What is the ruling on one who works as an imam or a mu'adhdhin in the mosque and then receives a salary in return from the state or from the body responsible for the mosque?

The questioner : The question now is: What is the ruling on one who works as an imam or a mu'adhdhin in the mosque and then receives a salary in return from the state or from the body responsible for the mosque, and in his heart he intends that this salary he takes is in return for his dedicating himself to this position and to the da'wah in the path of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He); is this wage one hundred percent lawful in the view of Islam?

The Shaykh : This is permissible without a doubt, but it is not permissible to call it a wage. If he takes it under the name of a wage, that is forbidden, and this would be an error on his part. Because this employee of the mosque imam, or the mosque adhan, or the mosque khutbah, when the state gives him a salary and presents him with compensation, it is not valid for this employee to consider that a wage for his work. Because this work is an act of obedience to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and it is not permissible for a Muslim to seek, through his obedience to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), any type of obedience if that work is not permissible to be sought for anything other than the Face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Because Allah (the Exalted) says: . And there are many, and very many, hadiths regarding the command to be sincere to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in His worship, and that a Muslim should not seek behind that any matter of this world; whether it be wealth, or status, or reputation, or the like. It is not permissible in any way for a Muslim to seek, through his righteous work, anything other than the Face of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). This is a matter that is certain in Islam, and there is no disagreement among the scholars of the Muslims, and praise be to Allah.
Accordingly, it is obligatory for this employee referred to to improve his intention and his niyyah. This requires that he keep in mind this knowledge we are discussing now. He is not allowed to say: "I am taking this as a wage for my work because I intend by it to serve Islam." Rather, he should say: "I am taking this money as compensation due to my seclusion and my devotion to performing this position. The state has granted me this compensation because I have turned away from my private work by which I earn my daily sustenance to perform this work. So I am taking this money not as a wage, but as compensation. And there is a very big difference between a wage and compensation or a gift or the like."
And here, if you notice this difference, it becomes clear to us very important results. Some of them are not permissible in the ruling of Islam, and some are permissible. The 'illah (operative cause) of this distinction is observing the intention and the niyyah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed to this reality in the authentic hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim and the rest of the six books, from the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . So this hadith is an explicit text clarifying the difference in one work due to the difference in intention. This is a man who went out to jihad in the path of Allah seeking the pleasure of Allah, so he is in what he went out for. And that is a man who went out to fight, claiming it was in the path of Allah, but he intended by it the world, to marry a woman. So his hijrah was to what he migrated to. The work is the same, and the result is different to the greatest degree of difference. This work brought one of the two men closer to Allah. This same work distanced the other man from Allah. And the reason is the difference in intention.
So this person, the employee who is an imam in a mosque or a teacher, if he takes this money as a wage, it is like the one who fought to marry a woman. Because it is not permissible for a person to seek, through righteous work—as we said earlier—anything other than the Face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). But if this money comes to him as a gift, or comes to him as a present, or comes to him as compensation, he takes it not under the name of a wage, but under the name of sustenance that Allah sent to him. As for saying: "I am taking it as a wage," that is ignorance of Islam and failure to distinguish between one intention and another. It is established from Ibn 'Umar that a man came to him to say to him: "I love you for the sake of Allah." Ibn 'Umar said: "As for me, I hate you for the sake of Allah." He said: "How is that?" He said: "Because you make mistakes in your adhan and you take a wage for it." So he rebuked him for taking a wage for his adhan, due to what was mentioned earlier that the adhan is worship. How can he seek a material wage for it?! So it is no wonder that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he appointed Uthman ibn Abi al-'As al-Thaqafi as governor over his people, admonished him and advised him with some admonitions and advice, among which he said to him: .
So this, and the verse mentioned earlier: , and some of the hadiths also that were mentioned, all of this indicates that it is not permissible for a Muslim to take money in exchange for a worship he performs. It is not permissible for him to take money with the intention that it is a wage for his worship and obedience. Rather, he must take it as compensation, or as a waqf (endowment), or as a gift. And so it was with the Muslim rulers in the past; they would employ some of the people of knowledge in various positions; this one for the judiciary and this one for issuing fatwas. And they would give them compensation, not considering it a wage. Because the wage—I repeat—is not permissible to be taken in exchange for a Muslim performing a worship, such as the judiciary and issuing fatwas. And from here, it is not permissible =
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= for the mufti to draw up for himself a wage for the fatwa, for example, five dinars, or five pounds. Because this fatwa is obligatory upon him. And the Messenger (peace be upon him) says: . So this obligatory duty should be performed by him for the Face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and he should not seek, as He (the Exalted) said: . But if money comes to him from the state or from some of the noble rich people, that this man has dedicated himself to issuing fatwas for the Muslims and teaching them and teaching them the Qur'an—for example—until the end of it; so he is given from the aspect of a gift, or from the aspect of a gift, or from the aspect of a waqf. The Islamic endowments are a model to be followed. So he takes his right that was allocated to him not under the name of a wage... truly it is not just a matter of wording. We must observe this. Rather, he takes it as a gift that came to him, as a waqf that was established for him, or the like.
And we know that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), when they chose him as caliph for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he had been working in trade before that and supporting himself and his family with it, when he was entrusted with the affairs of the Muslims, he was occupied with their affairs from his livelihood. So they made a salary for him. And not many days passed before Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the rich in his heart, and wealth is the wealth of the soul, felt that what they were giving him did not suffice for his needs and his livelihood. So he was frank with them about the matter, and they increased it. So this is not a wage, but it is compensation for what he missed due to his devotion to serving the Muslims in his guardianship and his caliphate for his Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
This is the detailed answer to that question.
So the summary is: . Let this employee who utilizes this position to serve the Muslims improve his intention. And let him not say: "I am taking this as a wage." Rather, it is a gift, or compensation, or a waqf, or the like.

The questioner : You have done well.