Moment 1 of 1
The upper hand and the lower
Madinah, in the years after Hakim ibn Hizam had accepted Islam.
MadinahThe years after the opening of Makkah1 min read
Hakim ibn Hizam asked the Prophet ﷺ for something, and was given it. He asked again, and was given it again. This happened more than once.
Then the Prophet ﷺ spoke to him about it directly. He told him, in substance, that this wealth is green and sweet — appealing to look at — and that whoever takes it without greed, with a contented heart, finds blessing in it, while whoever takes it out of greed is like someone who eats and is never satisfied.
And he told him that the upper hand — the one that gives — is better than the lower hand, the one that receives.
Hakim's response was immediate and total. He told the Prophet ﷺ that he would never again ask another person for anything as long as he lived.
He held to it. Both Abu Bakr and later Umar, as caliphs, offered him his due share of what was distributed to people in his position, and both times he refused it.
In this moment: Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Umar ibn al-Khattab, The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Quick recall
What did Hakim ibn Hizam resolve to do after being taught that the upper hand is better than the lower?
Sources & review
Draft content — undergoing reviewThis content was written for SahabaMate and has not yet been checked by a reviewer against the works below. Treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
Sahih Muslimصحيح مسلم
Hadith collection · Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
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