Shar‘i Ruling on Taking a Wage for Teaching Religious Knowledge – In Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah

Source: Fatāwā ‘Ilmiyyah (Tawdīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 496

Question:
Is it permissible to take payment for teaching religious knowledge, especially the teaching of the Qur’an? Please explain with evidence.


Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Amā baʿd!

Evidence from the Sunnah​

The matter is clarified in a ṣaḥīḥ hadith:


The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:


«إِنَّ أَحَقَّ مَا أَخَذْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا كِتَابُ اللهِ»
“Indeed, the most deserving thing for which you take a wage is the Book of Allah (the Qur’an).”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5737)


Imām al-Bukhārī also included this ḥadīth under Kitāb al-Ijārah (before ḥadīth 2276) in the chapter: What is given for ruqyah over the Arabs with Sūrat al-Fātiḥah.

Position of the Scholars on This Ḥadīth​

Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله said in the commentary of this ḥadīth:


“The majority of scholars use this ḥadīth as evidence for the permissibility of taking payment for teaching the Qur’an.”
(Fatḥ al-Bārī, 4/453)

Reports from the Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿīn​

➊ Ḥakam ibn ʿUtaybah (Tābiʿī) رحمه الله:


“I have never heard any jurist disapprove of a teacher taking payment.”
(Musnad ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd, 1105 – authentic chain)


➋ Muʿāwiyah ibn Qurrah رحمه الله:


“I hope there is goodness and reward for the teacher in it.”
(Musnad ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd, 1104 – authentic chain)


➌ Abū Qilābah رحمه الله – saw no harm in a teacher receiving payment.
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 6/220, ḥadīth 20824 – authentic chain)


➍ Ṭāwūs رحمه الله – also considered it permissible.
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, ḥadīth 20825 – authentic chain)


➎ Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn رحمه الله – his statement also supports permissibility.
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 6/223, ḥadīth 20835 – authentic chain)


➏ Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī رحمه الله:


“They used to dislike the wage of the teacher.”
(Musnad ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd, 1106 – strong chain)


Imām Shuʿbah and Imām Abū al-Shaʿthāʾ Jābir ibn Zayd رحمهما الله:


The better and more virtuous way is to teach without payment, but if one takes payment, it is permissible.

Important Notes​

Note 1:
Considering all the reports, the “dislike” mentioned by Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī رحمه الله refers to karāhah tanzīhiyyah (minor dislike), not karāhah taḥrīmiyyah (prohibition).


Note 2:
Some of these narrations also appear in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (before ḥadīth 2276) with minor differences.

Arguments of Those Who Forbid It and Their Response​

1. Payment for Propagation (Tablīgh):
The verses such as:


﴿لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا﴾
﴿وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا﴾
relate to obligatory propagation (farḍ ʿayn or farḍ kifāyah), not to formal teaching.


2. Payment for Recitation Only:
The hadith:


“Recite the Qur’an, but do not consume (wealth) by it.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, 2/400, ḥadīth 7742)
means taking payment for mere recitation, not for teaching.

Conclusion​

◈ Based on Qur’an, Sunnah, and reports from the Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿīn, taking payment for teaching the Qur’an and other religious sciences is permissible.
◈ The original ruling is permissibility, though teaching without payment is more virtuous.
◈ Payment for obligatory propagation or mere recitation is a different issue, with its own rulings.


Hādhā mā ʿindī, wallāhu aʿlam biṣ-ṣawāb.