Hadith: A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with a woven mantle

عن سهل بن سعد رضي الله عنه : أن امرأةَ جاءت إلى رسولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِبُرْدَةٍ مَنسُوجَةٍ، فقالت: نَسَجتُها بيديَّ لأَكْسُوَكَها، فأخذها النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم محتاجاً إليها، فخرجَ إلينا وإنها إزارُهُ، فقال فلانٌ: اكسُنِيها ما أحسَنَها! فقال: "نعم"، فجلسَ النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم في المجلسِ، ثم رجع فطَوَاها، ثم أرسلَ بها إليه، فقال له القومُ: ما أحسَنتَ! لبسها النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم محتاجاً إليها، ثم سألته وعَلِمتَ أنه لا يَرُدَ سائلاً، فقال: إني واللهِ ما سألتُهُ لألبِسَها، إنما سألتُهُ لتكُونَ كَفَنِي. قال سهلٌ: فكانت كَفَنَهُ.
[صحيح] - [رواه البخاري بنحوه، للفائدة: قد يكون النووي أخذه من كتاب الحميدي، انظر: الجمع بين الصحيح (1/556 رقم925)]

Sahl ibn Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with a woven mantle and said: "I have woven it with my hands for you to wear." So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took it as he was in need of it. He came out to us wearing it as his lower garment. Someone said: "How beautiful! Give it to me to wear!" He answered: "Yes." Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sat there for some time. When he returned home, he folded it and sent it to the man. People said to him: "You have not done well by asking him for it when you know that he never turns down anybody's request and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wore it for he was in need of it." He said: "By Allah, I did not ask him for it in order to wear it; I only asked him for it so that it would be my shroud." Sahl said: "And it was his shroud."
[Authentic hadith] - [Al-Bukhari with a similar wording]

Explanation

The Hadīth shows altruism of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and how he preferred that man to have the mantle although he himself was in need of it. The fact that he actually wore it indicates that he was in extreme need of it. A woman came and gave the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) a mantle as a gift. Then a man approached the Prophet and said: 'How beautiful it is!" and asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to give it to him. So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took it off, folded it, and gave it to him. Some Hadīth commentators mentioned that one of the lessons learned from this Hadīth is that it is permissible to seek blessings from the traces of the righteous. However, that is not the case. Rather, it is seeking the blessings specifically from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and none else can be compared to him in terms of virtue and righteousness. Also, the Companions never did that with anyone except the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) neither during his lifetime nor after his death. Had there been any good in it, they would have preceded us in doing it.