This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Hafiz Mubashir Hussain Lahori's book Signs of the Day of Judgment in the Light of Authentic Hadith.
Sign of the Day of Judgment: The Quran will be made a means of begging
عن جابر بن عبد الله رضى الله عنه قال : دخل النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم المسجد فإذا فيه قوم يقرءون القرآن ، فقال : اقرءوا القرآن وابتغوا به الله عز وجل من قبل أن يأتى قوم يقيمونه إقامة القدح يتعجلونه ولا يتأجلونه
Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (RA) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) entered the mosque and saw some people engaged in the recitation of the Quran. He (PBUH) said: O people! Recite the Quran and seek its reward from Allah before there come people who will try to straighten the Quran as a potter straightens a pot, and they will be hasty in (seeking reward from) the Quran, not waiting for (the reward in) the Hereafter.
Reference: Ahmad (454/3 - 504) Abu Dawood: Kitab al-Salat: Bab Ma Yajzi al-Ummi wal-Ajami (830) Sahih al-Jami (258/1)
Hazrat Imran bin Husain (RA) passed by a man who was reciting the Quran, and after the recitation, he started asking for something. Then Hazrat Imran bin Husain (RA) recited انا لله وانا اليه راجعون and said:
عن عمران بن حصين رضى الله عنه من قرأ القرآن فليسأل الله عز وجل به فإنه سيجيء قوم يقرءون القرآن يسألون الناس به
"I heard the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) say: Whoever recites the Quran should ask and demand from Allah, and soon there will come people who will recite the Quran and ask from people."
Reference: Ahmad (578/4 - 579 - 583) Tirmidhi: Kitab Fada'il al-Quran: Bab Man Qara'a al-Quran Falyas'al Allah Bihi (2917) Shu'ab al-Iman (2387) Sunan Sa'id bin Mansur (45)
Benefits:
➊ Making the Quran a means of begging is a sign of the Day of Judgment.
➋ Even during the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), such examples were emerging where people would recite the Quran and beg from others, as is clear from Hadith number 2.
➌ If you have ever passed through a railway station, bus stop, or any other public place, you must have seen the shameful scene of many people loudly reciting specific Surahs of the Quran to beg.
➍ The true purpose of memorizing the Quran, learning Tajweed and Qira'at, and studying its translation and Tafsir should be the pleasure of Allah; worldly motives, temporary benefits, and showiness must absolutely not be involved, otherwise, instead of reward, sin will surely be acquired.
➎ If a person dedicates himself to Quranic education and training, delivering Friday sermons, and leading prayers, then paying him wages and fulfilling his needs is not only a moral duty of the public but also a right of that religious scholar. There are several examples of this in the Ahadith, for instance:
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: A group passed through a village, but the villagers did not host them even when asked. Suddenly, their leader was bitten by something poisonous, and some of the people came to the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and asked if anyone among them could perform Ruqyah (spiritual healing). Some of the Companions agreed to perform Ruqyah for a wage, and they promised a flock of goats as payment. The Companion recited Surah Al-Fatiha over him, applied his saliva to the affected area, and the man was healed. The Companion then took the goats and left. However, others said that he took wages for the Book of Allah, implying disapproval. They then went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said the same, that he took wages for the Book of Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
إن أحق ما أخذتم عليه أجرا كتاب الله
“The thing for which you are most deserving to take wages is the Book of Allah.”
Reference: Bukhari: Book of Medicine: Chapter on Conditions in Ruqyah with Surah Al-Fatiha (5737)
