” whereas Yūsuf said: “And the giver’s hand comes next.” He also said: “Refrain from asking as much as you all can.” All of them traced the report back to the Prophet.