Taking Remuneration for Being an Imām

A translation of this fatwā from Naseem Al-Sham:

Question:

As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa Raḥmatullāhi wa Barakātuh. Is it permissible for one to take material remuneration (a monetary amount) in exchange for leading people in the Tarāwīḥ prayer? May Allah reward you a thousand times over and grant you a long life.

Answer (Imam Rushdī Salīm al-Qalam):

Praise be to Allah, and He suffices, and peace be upon His Chosen Messenger. 

To proceed:

A wage in exchange for the prayer is not permissible but in exchange for one’s time, one’s travelling,[1] one’s devoting all their attention to a specific place and one’s remaining there, then there is no harm in it, especially if there are donations.[2] When people leave off these actions[3] the fuqahāʾ have given the fatwā that it is permissible due to necessity.[4]

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[1] (tn): i.e. to the masjid where one will lead prayers, and in many cases imams travel to other cities and countries to lead people in prayer

[2] (tn): i.e. the congregation donates money to compensate the imām, and thus the masjid itself incurs no additional expense

[3] (tn): i.e. donating

[4] (tn): because there would then be the risk of no communal prayer

More Fatawa on Ramadan and Fasting