We see some people in Muslim lands hiring a reciter of the Noble Qur'an. Is it permissible for the reciter to take a wage for his recitation?
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The questioner : The listener from the Arab Republic of Egypt says: We see some people in Muslim lands hiring a reciter of the Noble Qur'an. Is it permissible for the reciter to take a wage for his recitation, and does the one who pays him the wage for that commit a sin? And is reciting the Qur'an for the deceased forbidden if it is for a wage? We ask for guidance on this, may you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : Hiring a reciter to recite the Qur'an is forbidden and not permissible. This is because reciting the Qur'an is among the acts of worship by which a person draws near to his Lord, and whatever is in the category of drawing near to Allah, it is not permissible to take a worldly compensation for it. It is not permissible for anyone to give the reciter a wage, thereby assisting him in his sin. This is especially the case with what some people do when a person dies; they hire reciters and then give them from the deceased's estate. The deceased may have left a bequest, or he may have young orphans, or he may have debts. You find them taking large sums of money from this estate just so the reciter will recite for their deceased. I say to these people that this reciter's recitation has no reward in it, because it was not intended for the Face of Allah. And whatever is not intended for the Face of Allah has no reward in it. Consequently, it contains nothing but hardship and the spending of money without benefit. It is obligatory for the Muslim to be cautious of this matter and not to engage in it. The reciter is sinful, and the one who gives him the wage for his recitation is also sinful, because this is in the category of cooperating in sin and transgression.
As for taking a wage for teaching the Qur'an, that is a matter of scholarly disagreement, and the stronger position is that it is permissible. This is because a person takes it for his effort and work, not for his recitation of the Qur'an. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 5737 And it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said to the man who could not find a mahr: Sunan Abi Dawud 2111Sahih (Al-Albani) meaning, he should teach her what he has of the Qur'an. This makes it clear that hiring for the recitation of the Qur'an is forbidden and involves sin, has no reward, and the deceased does not benefit from it. As for the wage for teaching the Qur'an, the correct view is that it is permissible and there is no harm in it.
It remains to be said: if one of the people recites for the deceased without a wage, does the deceased benefit from that? We say that there is disagreement among the scholars on this. Some of them say that the deceased does not benefit from any deed except what the Sunnah has specified, such as charity, or fasting on his behalf if he died owing fasts, or performing Hajj on his behalf if he died owing Hajj, whether a vow or an obligation of Islam. And whatever the Sunnah has not specified, the deceased does not benefit from it, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Najm 53:39] This generality is specified by what the Sunnah has brought, and what is other than that remains under the ruling of the generality, which includes it. And because acts of worship are matters of divine legislation, one must stop at what the Shari'ah has brought.
Some of the scholars of knowledge have said that the deceased does benefit from that, because the hadiths that came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are specific cases, and they indicate that the general type of this deed, i.e., worship, is beneficial to the one for whom it is done. This is the madhhab of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the well-known position of his madhhab, and it is the stronger position. Al-Jamal mentioned in his marginal notes on the Tafsir of al-Jalalayn, regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Najm 53:39], that he mentioned more than twenty aspects from Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, all of which indicate that the deceased benefits from the deed of another for him. But despite this, we say that it is not among the best things to recite the Qur'an, or to pray, or to give charity and dedicate it to the deceased. Rather, it is from the category of what is permissible, not from the category of what is best and required. Supplication is better than that; supplication for the deceased is better than dedicating acts of drawing near to him, because supplication is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to when he said: Sahih Muslim 1631 Here he said: Sahih Muslim 1631 and he did not say "do a deed for him," even though the hadith is in the context of deeds.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And if the deed were among the required matters, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would have made it clear. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Hiring a reciter to recite the Qur'an is forbidden and not permissible. This is because reciting the Qur'an is among the acts of worship by which a person draws near to his Lord, and whatever is in the category of drawing near to Allah, it is not permissible to take a worldly compensation for it. It is not permissible for anyone to give the reciter a wage, thereby assisting him in his sin. This is especially the case with what some people do when a person dies; they hire reciters and then give them from the deceased's estate. The deceased may have left a bequest, or he may have young orphans, or he may have debts. You find them taking large sums of money from this estate just so the reciter will recite for their deceased. I say to these people that this reciter's recitation has no reward in it, because it was not intended for the Face of Allah. And whatever is not intended for the Face of Allah has no reward in it. Consequently, it contains nothing but hardship and the spending of money without benefit. It is obligatory for the Muslim to be cautious of this matter and not to engage in it. The reciter is sinful, and the one who gives him the wage for his recitation is also sinful, because this is in the category of cooperating in sin and transgression.
As for taking a wage for teaching the Qur'an, that is a matter of scholarly disagreement, and the stronger position is that it is permissible. This is because a person takes it for his effort and work, not for his recitation of the Qur'an. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
You are most entitled to take wages for doing a Ruqya with Allah's Book.
إن أحق ما أخذتم عليه أجرا كتاب اللهI have given you her in marriage for the part of the Qur'an which you know.
زوّجتكها بما معك من القرأنIt remains to be said: if one of the people recites for the deceased without a wage, does the deceased benefit from that? We say that there is disagreement among the scholars on this. Some of them say that the deceased does not benefit from any deed except what the Sunnah has specified, such as charity, or fasting on his behalf if he died owing fasts, or performing Hajj on his behalf if he died owing Hajj, whether a vow or an obligation of Islam. And whatever the Sunnah has not specified, the deceased does not benefit from it, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives
وأن ليس للإنسان إلا ما سعىSome of the scholars of knowledge have said that the deceased does benefit from that, because the hadiths that came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are specific cases, and they indicate that the general type of this deed, i.e., worship, is beneficial to the one for whom it is done. This is the madhhab of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the well-known position of his madhhab, and it is the stronger position. Al-Jamal mentioned in his marginal notes on the Tafsir of al-Jalalayn, regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives
وأن ليس للإنسان إلا ما سعىWhen a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious child, who prays for him (for the deceased).
إذا مات الإنسان انقطع عمله إلا من ثلاثة إلا من صدقة جارية أو علم ينتفع به أو ولد صالح يدعو لهor a pious child, who prays for him
أو ولد صالح يدعو لهThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And if the deed were among the required matters, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would have made it clear. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.