Religious views on Begging...???

I dont expect anyone to abide by religion or ethics or anything when he or she has no food since days. It is a case of survival. Maybe this is what was foreseen by many of the religions and that is why they had provisions of free food at the Mosques or Temples or Gudwaras or even Churches. When the religions were starting out, there was less of population and less people who were beggars. Today, there is more than enough population and even though they provide such free foods, still many dont make it to these places as we are becoming more money oriented.

If someone is in need- the best thing to do is not just giving them food for the day, but instead teach them ways (teach them how to work) so they can have food forever or as long as they are living.. It's because, if you continue to give them, they will become dependent to you and would not let them improve personally. It's like you are the very reason why they continue to beg-because you continue to beg.. The cities here in the Philippines with too much beggars,I know because I saw on T.V., the authorities picked them up (always!) from the streets. Dress them up on centers and give them fare to return to their own home (local/urban) and they youth beggars-some centers keep them so they can help in making arts/crafts/recycled materials.. but guess what, they return on streets again and just beg over and over. :/ The authority is helping-but sometimes it's their own choice why they remain like that.:(

My religion, Christianity, does not encourage begging but tells us to help those in need. However, you see beggars everywhere here and most of them do it for a living because they make more money than the people that "help" them! I pay a lot of money in taxes and some of those dollars are supposed to go to help people like beggars. So I'm helping them in an indirect way. I also give to charities every month that help people need food, shelter and jobs. So I guess I'm helping potential beggars but in a constructive way. I don't think that a civilized country should even have beggars. Communities should take care of those in need and help them find work. Unfortunately, my people have become accustomed to the idea of our government helping people (they don't seem to realize that it's their own money the government is using!) instead of communities and churches helping people locally. My religion tells us to help people in need but also says that instead of giving a man a fish so he can eat for a day, we should teach him to fish so he feed himself for the rest of his life.

I don't personally have any religious views on begging. However, I don't think that begging is always a bad thing. The reason that I say this is that there are times in all of our lives where there are things that we need that we are not able to get on our own. We have to be humble in order to be able to ask for help and that is something that is good. With that said, I don't think that those that beg are the lower people, I think that those people that are too proud to ask for help are the lower individuals.

Friend it is the kindness of the maker,that we are not beggars.Thank our maker,when you see a beggar,for if the mercy of the maker is not there on you,you will be in his place.Treat the beggar kindly,help him with whatever you can because it is not his fault,but the loss of mercy from his maker.Do not judge him ,help him to be out of his need if you can.Then the Lord will have mercy in your hard times.

Begging never relates to religion. If you can help please help them leaving your religion behind. There is something called humanity even above religion.

Dear friend, As begging is a process that involves at a time just two persons (the taker and the giver), I do not find any scope of any religion offering any view on this, I feel it is completely a matter of personal choice. When a man begs obviously he is lowering his social dignity. So, one is supposed to help him, to the extent possible. I do not understand why does a religion give any advice on it! Also, according to me -- all of us are beggars. Some beg from other persons (physically visible creatures)and others beg from Allah, Peer, God, Christ and so on. A few beg money or wealth, some beg power or position, yet another set beg love. So, knowingly or unknowingly we all are begging continually. Am I right?

Please don't forget that while Islam discourages begging and at the same time encourages charity. There will always be some people who can not earn for themselves due to their inabilities like old age, health conditions, lack of jobs, lack of skills etc. So there will always be people who need money, food or cloths. We can either turn the needy people into beggars by giving them easy money and making them habitual of begging or we we can help them earn for themselves and live their lives with some dignity.

Islam is not only a religion but a complete system of life, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and during the time of the early Muslims there was an organization called the Muslim Public treasury where every Muslim pay Zakat 2.5% of his income every year and the Muslim public treasury provides food and cloth for the poor and the needy in the Muslim state and in this situation begging was bad thing to do, because food and cloth were available for everyone, you must insure that Muslims pay their Zakat and there is a Muslim Public treasury to help the poor and the needy before saying that begging is bad, you can't blame the beggars If Muslims don't pay Zakat or if there is no Muslim Public treasury to help the poor and the needy.

i cant accept it ,there should be no comparison.its highly intoleratable

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him said : "the someone of you collects firewood package on the back, better for him than to ask someone gives him or stop him"