Why it is Not Haram to Charge For Teaching the Quran?
C.J Ahmed-13.05.2023
It is not haram to charge money when teaching the Quran becuse the prophet (sal) said in a lengthy hadith,
“The thing for which you most deserve to take payment is the Book of Allah” (Bukhari)
And further the prophet (sal) also said the following in another hadith,
Narrated Abu Sa`id:
“A group of the companions of Allah's Messenger (sal) proceeded on a journey till they dismounted near one of the Arab tribes and requested them to entertain them as their guests, but they (the tribe people) refused to entertain them. Then the chief of that tribe was bitten by a snake (or stung by a scorpion) and he was given all sorts of treatment, but all in vain. Some of them said, "Will you go to the group (those travelers) who have dismounted near you and see if one of them has something useful?" They came to them and said, "O the group! Our leader has been bitten by a snake (or stung by a scorpion) and we have treated him with everything but nothing benefited him Has anyone of you anything useful?" One of them replied, "Yes, by Allah, I know how to treat with a Ruqya. But. by Allah, we wanted you to receive us as your guests but you refused. I will not treat your patient with a Ruqya till you fix for us something as wages." Consequently they agreed to give those travellers a flock of sheep. The man went with them (the people of the tribe) and started spitting (on the bite) and reciting Surat-al-Fatiha till the patient was healed and started walking as if he had not been sick. When the tribe people paid them their wages they had agreed upon, some of them (the Prophet's companions) said, "Distribute (the sheep)." But the one who treated with the Ruqya said, "Do not do that till we go to Allah's Apostle and mention to him what has happened, and see what he will order us." So they came to Allah's Messenger (sal) and mentioned the story to him and he said, "How do you know that Surat-al-Fatiha is a Ruqya? You have done the right thing. Divide (what you have got) and assign for me a share with you." (Bukhari)
In both these hadiths te companions were paid with sheep for reciting the Quran and the prophet (sal) actually encouraged it.
In another hadith the prophet (sal) said the following,
Narrated Sahl:
A woman came to the Prophet,, and presented herself to him (for marriage). He said, "I am not in need of women these days." Then a man said, "O Allah's Messenger (sal)! Marry her to me." The Prophet (sal) asked him, "What have you got?" He said, "I have got nothing." The Prophet (sal) said, "Give her something, even an iron ring." He said, "I have got nothing." The Prophet (sal) asked (him), "How much of the Qur'an do you know (by heart)?" He said, "So much and so much." The Prophet (sal) said, "I have married her to you for what you know of the Qur'an." (Bukhari)
Explanation of the Hadiths Which Prohibit Earning From the Quran
In this hadith, the teaching of Quran was allowed for exchange as dowry and this hadith clearly proves that teaching the Quran in exchange for money or good is not haram.
Thre are some scholars like Imam Ahmed and Abu Hnifah who prohibited earning by teaching the Quran and they cite the below hadith.
‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Shibil (rali) who said: “I heard Allaah’s Messenger (sal) saying:
“Recite the Qur’aan and exceed not the limits therein and turn not away from it, and eat not with it and amass not wealth therewith” (Musnad Ahmed,Abu Yahla,Tabarani and Baihaqi-Graded Sahih by Albani and Ibn Hajar in Fath ul Bari)
There are hadiths in which the pophet (sal) allowed certain things for one person and prohibited for others.
Abu Hurayrah (rali) related that a man asked the Prophet (sal) about a fasting person
fondling [his wife] and he allowed it for him. Another asked him and he forbade
it. The one who he permitted was an old man and the one he forbade was a young
Man (Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
In this hadith it is very clear that the prophet (sal) forbade the young man because his sexual urge is strong and would not have been able to control his urge and would have broken his fast by having intercourse with his wife.(by penetrating his penis on to her vagina). the reason for allowing the old man was because he could control his urge. these are supported by so many other authentic narrations. The other example is in the next proof
Umm Salamah said (rali):
“I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sal) prohibiting them (two units after the
Afternoon prayer), but later on I saw him praying them. When he prayed them, he had offered the
afternoon prayer. He then came to me while a number of women from the Haraam clan of the
Ansar were sitting with me. He prayed these two units of prayer. I sent a slave-girl to him and
told her: Stand beside him and tell him that Umm Salamah has asked: Messenger of Allaah, I
Heard you prohibiting these two units of prayer (after the afternoon prayer) but I see you praying
them yourself. If he makes a sign with his hand, step backward from him. The slave-girl did so.
He made a sign with his hand, so she turned away from him. When he finished his prayer, he said:
O daughter of Abu Umayyah, you asked about the praying of two units of prayer after the
afternoon prayer. In fact, some people from the ‘Abul-Qays clan had come to me with the news
That their people had embraced Islam. They hindered me from praying the two units after the
noon prayer. It is those two units.”
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
In this hadith, it is very clear that the prophet himself told why he prayed the two unit after afternoon prayers because he was asked why. This shows clearly there is no contradiction in the Sunnah of Rasulullah (sal).
Praying Asr after Reaching Banu Quraiza
There is a hadith reported in both Bukhari and Muslim in which the prophet Muhammad (sal) ordered his companions after the battle of Al-Ahzab saying, “No one of you should pray Asr until you reach the village of Bani-Quraiza (A Jewish tribe). The hadith is as follows,
Narrated Ibn Umar (rali):
“On the day of Al-Ahzab (i.e. Clans) the Prophet said, "None of you Muslims) should offer the 'Asr prayer but at Banu Quraiza's place." The 'Asr prayer became due for some of them on the way. Some of those said, "We will not offer it till we reach it, the place of Banu Quraiza," while some others said, "No, we will pray at this spot, for the Prophet did not mean that for us." Later on it was mentioned to the Prophet and he did not berate any of the two groups.”
It is not haram to charge money when teaching the Quran becuse the prophet (sal) said in a lengthy hadith,
“The thing for which you most deserve to take payment is the Book of Allah” (Bukhari)
And further the prophet (sal) also said the following in another hadith,
Narrated Abu Sa`id:
“A group of the companions of Allah's Messenger (sal) proceeded on a journey till they dismounted near one of the Arab tribes and requested them to entertain them as their guests, but they (the tribe people) refused to entertain them. Then the chief of that tribe was bitten by a snake (or stung by a scorpion) and he was given all sorts of treatment, but all in vain. Some of them said, "Will you go to the group (those travelers) who have dismounted near you and see if one of them has something useful?" They came to them and said, "O the group! Our leader has been bitten by a snake (or stung by a scorpion) and we have treated him with everything but nothing benefited him Has anyone of you anything useful?" One of them replied, "Yes, by Allah, I know how to treat with a Ruqya. But. by Allah, we wanted you to receive us as your guests but you refused. I will not treat your patient with a Ruqya till you fix for us something as wages." Consequently they agreed to give those travellers a flock of sheep. The man went with them (the people of the tribe) and started spitting (on the bite) and reciting Surat-al-Fatiha till the patient was healed and started walking as if he had not been sick. When the tribe people paid them their wages they had agreed upon, some of them (the Prophet's companions) said, "Distribute (the sheep)." But the one who treated with the Ruqya said, "Do not do that till we go to Allah's Apostle and mention to him what has happened, and see what he will order us." So they came to Allah's Messenger (sal) and mentioned the story to him and he said, "How do you know that Surat-al-Fatiha is a Ruqya? You have done the right thing. Divide (what you have got) and assign for me a share with you." (Bukhari)
In both these hadiths te companions were paid with sheep for reciting the Quran and the prophet (sal) actually encouraged it.
In another hadith the prophet (sal) said the following,
Narrated Sahl:
A woman came to the Prophet,, and presented herself to him (for marriage). He said, "I am not in need of women these days." Then a man said, "O Allah's Messenger (sal)! Marry her to me." The Prophet (sal) asked him, "What have you got?" He said, "I have got nothing." The Prophet (sal) said, "Give her something, even an iron ring." He said, "I have got nothing." The Prophet (sal) asked (him), "How much of the Qur'an do you know (by heart)?" He said, "So much and so much." The Prophet (sal) said, "I have married her to you for what you know of the Qur'an." (Bukhari)
Explanation of the Hadiths Which Prohibit Earning From the Quran
In this hadith, the teaching of Quran was allowed for exchange as dowry and this hadith clearly proves that teaching the Quran in exchange for money or good is not haram.
Thre are some scholars like Imam Ahmed and Abu Hnifah who prohibited earning by teaching the Quran and they cite the below hadith.
‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Shibil (rali) who said: “I heard Allaah’s Messenger (sal) saying:
“Recite the Qur’aan and exceed not the limits therein and turn not away from it, and eat not with it and amass not wealth therewith” (Musnad Ahmed,Abu Yahla,Tabarani and Baihaqi-Graded Sahih by Albani and Ibn Hajar in Fath ul Bari)
There are hadiths in which the pophet (sal) allowed certain things for one person and prohibited for others.
Abu Hurayrah (rali) related that a man asked the Prophet (sal) about a fasting person
fondling [his wife] and he allowed it for him. Another asked him and he forbade
it. The one who he permitted was an old man and the one he forbade was a young
Man (Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
In this hadith it is very clear that the prophet (sal) forbade the young man because his sexual urge is strong and would not have been able to control his urge and would have broken his fast by having intercourse with his wife.(by penetrating his penis on to her vagina). the reason for allowing the old man was because he could control his urge. these are supported by so many other authentic narrations. The other example is in the next proof
Umm Salamah said (rali):
“I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sal) prohibiting them (two units after the
Afternoon prayer), but later on I saw him praying them. When he prayed them, he had offered the
afternoon prayer. He then came to me while a number of women from the Haraam clan of the
Ansar were sitting with me. He prayed these two units of prayer. I sent a slave-girl to him and
told her: Stand beside him and tell him that Umm Salamah has asked: Messenger of Allaah, I
Heard you prohibiting these two units of prayer (after the afternoon prayer) but I see you praying
them yourself. If he makes a sign with his hand, step backward from him. The slave-girl did so.
He made a sign with his hand, so she turned away from him. When he finished his prayer, he said:
O daughter of Abu Umayyah, you asked about the praying of two units of prayer after the
afternoon prayer. In fact, some people from the ‘Abul-Qays clan had come to me with the news
That their people had embraced Islam. They hindered me from praying the two units after the
noon prayer. It is those two units.”
(Abu Dawud-graded sahih by Albani)
In this hadith, it is very clear that the prophet himself told why he prayed the two unit after afternoon prayers because he was asked why. This shows clearly there is no contradiction in the Sunnah of Rasulullah (sal).
Praying Asr after Reaching Banu Quraiza
There is a hadith reported in both Bukhari and Muslim in which the prophet Muhammad (sal) ordered his companions after the battle of Al-Ahzab saying, “No one of you should pray Asr until you reach the village of Bani-Quraiza (A Jewish tribe). The hadith is as follows,
Narrated Ibn Umar (rali):
“On the day of Al-Ahzab (i.e. Clans) the Prophet said, "None of you Muslims) should offer the 'Asr prayer but at Banu Quraiza's place." The 'Asr prayer became due for some of them on the way. Some of those said, "We will not offer it till we reach it, the place of Banu Quraiza," while some others said, "No, we will pray at this spot, for the Prophet did not mean that for us." Later on it was mentioned to the Prophet and he did not berate any of the two groups.”