Ruling on Imams of Mosques Taking a Wage for Leading the Prayer

An imam of a mosque sometimes has a commitment and leaves the mosque, appointing another trustworthy person in his place. Is there any sin on him? And is the money lawful or not?Then I say: The money he receives is a reward, not a wage for the prayer. Likewise, endowments in their work. And this is a natural thing: that a person will not be fully consistent in it, no matter what the circumstances are?
If the imam knows that he will fulfill the obligation and be consistent in the prayers, but an incident occurs, such as work or something else, and he goes to it and appoints someone who is sufficient, then there is no harm. Because this is an incidental matter, and the reward he takes is lawful for him. It is called by the scholars a provision from the public treasury, and it is not a wage for the prayer. If it were a wage for the prayer, then the prayer and his leading it would be for a wage.

Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a man who said: I will not pray for you in Ramadan except for so much and so much,Meaning: They spoke to him to lead them in Ramadan, and he said: I will not lead except for so much and so much,He said (may Allah have mercy on him): We seek refuge in Allah. Who would pray behind this man?! Because he made his leading conditional upon a compensation, and deeds of the Hereafter are not permissible to be sought for the sake of this world;because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Hud:15] * [Hud:16] , so matters of the Hereafter must be for the Hereafter. But what we, the imams and the mu'adhdhins, take, and likewise what teachers and judges and others take from the government, is not in the category of a wage, but in the category of a provision from the public treasury for performing these public interests.