Taking payment for religious education is permissible in the light of the Quran and Sunnah, the arguments for which we have already presented in the first part of the article. In this article, we will examine the doubts often raised by those who liken taking payment for religious matters to shopkeeping or selling religion.
① The incident of Sayyiduna Ubada bin Samit, may Allah be pleased with him, regarding accepting gifts
Sayyiduna Ubada bin Samit رضي الله عنه narrates an incident that he taught the people of Ahl al-Suffa writing and the Quran. One of them gave him a bow as a gift. He said that this is not wealth, and I will use it in the way of Allah. He intended to ask the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم about it. When he asked the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, he said: “If you want to be given a collar of fire, then accept it.”
Imam Hakim رحمه الله has declared the chain of narration of this hadith to be authentic.
The same incident has been narrated by Sayyiduna Ubada bin Samit رضي الله عنه in another way that when the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم was busy and a Muhajir would come, he would entrust him to a companion for the teaching of the Quran. Once the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم entrusted a Muhajir to him, who then stayed with him in his house. Sayyiduna Ubada رضي الله عنه hosted him and taught him the Quran. When he returned, he gave a bow as a gift, about which Sayyiduna Ubada رضي الله عنه asked the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. He said: “This is a burning coal hanging between your shoulders.”
Imam Hakim رحمه الله declared the chain of this hadith as “Sahih al-Isnad,” and Hafiz Dhahabi رحمه الله also accepted it as authentic.
Explanation:
This incident apparently seems to contradict the hadiths from which scholars have inferred the permissibility of charging fees for religious matters. However, the warning mentioned in this hadith is not related to taking payment for Quranic teaching. Some important points were overlooked while interpreting this hadith, which caused misunderstanding in the reasoning. The details are as follows:
Difference between gift and fee:
It is clear from the Hadith that this was not a matter of payment but a gift. The Muhajir companion gave a bow as a gift in return for a favor without any demand. If this gift is considered a cause of Quranic teaching and a reason for admonition, then it would be necessary that giving a gift to any teacher without demand would be impermissible, which is not correct. The question arises whether the gifts that the Companions presented to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, were due to religious teaching or for some worldly reason? If they were due to religious teaching, then can those gifts be considered impermissible? There is consensus among Muslims that those gifts were permissible.
Reason and intention behind the gift:
The example of the command given to Sayyiduna Ubada رضي الله عنه is like the gifts given to the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. There too, the Quranic teaching and the gift without demand, and here also the same situation exists. Scholars agree that these gifts are permissible. Therefore, the command presented to Sayyiduna Ubada رضي الله عنه should also be viewed from the same perspective.
Scholars’ Explanation:
Allama Suyuti, may Allah have mercy on him, quoting Abu al-Laith, states that religious education can be given in three ways: the first type is that which is done without compensation with the intention of goodness, the second is where a wage is taken, and the third is without condition but a gift is accepted. The practice of the Prophets was of the first type, while there is disagreement regarding the second type, and the third type is considered permissible.
Allama Muhammad bin Abdul Hadi Sindhi, may Allah have mercy on him, also interpreted this hadith by stating that it mentions gifts, not wages. He said that accepting gifts is permissible according to everyone, and calling it forbidden is not correct.
Condition of the Companions of Suffah:
The Companions of Suffah were poor people who already lived on the charity of other companions. Taking anything from such students was prohibited due to their condition, not because of the Quranic teaching.
Special Instruction:
Sayyiduna Ubada رضي الله عنه taught a Muhajir companion by the command of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم forbade him from taking any compensation. When the gift of the bow was given, Sayyiduna Ubada رضي الله عنه remembered this prohibition, and therefore he inquired about it from the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم.
Explanations of the Scholars:
The jurist and muhaddith, Hafiz Khattabi رحمه الله, explained this hadith by saying that it was disliked to take wealth from the Ahl as-Suffa due to their poverty, not because of the Quranic teaching itself.
Allama Ameer San’ani رحمه الله also stated similarly that it was disliked to take wages or gifts only from the Ahl as-Suffa because they themselves were needy.
Here it becomes clear that the warning in the hadith of Sayyiduna Ubada رضي الله عنه was not due to taking wages for religious teaching.
② Compensation for Recitation of the Noble Qur’an
Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Shibl رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
“Recite the Noble Qur’an, do not exaggerate in it, do not distance yourself from it, and neither eat through it nor desire excessive wealth through it.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله has classified the chain of this hadith as “strong.”
This hadith clearly mentions the recitation of the Qur’an and cannot be presented as evidence against charging fees for religious teaching or matters, because it does not mention any compensation for teaching.
Permissibility of charging fees for teaching the Qur’an:
Taking payment for teaching the Holy Quran and performing ruqyah (spiritual healing) is permissible and halal. The scholars who discuss this matter usually refer only to recitation, and even among them, opinions differ. Some scholars interpret this hadith as forbidding earning money unjustly, meaning that if a person earns money by reciting the Quran unjustly, like the Jews and Christians who used to distort Allah’s verses for worldly gain, then it is haram.
Whereas the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ permitted ruqyah for food, and it is also known that recitation is included in ruqyah.
③ Argument from Certain Quranic Verses
Some people have argued against the permissibility of charging fees for religious matters based on certain Quranic verses, such as:
The command of Allah Almighty:
“وَمَا اَسْاَلُکُمْ عَلَیْہِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ اِنْ اَجْرِیَ اِلَّا عَلٰی رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ”
“(Every prophet said to the disbelievers:) I do not ask you for any payment for this call to religion. My reward is only with the Lord of the worlds.”
This and other similar verses do not declare payment for religious matters as forbidden. These verses address the disbelievers who were averse to religion and did not even like to listen to the preaching of religion. They were told that the preaching of religion is being done for free, and no compensation is being asked from them, so why are you upset?
The command of Allah Almighty:
“اَمْ تَسْاَلُھُمْ اَجْرًا فَھُمْ مِّنْ مَّغْرَمٍ مُّثْقَلُوْنَ”
“(O Prophet!) Do you ask them for any payment so that they are burdened with debt?”
But the matter of Muslims is different from that of disbelievers and polytheists. Muslims consider financial support to the scholars as spending in the way of Allah and regard it as service to religion. These verses only mention preaching for free, and everyone considers free preaching preferable. But how can it be proven from this that payment is forbidden?
An example:
If a craftsman offers to teach a skill free of charge to a boy in his neighborhood and the boy refuses to learn, the craftsman will tell him that he is not charging any fee for teaching this skill, so why are you refusing? This action of the craftsman will certainly be commendable, but it does not make it forbidden to charge wages for teaching a skill.
④ Wrong inference from other verses
Verse:
“وَلَا تَشْتَرُوْا بِآیَاتِیْ ثَمَنًا قَلِیلًا وَّاِیَّایَ فَاتَّقُوْنِ”
“Do not exchange My verses for a small price, and fear Me.”
In this verse, the address is to the People of the Book contemporary to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who had distorted Allah’s Book. They used to alter Allah’s verses both literally and in meaning, and in return, they gained worldly benefits. Therefore, they were warned not to destroy their Hereafter for worldly gains by exchanging Allah’s verses.
Meaning of other verses:
The command of Allah Almighty:
“فَوَیْلٌ لِّلَّذِیْنَ یَکْتُبُوْنَ الْکِتَابَ بِاَیْدِیْھِمْ ثُمَّ یَقُوْلُوْنَ ھٰذَا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللّٰہِ لِیَشْتَرُوْا بِہٖ ثَمَنًا قَلِیْلًا”
“Woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, then say, ‘This is from Allah,’ to exchange it for a small price.”
The command of Allah Almighty:
“اِنَّ الَّذِیْنَ یَکْتُمُوْنَ مَا اَنْزَلَ اللّٰہُ مِنَ الْکِتَابِ وَیَشْتَرُوْنَ بِہٖ ثَمَنًا قَلِیْلًا اُولٰئِکَ مَا یَاْکُلُوْنَ فِیْ بُطُونِھِمْ اِلَّا النَّارَ”
“Those who conceal what Allah has revealed of the Book and exchange it for a small price, they fill their bellies with fire.”
These verses condemn the actions of the People of the Book who altered Allah’s Book for worldly gain. This does not mean that charging a fee for teaching the Book of Allah is forbidden.
Imam Suddī (may Allah have mercy on him) and Imam Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) have also explained these verses as forbidding the People of the Book from hiding and altering the verses of the Book for worldly benefit.
Scholars’ opinions regarding charging fees for religious matters:
In the exegesis of this verse, the statement of Imam Abu al-‘Aaliyah (may Allah have mercy on him) is also attributed: “تم اس پر اُجرت نہ لو”. However, due to weakness in its chain of narration, this statement is not established.
Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, stated regarding this that there are some narrations which contain confusion, due to which they cannot be accepted.
Position of the Scholars of the Ummah:
All these evidences were presented before the scholars of the Salaf and the Imams of the religion, yet none of them proved the prohibition of wages in religious matters based on these verses. If these verses were indeed proof of the prohibition of wages, the scholars of the Salaf would certainly have accepted it.
The great Tabi‘i, Sheikh al-Islam, Abdul Rahman bin Amr Awza‘i, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“Hold firmly to the traces of the predecessors, even if people abandon you, and avoid the opinions of later generations, even if they present their statements adorned.”
This is why the scholars have considered wages for teaching the Quran to be permissible, while disliking the unlawful worldly benefit gained through the recitation of the Quran.
Error of Analogy Against Texts
The explicit texts and the understanding of the Salaf regarding the permissibility of taking wages for religious matters have already been presented. However, some people try to reject these texts based on their own analogy. They say that just as prayer and fasting are acts performed to please Allah and it is not permissible to take wages for them, similarly, religious matters are also for the pleasure of Allah, so it is not correct to take wages for them either.
Analogy against the texts:
It is not permissible to make an analogy against explicit texts in Shariah. Moreover, this analogy is fundamentally incorrect. The reason is that prayer and fasting are acts that relate only to the person performing them, whereas teaching involves others as well, because it is transferred to the learners.
Explanation of Allama Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him:
The famous commentator Allama Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ahmad Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him (600-671 AH), refuting this analogy, writes:
Regarding the opponents’ analogy of prayer and fasting, it is flawed because it contradicts the text. The difference between prayer and fasting and teaching the Quran is that prayer and fasting are acts of worship specific to the doer, whereas teaching the Quran is an act of worship that transfers from the teacher to the learner as well. Therefore, it is permissible to take a fee for the effort of teaching, just as it is permissible to take a fee for teaching the writing of the Holy Quran.
Permissibility of Taking Fees for Religious Matters
Taking and giving fees for religious matters is permissible and there is no objection to it. Among the Muslim Ummah, only some early Hanafi scholars issued a fatwa forbidding it, but later Hanafi scholars rejected their opinion and declared taking fees for religious matters permissible.
➒ Mistake of Some Groups in the Present Era:
In today’s era, some Takfiri groups present these old arguments of the Ahl al-Hanafi in their own way and try to use them against the people of truth, even though these arguments have been rejected by the Ahl al-Hanafi themselves. In this process, they also commit the disrespect of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the predecessors of the Ummah, and the Imams of religion and scholars of Hadith. Furthermore, they attempt to take upon themselves the matter of what is lawful and unlawful, a matter whose authority belongs solely to Allah Almighty.
May Allah Almighty grant us the ability to act upon the authentic Hadith and the understanding of the Salaf, and grant us the opportunity to live by it and die upon it. Ameen.
