The Ruling on Seeking Payment for Reciting the Qur'an

Question :

We see in many Muslim countries the practice of hiring a person to recite the Qur'an. Is it permissible for the reciter to take money for reciting the Qur'an, and is the one who pays him sinning by so doing?

Answer :

Reciting the Qur'an is a sincere act of worship and a means by which the worshipper draws closer to his Lord. The purpose behind the Muslim doing this, and other sincere acts of worship, is to seek Allah's Pleasure and to obtain a reward from Him. No created being should expect to receive reward or thanks for it. For this reason, it was not known that the righteous Salaf would hire people to recite the Qur'an for the dead or for marriage celebrations or parties. It is also not reported from any of the Imams of the religion that they ordered this or permitted it. Nor is it reported that any of them ever took any reward for reciting the Qur'an, rather they used to do so seeking reward from Allah, the Most High. The Prophet ordered the one who recited the Qur'an to petition Allah by it and he warned against petitioning people with it.

At-Tirmithi narrated in his Sunan on the authority of 'Imran bin Husain, may Allah be pleased with him, that he passed by a reciter who read, and then asked (for money). He turned back and said: I heard Allah's Messenger say:
"Whoever recites the Qur'an should petition Allah by it, for there will come a people who will recite the Qur'an and then ask the people (for money for it).

As for taking money for teaching it or for making incantations with it, which benefits other than the reciter, its permissibility has been proven by authentic Hadiths, such as the Hadith of Abu Sa'id, may Allah be pleased with him, who accepted a part of a sheep as a payment for curing someone by reciting Surah Al-Fatihah. There is also the Hadith of Sahl, may Allah be pleased with him, about the woman the Prophet married to a man (for the dowry) that he teach her what he knew of the Qur'an. So whoever accepted payment simply for reciting the Qur'an or hired people to recite the Qur'an has contradicted the Sunnah and what has been agreed upon by the righteous Salaf, may Allah be pleased with all of them.

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