Is it permissible for reciters to take a wage for their recitation?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner asks: What is the ruling on reciters who take a wage for reciting the Noble Qur'an, and that is in funeral gatherings?
Answer:
Funeral gatherings are religious innovations. It is not permissible to approve of their people or assist them in them, because they are an innovation and are part of wailing over the dead and part of distress.
They are forbidden in themselves, and taking a wage for reciting the Qur'an is not permissible, because reciting the Qur'an is worship, and no wage is taken for acts of worship. No wage is taken for acts of worship, neither for reciting the Qur'an nor for anything else. Allah the Exalted said:[Hud 11:15-16] and their deeds will be rendered worthless. So taking a wage for reciting the Qur'an, whether in a funeral gathering or elsewhere, is not permissible, because it is in exchange for worship. Acts of worship are sought for the reward from Allah, not for the desire of this world, because this is using the matters of the Hereafter to seek this world, and that is not permissible.
It is only permissible to take a wage for teaching the Qur'an and instructing the Qur'an. It is permissible to take a wage for teaching the Qur'an. And it is permissible to take a wage for performing ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) on a sick person, because the Companions who performed ruqyah on the one who was bitten took a flock of sheep, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of them and said: "The most rightful thing for which you take a wage is the Book of Allah." This is for teaching or for ruqyah. As for the recitation that is for worship and seeking reward from Allah, no wage is taken for it. Yes.
The questioner asks: What is the ruling on reciters who take a wage for reciting the Noble Qur'an, and that is in funeral gatherings?
Answer:
Funeral gatherings are religious innovations. It is not permissible to approve of their people or assist them in them, because they are an innovation and are part of wailing over the dead and part of distress.
They are forbidden in themselves, and taking a wage for reciting the Qur'an is not permissible, because reciting the Qur'an is worship, and no wage is taken for acts of worship. No wage is taken for acts of worship, neither for reciting the Qur'an nor for anything else. Allah the Exalted said:
(15) Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments - We fully repay them for their deeds therein, and they therein will not be deprived. (16) Those are the ones for whom there is not in the Hereafter but the Fire. And lost is what they did therein
مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا نُوَفِّ إِلَيْهِمْ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فِيهَا وَهُمْ فِيهَا لَا يُبْخَسُونَ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا النَّارُ وَحَبِطَ مَا صَنَعُوا فِيهَاIt is only permissible to take a wage for teaching the Qur'an and instructing the Qur'an. It is permissible to take a wage for teaching the Qur'an. And it is permissible to take a wage for performing ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation) on a sick person, because the Companions who performed ruqyah on the one who was bitten took a flock of sheep, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of them and said: "The most rightful thing for which you take a wage is the Book of Allah." This is for teaching or for ruqyah. As for the recitation that is for worship and seeking reward from Allah, no wage is taken for it. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل يجوز للقراء أخذ الأجر على قراءتهم؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.