Musnad Ahmad Hadith 6402

Qaqa’ bin Hakim narrates that once Abdul Aziz bin Marwan wrote a letter to Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) saying, “Present your needs before me (so that I may order them to be fulfilled).” Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) replied to this letter, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘The upper hand is better than the lower hand, and begin (giving) with those whose maintenance is your responsibility.’ And I understand that the upper hand means the giving hand, and the lower hand means the asking hand. I do not ask you for anything, nor will I reject the sustenance that Allah grants me from your side.”