Taking Recompense for Teaching Quran

21-6-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

If you are receiving salary from teaching Qur'an is this Haram? I heard a Hadith that once a companion of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) taught an Arab the Qur'an and he the Arab gave the companion of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) a bow or something like then when the companion of the Prophet asked the Prophet about this the Prophet said you took Hell-fire. So is it Haram to receive money from teaching Qur'an or not? Please I want evidence from Qur'an and Sunnah.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

If the salary is from the Muslims' treasury, then the scholars are unanimous that it is lawful to take it. However, if it is not from the Muslims' treasury, then there is a well-known disagreement among the scholars about that. The most preponderant view is to make a detailed explanation as follows:

If there are others besides him among the Muslims who can teach the Quran, he is allowed to take the salary because he is not particularly obliged to teach them. But if he is in a situation where none but him can do the job, he is not allowed to take the wages, because he is particularly obliged to teach. It is by this explanation that a conciliation can be made between all pieces of evidence.

There are scholars who opine that he can take wages in all situations as there are others who have the opposite view.

As for the Hadeeth of ‘Ubaadah ibn As-Saamit which was reported by Abu Daawood and Ibn Maajah which reads: “I taught some of the inhabitants of As-Suffah the Quran and how to write. A man among them gave me a bow as a gift. I told myself, 'this is not money and I can use it to shoot in the way of Allah. I will certainly go the Messenger of Allah and ask him'. I went to him and I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! A man among those whom I used to teach the Quran and how to write presented me a bow, which is not money and which I can shoot in the way of Allah.' The Prophet answered, “If you want to be adorned with a neckband from Hellfire, take it.” Shaykh Al-Albaani and Shaykh Shu'ayb Al-Arna'oot classified the Hadeeth as authentic.

Some scholars interpreted this Hadeeth to mean that ‘Ubaadah had volunteered to teach and made an intention of getting his reward from Allah alone. He had not intended to get wages or any material benefit for his teaching. So, the Prophet warned him against invalidating his reward.

Ibn Katheer said after mentioning this Hadeeth: “If it is sound; many scholars including Ibn ‘Abdul Barr, interpreted it like this: ‘since ‘Ubaadah had taught the man for the sake of Allah, it is not lawful for him after this, to substitute the reward of Allah with the bow.’

Allah knows best.