Is it permissible to take a fee for reciting the Qur'an, for the adhan, and for leading the prayer as an imam, or is it not permissible?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to take a fee for reciting the Qur'an, for the adhan, and for leading the prayer as an imam, or is it not permissible?
The Shaykh : The imam occupies a great religious position. If his position is a religious one, it is not permissible for him to take a wage for it, because religious matters do not allow for being paid for. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a man who said to a group: "I will not lead you in the night prayer in Ramadan unless for so much and so much." He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I seek refuge in Allah, and who would pray behind this man?"
As for taking a livelihood from the public treasury for the position of imam, there is nothing wrong with that, because the public treasury is spent on the interests of the Muslims, and leading them in their mosques is among the interests of the Muslims. So if the imam is given something from the public treasury, there is no blame on him for accepting it, and this is not a wage. Likewise, if a benefactor built the mosque and sought expiation by allocating some of his wealth to this imam, there is nothing wrong with taking it, because this is not a matter of being paid for, but rather a matter of reward. For this reason, there was no agreement or contract between the imam and the owner of this mosque regarding a specific amount of money; rather, this man volunteers a certain amount for this imam every month, and this is in no way a matter of being paid for.
The Shaykh : The imam occupies a great religious position. If his position is a religious one, it is not permissible for him to take a wage for it, because religious matters do not allow for being paid for. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a man who said to a group: "I will not lead you in the night prayer in Ramadan unless for so much and so much." He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I seek refuge in Allah, and who would pray behind this man?"
As for taking a livelihood from the public treasury for the position of imam, there is nothing wrong with that, because the public treasury is spent on the interests of the Muslims, and leading them in their mosques is among the interests of the Muslims. So if the imam is given something from the public treasury, there is no blame on him for accepting it, and this is not a wage. Likewise, if a benefactor built the mosque and sought expiation by allocating some of his wealth to this imam, there is nothing wrong with taking it, because this is not a matter of being paid for, but rather a matter of reward. For this reason, there was no agreement or contract between the imam and the owner of this mosque regarding a specific amount of money; rather, this man volunteers a certain amount for this imam every month, and this is in no way a matter of being paid for.