Islam. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would send them whatever he had available, for they were generally in need: whatever they could earn was insufficient to provide the sustenance they required.

As for “asking,” they followed the Prophet’s instruction, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He prohibited it for anyone who had no need of it, but permitted a person to ask for what was rightfully his—for example, to ask someone in authority to give him his due from Allah’s wealth—or, if he had no choice but to ask, to approach righteous people of means when he needed to do so. He forbade his closest Companions from asking for anything at all, to the point that if one of them dropped his whip, he would not say to anyone, “Hand it to me.”

There are hadiths, detailed distinctions, and scholarly discussions on this subject that cannot be accommodated here. Among them is his saying to ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Take whatever comes to you of this wealth without your asking for it or eagerly seeking it. Whatever does not come to you, do not set your heart on it.”

And his saying:

“Whoever seeks to be free of need, Allah will make him free of need. Whoever seeks to refrain from begging, Allah will enable him to do so. Whoever strives to be patient, Allah will grant him patience. No one has been given a gift better or more ample than patience.”

And his saying:

“Whoever asks people while having enough to suffice him will have his asking appear as scratches, scratch marks, or scrapes on his face.”

And his saying:

“For one of you to take his rope and go out to gather firewood is better for him than asking people, whether they give to him or refuse him.”

There are other hadiths besides these.