Islam encourages giving charities and helping the needy, it urges Muslims to be wise and reasonable. The best help we can render to people is to teach them how to help themselves rather than pampering them and spoiling them with free handouts.
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states: “The best help we can render to people is to teach them how to help themselves rather than pampering them and spoiling them with free handouts. However, if a person has some handicaps or is facing difficult circumstances, we must take that into account. But we are to put a stop to it if we know for a fact that the person is taking us for a ride and is not willing to help him- or herself.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set a high standard of excellence in teaching us how to help others. Although he never refused to help anyone who sought his help, he always reminded us that it is better for us to earn a living by the sweat of our labour than by being a burden on others. Once he kissed the hands of a hard-working man and said, “These are hands loved by Allah and His Messenger.” He also said, “It is better for a person to get a rope and gather firewood and then sell the same to make a living than to beg people and count on their doles!”
Islam agrees with the motto, it is better to teach a person to catch fish instead of handing him a fish, provided, of course, that the person is fed first, for a person who is hungry cannot be expected to learn anything.”