That is why when Ka`b ibn Maalik (a Companion) said to the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “One of the ways I will repent is that I will give all my money away in charity. I will give it to Allah and to His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,” The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, responded: “Keep some of your money, for that is better for you.”
Jaabir ibn `Abdullaah (a Companion) said
“We were with the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, when a man came with something close to an egg-sized piece of gold, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I got this from a mine, so take it as a charity; I only possess this piece of wealth.’ The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ignored him, then the man approached him from his right and said the same, then from his left, then from behind him, all the while saying the same thing. Then the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, took it and threw it back at him. Then he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘One of you brings everything they possess and say, ‘This is a charity,’ then would sit and rely on other people! The best of charity is that which the individual still is self-sufficient afterward spending it.’”