The words “he took nothing” mean that he did not diminish anyone’s wealth, not that he did not ask, as the context indicates. The report states that Hakīm told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he would accept nothing from anyone, and the Prophet approved of this, as did the caliphs after him. This is evidence that it is permissible to decline a gift even when no request or eager longing is involved.

His saying,

“The upper hand is better than the lower hand,”

draws Hakīm’s attention to the fact that the recipient’s hand is the lower one. Ahmad was asked for evidence for this from the verse, but he knew of none. This, however, is good evidence.

Additional wordings have also been reported in this account, such as his saying:

“It is better for you not to accept anything from anyone.”

Its chain of transmission, however, needs to be examined. The wording explicitly indicates that not accepting anything is preferable in all cases.