The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand, and begin with those in your care."
وقال رسول الله ﷺ اليد العليا خير من اليد السفلى وابدأ بمن تعول
This is a sahih hadith, narrated by Muslim, volume 3, page 94, through a route other than that of Abu Hurairah, along with part of a hadith from Hakeem bin Hizam. Tabarani also narrated it in Al-Kabir from Ibn Umar.The upper hand is the one that gives. Abu Dawud recorded it this way from most of the narrators. Abdul-Warith narrated from Ayub, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, that the upper hand is the one that abstains, from restraint. Khattabi preferred this narration. The lower hand is the one that asks.The correct view is the first narration, though it is possible that both narrations are sound, since the one who gives is higher than the one who asks, and the one who restrains himself is also higher than the one who asks.This hadith contains an encouragement to spend in acts of obedience, and it is evidence for the position of the majority that the upper hand is the one that gives.