Ruling on taking a wage for the call to prayer.

The questioner : Shaykh, regarding what you mentioned about the wage for the call to prayer, but thank Allah, we all take a regular salary from the Endowments.

The Shaykh : Immediate or delayed, if Allah wills.

The questioner : No, it is not money in dinars that we take on the twenty-seventh of every month, and if we do not receive it, we do not call to prayer and we do not keep our regular attendance, meaning this is how most people are, and may Allah protect us and you...

The Shaykh : O Allah, amen.

The questioner : I mean, if our Shaykh could clarify to us how to take these salaries in this situation.

Another questioner : Knowing that the mu'adhdhin also serves the mosque.

The questioner : He serves the mosque, but on Tuesday he does not serve the mosque because it is a holiday,

Another questioner : He does not pray at all.

The questioner : Yes, some of them do, but we want to know what our Shaykh (may Allah preserve him) sees.

The Shaykh : Be reassured, Abu Ayyub, be reassured with all good. First, there is a verbal error in which every mu'adhdhin or employee in the Ministry of Endowments participates, even if he is sincere in his job. He shares in an error with others, some of whom may not share in their lack of sincerity, but they share in the expression. Islam, in its perfection and the breadth of the scope of its benefits, came to say, "Give with your right hand, O boy, with your right hand." It came to correct the outward appearances and words of people, not just their inner selves and hearts. It came to them with all good. Among that is His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . "Laqasat" and "khabathat" mean the same thing, but the word "khabith" is bad. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) turned the Muslims away from uttering this word, and wanted them to use a gentle word that conveys the same meaning. From this, it is understood that a person must choose the word and phrase that exactly expresses what is in his intention, and not speak in a way that requires him to say, "By Allah, I meant such and such." This happens often. If this is the case in ordinary matters, how much more so in religious matters? It is not permissible for a Muslim to utter a word relating to Allah or His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that is not permissible and not befitting to be said, even if his intention is good. This is an introduction to say that it is not permissible for a Muslim to say, "We lead people in prayer, we call to prayer, and we take a wage," because this contradicts the previously mentioned hadith in which our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised Uthman ibn Abi al-As when he said to him, So how can a Muslim say about himself, "I take a wage for my call to prayer and for my leading of the prayer"? The proper way to ask is, "What is the ruling on what an employee in the state takes, for a religious position, such as leading the prayer, calling to prayer, delivering the sermon, and the like?" To answer this, we say: If he takes it as a wage, it is a sin and it is illicit, because it is not permissible for a Muslim to take an immediate wage from the perishable things of this world for a worship that he performs. Rather, he must seek thereby the Face of Allah, as Allah the Exalted said: , and He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So all these employees in religious positions must have their intentions pure for the Face of Allah the Exalted. After this, it does not matter to them what salary comes to them from the state, provided they do not take it as a wage.

The questioner : May Allah protect you.

The Shaykh : Hmm.

The questioner : I say, may Allah protect you.

The Shaykh : And may Allah protect you, me, and all those present. So it is not befitting for him to take what is allocated to him as a salary as a wage, but rather it is truly a salary. And we know from early Islamic history, especially in the era of the two luminous 'Umars, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, that they established or tried to establish a salary from the state for every Muslim, whether old or young. So a salary from the state should not be in exchange for a position that the person performs, but rather it should be a free salary, which we can say is from the state, so that Muslims live in abundance without concern for this world and devote themselves to the work of the Hereafter. So here we can say, So whoever takes this salary as a wage is sinful, and what he takes is illicit. But whoever takes it as a salary and compensation for what he misses, there is no harm in that, if Allah wills, as long as he is sincere in his worship of Allah the Exalted in his heart.