Daʿwah and Invitation to Islam

Is a Daʿī Allowed to Receive a Wage?

Shaykh Salih Aal-Shaykh explains that sincerity is essential for a caller to Islam. A daʿī should avoid earning a salary tied to his work, but may accept support or an allowance from the community to help him continue the mission, as long as it is not conditional on his efforts.

August 31, 2016

Shaykh Ṣāliḥ Aal-Shaykh:

The first and the greatest matter that the dāʿī should pay attention to is sincerity – making his efforts solely for the sake of Allāh . He should take caution in receiving wages for his daʿwah and be cautious of speaking or participating for a (the sake of a) fee. For if any of these were to overcome him or (if they overcome him) due to a need, then he should revise himself, so that he speaks that which is correct. Daʿwah is different from teaching the Qur’ān. Daʿwah has rules and regulations; it has a different ruling to teaching.

So, due to that, the scholars have permitted the dāʿī to take means of support, and not a salary. He takes an incentive from bait al-māl, which is decided by the person in authority – an incentive which is not conditional to his efforts in this collective duty. This is because Allāh , the Most High, has said;

۞ وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

“Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining al-maʿrūf (monotheism and everything Islam preaches) and forbidding al-munkar (polytheism and disbelief).” (Q 3:104)

Allah has ordered that there be from amongst us a sufficient group calling to good. So, if he takes a means of support, which aids him in establishing that – and this is not a salary which is bound by hours, days, nor is it something which he has specifically stated – then there is nothing wrong with it.