530 – Al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “For one of you to take his rope, bring a bundle of firewood on his back, sell it, and thereby shield his face, is better for him than begging from people, whether they give him something or refuse.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī (1).

Glossary of the ḥadith
• li’an yaʾkhudha (“for him to take”): the initial lām is lām al-ibtidāʾ, used for emphasis; the verb is in the subjunctive because of the infinitive particle an.
• ḥabluhu (“his rope”): a twisted cord of palm-fibre or the like, used for tying or leading; plural ḥibāl, analogous to sahm/siḥām. Al-Bukhārī also records the word as uḥbulahu, a plural of paucity with ḍamma on the bāʾ.
• ḥuzmah (“bundle”): from ḥazama shayʾan, “to tie something into a bundle”; plural ḥuzam, like ghurfah/ghuraf.
• fayakuffu bihā wajhah (“so he shields his face with it”): meaning he protects his dignity and spares himself the humiliation of begging.
• khayr (“better”): nominative because it is the predicate of an omitted subject—i.e., “it is better for him”—or because the notional subject is the infinitive clause introduced by an.

Lessons drawn from the ḥadith

1. The narration is evidence that begging is forbidden for anyone who is able to earn a living.
2. The phrase “better for him” is not a true comparative, for there is no real good in begging while one can work. It is expressed in terms of what the beggar imagines and of common usage, which calls what he receives “good.”