What is the ruling on one who recites the Qur'an for a wage (taking money for recitation)? And likewise for the adhan and leading the prayer?

The questioner : What is the ruling on one who recites the Qur'an for a wage?

The Shaykh : He has no reward. One who recites the Qur'an for a wage has no reward, neither in this world nor in the Hereafter. I mean, he does not deserve the wage that was agreed upon with him, nor is he rewarded in the Hereafter. This is based on the evidence of the Shari'ah, both general and specific, that any act of worship that is not intended for the face of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is not an accepted act of worship; rather, its doer is punished. Among this is the saying of the Exalted: Sincerity to Allah the Exalted in recitation falls under the generality of this verse. Also, the saying of the Exalted: And among the shirk in worship is that the one worshipping Allah the Exalted intends something other than the face of Allah. And Allah the Exalted says: The scholars of tafsir, such as al-Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, and others, said that this verse gives us that a deed is not righteous except with two conditions. The first condition is that it be in accordance with the Sunnah; this righteous deed is not righteous unless it matches the Sunnah. The other condition is that the doer of this righteous deed be sincere to Allah the Exalted in it, not seeking behind it any matter of this world . It was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: They hasten for the reward of recitation and reading, and they do not delay, meaning they do not seek the delayed reward in the Hereafter. And all of this is conclusive evidence that it is not permissible for a Muslim to recite the Qur'an for worldly reward, but rather he must seek behind it the otherworldly reward, regarding which it was said of him (peace and blessings be upon him): . Others.


The questioner : What is the ruling on taking a wage for the adhan...?

The Shaykh : The same answer as before. The adhan is worship, leading the prayer is worship, the khutbah is worship, and religious teaching is worship. All these matters fall under our previous statement . But here is something that must be clarified: taking a wage for worship is one thing, and taking a salary is another. It should not be confused for students of knowledge. The salary is arranged by the Muslim ruler for those in certain religious positions. This salary is like a reward (ja'alah); so the one for whom it is arranged should not take it as a wage for his worship, but rather as compensation and a salary from his state. Perhaps you all know that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away and they appointed him as the Caliph of the Muslims, they gave him a salary. Because his engagement in this great position diverted him from seeking a livelihood by the means he used to seek before. Of course, with our knowledge that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) is the best of people and the most pious after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), yet only a few days passed until he asked them to increase his salary, because he felt in practical application that what was arranged for him was not sufficient, so they increased it. This salary is not a wage. So it is not befitting for a student of knowledge, if he is an imam or a mu'adhdhin, to take what he takes first as a wage, and you have known that a wage for worship is a sin, and he is punished and not rewarded. Second, he should take it as a salary from the state. And the state, if it is wealthy, can arrange a salary and livelihood for every individual among the Muslims, whether old or young. This is not in exchange for worship that every individual performs, but rather to facilitate things for the general Muslims and to help them devote themselves to the worship of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and His obedience, each in his field. That one is the worshipper in his worship, that one is the scholar in his learning, and that oneThe student : is the student in his seeking of knowledge, and so on. The point of this statement is: do not mix up the wage that is not permissible to take for worship, with the salary arranged for students of knowledge and people of knowledge.