Mosque Imam Asks for Additional Salary

QUESTION

Assalamualaikum ustadz
Permission to ask, what is the law, the Imam of the mosque who charges the price?

So the Imam asked for a fee, but actually the mosque management had already given him a Kafalah, but the Imam felt it wasn’t enough

ANSWER

It is not permissible for an imam to be paid just for his prayers. Because, it destroys the sincerity and value of prayer. Because prayer is an obligation for every Muslim.

But if he is paid for his skills as a prayer leader and it brings benefits to many people, that’s okay. He can take it, or reject it, he is free. With the condition that the wages come from mosque funds, because mosque funds are for the benefit of the congregation. Not from the joint venture of the congregation who prayed with him.

In the past, the lives of mosque imams were also paid by the caliph, even now in several Muslim countries, it is taken from the Baitul Maal.

In the Ar Raudhul Murbi’written:

The predecessors whose livelihood came from the treasury included muezzins, imams, judges, laborers, and others.

It was during the Salaf era that they were given property from Baitul Maal, namely for muezzins, prayer leaders, judges, officials, and other than them. (Ar Raudh Al Murbi’, 1/434)

There are also priests asking for a salary increase, so this needs to be detailed first.

– If he has served for a long time then it would be better if the awareness for a salary increase comes from DKM itself, rationalizing it with the increasing living needs, and DKM’s financial condition as well.

– But if the background is simply asking, dissatisfaction, even though the wages are adequate according to the conditions of the area where he lives, then this is unethical.

– There is also a hadith that prohibits begging, which is not appropriate to apply here, because the prohibition makes begging a habit or profession. Meanwhile, asking for a change in needs or asking for rights that are stuck is fine.

Thus. Wallahu A’lam