حَدَّثَنَا عَبْد اللَّهِ قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى أَبِي حَدَّثَكَ عَمْرُو بْنُ مُجَمِّعٍ حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْهَجَرِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي الْأَحْوَصِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ الْمِسْكِينَ لَيْسَ بِالطَّوَّافِ الَّذِي تَرُدُّهُ اللُّقْمَةُ وَاللُّقْمَتَانِ أَوْ التَّمْرَةُ وَالتَّمْرَتَانِ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ الْمِسْكِينُ قَالَ الَّذِي لَا يَسْأَلُ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَجِدُ مَا يُغْنِيهِ وَلَا يُفْطَنُ لَهُ فَيُتَصَدَّقَ عَلَيْهِ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 4260
It was narrated that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ood said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "The poor person is not the one who goes around to people and will be content with a mouthful or two, or a date or two." I said: O Messenger of Allah, then who is the poor person? He said: "The one who does not ask the people (for anything) and cannot find enough to make him independent of means, and no one is aware of his situation so he is not given any charity."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020