I am a young man who wishes to be the imam of a mosque, and I have the ability to do so, and I was in a past period

The questioner : He says: I am a young man who wishes to be the imam of a mosque, and I have the ability to do so, and I was in a past period, but I fear for myself regarding this salary, fearing that worldly desires will enter the heart and that the only concern will be the salary?

The Shaykh : Yes. We say: May Allah bless you. Do not make the salary your concern. Make your concern being the imam of the pious, for those who attend the mosques are, if Allah wills, among the pious, and you are their imam. Thus, you fall under the general meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: And leave the salary as if it is something that, if it comes, it comes, and if it does not come, do not let it be your concern. In that case, your intention will be pure. As for setting a salary for imams, mu'adhdhins, teachers, instructors, and students, this is a means of encouraging good, and there is nothing wrong with it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to set a reward in his expeditions to motivate the fighters to fight, until he said: Meaning: whatever he has on him of clothing, saddle, and the like of what is considered spoils. All of this is a means of encouraging good. There is no blame on a person for taking without asking. The problem is asking. That is the problem, meaning asking for an increase on top of a religious duty. For this reason, Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a man who was asked to lead the tarawih prayer, and he said: "I will lead you in tarawih, but for how much? I will not lead except for so much and so much." Imam Ahmad was asked about this, and he said: "Who will pray behind this man? Who will pray behind this man?" Meaning, this man wants to be an imam for the sake of the world. He said: We seek refuge in Allah. Who will pray behind this man? Some people say that taking a salary for imamate diminishes his sincerity. This is not correct. It diminishes his sincerity if he does not pray except for its sake. But if he prays for Allah the Mighty and Majestic and uses what he takes to help with the trials of the world, then there is nothing wrong with that. Yes.