Source: Fatāwā Muhammadiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 425
What do the scholars of religion say about this matter: A person who is the imam of a mosque says that he will only lead prayer or deliver the sermon in a certain mosque on the condition that he is given the amount he demands. The congregants of the mosque offer him 1,500 rupees, while the imam demands 5,000 rupees, and later agrees upon 2,500. Is it correct, according to Sharī‘ah, for an imam to demand his own desired amount? Kindly issue a fatwa in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Ba‘d!
❀ Although it does not befit an imam or khatīb to set his own price and demand a self-determined amount for leading prayers or delivering sermons.
❀ Piety requires that the imam perform his duties of imamate and khitābah fī sabīlillāh with full reliance upon Allah.
❀ It is obligatory upon the congregants to support and maintain their imam purely for the sake of Allah.
❀ In the era of the Salaf, the system of da‘wah and religious service functioned in such a way that the imam and khatīb would serve with sincerity, and the community would take responsibility for their support.
❀ If a mosque has a Bayt al-Māl (treasury), then there is no harm in the imam or khatīb receiving a fixed salary from it.
❀ Sayyidunā ‘Umar al-Fārūq (رضي الله عنه) and Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān (رضي الله عنه), during their caliphates, allocated stipends from the Bayt al-Māl for the mu’adhdhins and imams so that they could fulfill their responsibilities free from financial concerns.
❀ ‘Allāmah Shiblī (رحمه الله) writes:
"In every city and town, imams and mu’adhdhins were appointed and their salaries were fixed from the Bayt al-Māl."
❀ Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (رحمه الله) recorded in Sīrat al-‘Umar:
أن عمر بن الخطاب وعثمان بن عفان كَانَا يَرْزُقَان المؤذنين والأئمة
(Al-Fārūq, p. 274)
❀ From this, it is established that taking a fixed salary by the imam and mu’adhdhin is permissible.
❀ Since this decision was implemented in the presence of the Ṣaḥābah (رضي الله عنهم) and no one objected, this amounts to Ijma‘ Sukūtī (silent consensus).
❀ This consensus is a strong proof of the permissibility of taking a fixed salary.
❀ The Prophet ﷺ said:
((إِنَّ أَحَقَّ مَا أَخَذْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ))
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 304)
❀ This ḥadīth also proves that it is permissible to receive wages for teaching or serving the religion through the Qur’an.
❀ Therefore, taking a fixed salary for performing the duties of imamate and khitābah is permissible.
❀ However, if a person turns khitābah into a business by delivering sermons in different places merely for worldly gain, then this act falls under greed for worldly benefit.
❀ Such a practice did not exist in the era of the Salaf — the Ṣaḥābah, Tābi‘īn, and Taba‘ Tabi‘īn.
❀ A person who makes khitābah a profession solely based on worldly greed is not worthy of this noble position.
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
((إِجْعَلُوا أَئِمَّتَكُمْ خِيَارَكُمْ))
Wallāhu A‘lam biṣ-Ṣawāb
❖ The Question
What do the scholars of religion say about this matter: A person who is the imam of a mosque says that he will only lead prayer or deliver the sermon in a certain mosque on the condition that he is given the amount he demands. The congregants of the mosque offer him 1,500 rupees, while the imam demands 5,000 rupees, and later agrees upon 2,500. Is it correct, according to Sharī‘ah, for an imam to demand his own desired amount? Kindly issue a fatwa in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
❖ The Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Ba‘d!
The Fundamental Principle Regarding Imamate and Khitābah
❀ Although it does not befit an imam or khatīb to set his own price and demand a self-determined amount for leading prayers or delivering sermons.
❀ Piety requires that the imam perform his duties of imamate and khitābah fī sabīlillāh with full reliance upon Allah.
❀ It is obligatory upon the congregants to support and maintain their imam purely for the sake of Allah.
The Practice of the Early Generations
❀ In the era of the Salaf, the system of da‘wah and religious service functioned in such a way that the imam and khatīb would serve with sincerity, and the community would take responsibility for their support.
❀ If a mosque has a Bayt al-Māl (treasury), then there is no harm in the imam or khatīb receiving a fixed salary from it.
The Practice of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
❀ Sayyidunā ‘Umar al-Fārūq (رضي الله عنه) and Sayyidunā ‘Uthmān (رضي الله عنه), during their caliphates, allocated stipends from the Bayt al-Māl for the mu’adhdhins and imams so that they could fulfill their responsibilities free from financial concerns.
❀ ‘Allāmah Shiblī (رحمه الله) writes:
"In every city and town, imams and mu’adhdhins were appointed and their salaries were fixed from the Bayt al-Māl."
❀ Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (رحمه الله) recorded in Sīrat al-‘Umar:
أن عمر بن الخطاب وعثمان بن عفان كَانَا يَرْزُقَان المؤذنين والأئمة
(Al-Fārūq, p. 274)
❀ From this, it is established that taking a fixed salary by the imam and mu’adhdhin is permissible.
The Consensus of the Ṣaḥābah
❀ Since this decision was implemented in the presence of the Ṣaḥābah (رضي الله عنهم) and no one objected, this amounts to Ijma‘ Sukūtī (silent consensus).
❀ This consensus is a strong proof of the permissibility of taking a fixed salary.
Evidence from Ḥadīth
❀ The Prophet ﷺ said:
((إِنَّ أَحَقَّ مَا أَخَذْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ))
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 304)
❀ This ḥadīth also proves that it is permissible to receive wages for teaching or serving the religion through the Qur’an.
The Shar‘i Ruling
❀ Therefore, taking a fixed salary for performing the duties of imamate and khitābah is permissible.
❀ However, if a person turns khitābah into a business by delivering sermons in different places merely for worldly gain, then this act falls under greed for worldly benefit.
❀ Such a practice did not exist in the era of the Salaf — the Ṣaḥābah, Tābi‘īn, and Taba‘ Tabi‘īn.
❀ A person who makes khitābah a profession solely based on worldly greed is not worthy of this noble position.
In the Light of Ḥadīth
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
((إِجْعَلُوا أَئِمَّتَكُمْ خِيَارَكُمْ))
Wallāhu A‘lam biṣ-Ṣawāb
