What is the ruling on taking a fee for teaching the Noble Qur'an and explaining its rulings?

The questioner : He saysThe questioner : It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And in another hadith: or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said. So what is the ruling on taking a fee for teaching the Noble Qur'an and explaining its rulings, which some Ministries of Awqaf call a "tip"?

The Shaykh : Taking a wage for teaching the Qur'an, or teaching hadith, or fiqh, or any religious knowledge, is forbidden (haram) and not permissible in Islam. This is because this teaching, in all its types and details, is among the acts of worship that a Muslim must perform to draw near to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). This is never valid unless one is sincere to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in it, meaning one does not seek anything behind it except the pleasure of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), as He (Mighty and Majestic) said: This is the ruling on taking a wage. However, knowledge is that by which many knots and doubts that arise for some people due to their ignorance are removed. We must distinguish between taking a wage for something and taking a salary, a pension, a reward, or anything else that is given to a person in exchange for something or for nothing. That is, anything given to a person in exchange for something or for nothing, but he does not pay attention to it or consider it in his mind. As came in the authentic hadith that 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: This person to whom such money comes as a gift from Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) did not expect it. Either he is wealthy, or he is less than that. If he is wealthy, he is able to give it in charity. By earning this money through the lawful path, which is the gift that came to him, and by spending this money as charity in the cause of Allah, he earns a great reward. Or he may be poor, in which case the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) applies: So, whatever money a person receives that he does not take in the sense of a wage, whether the teaching is of the Qur'an, hadith, or any type of religious knowledge, the work here does not return to this reality, meaning this money that is presented to this teacher, but rather it returns to what is in the heart of this teacher. If he takes this money as a wage, it is forbidden for him because he takes it in exchange for performing a religious obligation. And if he takes it in the manner that came in the hadith of 'Umar mentioned above, it is permissible and lawful for him.