Rulings on Wages of Laborers, Barbers, Prostitutes, Soothsayers, and Others
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori◈ Introduction: Justice in Compensation
If a wage is not agreed upon beforehand, a laborer has the right to claim compensation according to the commonly known and accepted rate. However, several forms of income have been explicitly discouraged or prohibited in Islamic teachings. These include:
- The earning of barbers (ḥajjām)
- The wages of prostitutes
- The profits of soothsayers
- Compensation for animal mating services
- Wages for Mu’adhdhin (call to prayer)
- Payments involving unmeasured grain (Qafīz al-Ṭaḥḥān)
[Ar-Rawḍah an-Nadiyyah: 2/284]❖ Ruling on the Earning of a Ḥajjām (Cupping Practitioner)
➊ Hadith Prohibition:
❝النَّبِيُّ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْ كَسْبِ الْحَجَّامِ❞
“The Prophet ﷺ prohibited the earnings of the cupper (ḥajjām).”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2919 | Musnad Aḥmad: 2/299 | Abū Dāwūd: 3421 | Nasā’ī: 4294 | Tirmidhī: 1275]➋ Described as Disgusting:
❝كَسْبُ الْحَجَّامِ خَبِيثٌ❞
“The earnings of the cupper are impure.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2919 | Musnad Aḥmad: 3/464 | Tirmidhī: 1196]➌ Contrasting Hadiths: Payment by the Prophet ﷺ
- Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrated: The Prophet ﷺ had cupping done by Abu Ṭaybah and gave him two ṣāʿ of grain in return.
[Bukhārī: 2102] - Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) reported that the Prophet ﷺ paid the cupper after having cupping done:
“If it were unlawful, he would not have given him anything.”
[Bukhārī: 2103 | Muslim: 1202 | Abū Dāwūd: 3423 | Ibn Mājah: 2162]
Resolution of Apparent Contradiction:
❖ The prohibition is interpreted as dislike (makrūh), not ḥarām. The term “khabīth” is opposite to “ṭayyib” (pure), not opposite to ḥalāl.
Quranic usage:﴿وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ﴾
"Do not aim toward the impure (khabīth) of it for spending."
[Al-Baqarah: 267] [Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/676]Reasons for Dislike:
Such tasks are among those that, when needed, should be done free of charge as part of helping a fellow Muslim in need. Therefore, taking compensation is considered improper.
[Sabil as-Salām: 3/1232]Another distinction made is between free men and slaves – it is makrūh for a free man, but permissible for a slave.
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 5/221]
Majority view: The earnings of a ḥajjām are permissible (ḥalāl). [Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/672]❖ Prohibition of the Wage of a Prostitute (Mahr al-Baghī)
Mahr al-Baghī refers to the payment a prostitute receives in exchange for illicit acts.
❝نَهَى عَنْ مَهْرِ الْبَغِيِّ❞
"The Prophet ﷺ prohibited the earnings of a prostitute."
[Bukhārī: 2282 | Muslim: 2930 | Tirmidhī: 1052 | Nasā’ī: 4219] [Sabil as-Salām: 3/1046]❖ Prohibition of Soothsayer’s Earnings (Ḥulwān al-Kāhin)
Ḥulwān al-Kāhin refers to the gifts and offerings given to a soothsayer in return for their fortune-telling.
Since soothsaying itself is ḥarām, its earnings are also ḥarām.
❝نَهَى عَنْ حُلْوَانِ الْكَاهِنِ❞
"The Prophet ﷺ prohibited the earnings of the soothsayer."
[Sabil as-Salām: 3/1047]❖ Prohibition of Earning from Stud Services (ʿUsb al-Faḥl)
ʿUsb al-Faḥl refers to hiring out a male animal (stallion, camel, goat, etc.) for mating services.
This practice was frequent, and the Prophet ﷺ prohibited charging for it.
Hadith of Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما):
❝نَهَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَنْ عُسْبِ الْفَحْلِ❞
"The Prophet ﷺ prohibited payment for stud services of the male animal."
[Bukhārī: 2284 | Tirmidhī: 1194 | Nasā’ī: 4592] [Sabil as-Salām: 3/1060 | Al-Muʿjam al-Wasīṭ, p. 600]❖ Prohibition of Taking Wages for Adhān
The Prophet ﷺ instructed:
❝وَاتَّخِذْ مُؤَذِّنًا لَا يَأْخُذُ عَلَى أَذَانِهِ أَجْرًا❞
"Appoint a Mu'adhdhin who does not take a wage for giving the Adhān."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 585 | Ibn Mājah: 714 | Musnad Aḥmad: 4/217 | Ḥākim: 1/199 | Bayhaqī: 1/429]❖ Prohibition of Qafīz al-Ṭaḥḥān (Payment via Unmeasured Grain)
Qafīz al-Ṭaḥḥān refers to a practice where someone says to a miller:
"Grind this grain, and in exchange, take such-and-such price plus a portion (qafīz) of this grain."
This is prohibited due to the ambiguity and risk of injustice in the transaction — the grain may weigh more or less than what is owed.
[Fayḍ al-Qadīr: 6/434 | Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/685 | Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr: 3/133]Hadith of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه):
❝نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ قَفِيزِ الطَّحَّانِ❞
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited Qafīz al-Ṭaḥḥān."
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 1476 | Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr: 3/60 | Dāraqutnī: 195 | Bayhaqī: 5/339]
Summary of Rulings:
| Activity/Profession | Ruling | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Ḥajjām (Cupping) | Makrūh (Disliked) | Because it's a service that should be offered freely in times of need |
| Prostitute’s wage | Ḥarām | Based on clear textual prohibition |
| Soothsayer’s gift | Ḥarām | Due to the prohibition of soothsaying itself |
| Stud services (ʿUsb al-Faḥl) | Prohibited | Common need; should not be commercialized |
| Mu’adhdhin’s wage | Makrūh/Prohibited | Instruction from the Prophet ﷺ |
| Unmeasured grain payment | Prohibited | Due to uncertainty (jahālah) and risk of unfair exchange |
