Today, we reflect on Surah Saba, Ayah 47, which addresses the importance of sincerity and selflessness in serving the community, particularly for those who are entrusted with guiding others. This ayah reminds us that true scholars and leaders should not seek material gain for their efforts but rather focus on their duty to Allah and the betterment of the Ummah.
This is also a message for the communities who deal with scholars and community leaders. If you wish to know who it is you are asking to come and speak to your community, see what they ask for in return for their invitation!
๐ Todayโs Focus: Surah Saba, Ayah 47
“ูููู ู
ูุง ุณูุฃูููุชูููู
ู
ูููู ุฃูุฌูุฑู ูููููู ููููู
ู ุฅููู ุฃูุฌูุฑููู ุฅููููุง ุนูููู ุงูููููู ูููููู ุนูููููฐ ููููู ุดูููุกู ุดููููุฏู”
Translation:
“Say, ‘Whatever payment I might have asked of youโit is yours. My reward is only from Allah, and He is, over all things, Witness.'”
Key Lessons:
1. Selflessness in Service:
The ayah emphasizes that those who guide others should not seek material compensation for their efforts. Their reward comes solely from Allah, and their focus should be on serving the community with sincerity and humility.
2. Trust in Allahโs Provision:
Scholars and leaders should trust in Allahโs promise of reward and not burden the community with financial demands. This trust reflects true faith and reliance on Allah.
3. The Danger of Materialism:
When scholars prioritize financial gain over their duty to guide, it diminishes their credibility and the impact of their message. The Quran repeatedly reminds us that the Prophets and true guides never sought worldly compensation for their efforts.
4. Giving Back to the Community:
If any compensation is received, it should be used to benefit the very community that has invited the scholar rather than for personal gain. This aligns with the spirit of selflessness and service taught in the Quran.
Relevant Quranic Guidance:
In Surah Ya-Sin, Ayah 21, a story is narrated of a man who comes from the outskirts of a town to advice his people to follow those who are rightly guided and do not ask for any payment in return for that guidance. The Ayah quotes:
“ุงุชููุจูุนููุง ู
ูู ูููุง ููุณูุฃูููููู
ู ุฃูุฌูุฑูุง ููููู
ู
ููููุชูุฏูููู”
Translation:
“Follow those who do not ask you for any payment, and they are rightly guided.”
This ayah reinforces the idea that true guidance comes from those who are not motivated by material gain but by a sincere desire to lead others to the path of Allah. Furthermore, it emphasises the effectiveness one can have on a community. If the scholars are asking for compensation, the effectiveness of the message diminishes.
Reflection on Todayโs Issue:
One of the challenges we face today is the commercialization of religious guidance. Some scholars demand exorbitant fees to speak at Islamic centers, especially during sacred times like the Holy Months of Ramadan and Muharram. This practice is not in line with the teachings of the Holy Quran, which emphasize selflessness and sincerity.
The Holy Quran repeatedly highlights that the Prophets and righteous leaders never sought payment for their guidance. For example:
– In Surah Shuโara, Ayahs 109, 127, 145, 164, and 180, multiple Prophets declare, “ููู
ูุง ุฃูุณูุฃูููููู
ู ุนููููููู ู
ููู ุฃูุฌูุฑู ุฅููู ุฃูุฌูุฑููู ุฅููููุง ุนูููููฐ ุฑูุจูู ุงููุนูุงููู
ูููู”
(“And I do not ask you for any reward for it; my reward is only from the Lord of the worlds.”)
The only time a reward was asked for from the prophets was by Seal of the Prophet PBUH who asked for the following:
1. In Surah Furqan, Ayah 57, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is stated:
“ูููู ู
ูุง ุฃูุณูุฃูููููู
ู ุนููููููู ู
ููู ุฃูุฌูุฑู ุฅููููุง ู
ูู ุดูุงุกู ุฃูู ููุชููุฎูุฐู ุฅูููููฐ ุฑูุจูููู ุณูุจููููุง”
(“Say, ‘I do not ask you for any reward for it, except that whoever wills may take to his Lord a way.'”)
2. And in Surah Shuโara Ayah 23, he PBUH asks for:
ููู ูููุง ุฃูุณูุฃูููููู
ู ุนููููููู ุฃูุฌูุฑูุง ุฅููููุง ุงููู
ูููุฏููุฉู ููู ุงููููุฑูุจูููฐ
Say, [O Muhammad], “I do not ask you for this message any payment [but] only good will through kinship.” In reference to the love for the Ahlul Bayet PBUT.
These verses remind us that the role of a scholar is to guide the community towards 1. Allah SWT and 2. The teachings of and the Sunnah of the Ahlul Bayet, not to profit from it. And if these are the two things that are being asked for as a wage, then in reality, it is for the benefit of the audience and the audience alone if they chose to apply it, going back to ูููู ู ูุง ุณูุฃูููุชูููู ู ูููู ุฃูุฌูุฑู ูููููู ููููู ู – whatever I asked of you is for your own good!
Practical Steps for Scholars and Communities:
1. Scholars Should Have a Source of Income:
Scholars are encouraged to have a trade or alternative source of income to support themselves, as the Prophets and Imams PBUT did. This ensures that their guidance remains pure and free from the influence of material gain. The community on the other hand, should also make consideration as to the needs of their scholar and their family in terms of compensation especially if they are of the expectation of having a full time inhouse scholar.
2. Reject Commercialization of Religious Guidance:
Communities must be discerning in their choice of religious guides, prioritizing those whose primary concern is spiritual nourishment rather than financial gain. When selecting scholars, we should ask ourselves: Are we seeking true guidance or merely religious entertainment? The distinction matters profoundly. A scholar who demands substantial fees for ten nights of lectures may draw crowds, but at what cost? Such transactions risk reducing sacred knowledge to a commodity, where the measure of success becomes audience size rather than spiritual transformation. The Quranic model shows us that the most impactful guidance comes from those who serve with selfless dedication, their reward being Allah’s pleasure rather than worldly compensation. When financial considerations overshadow spiritual ones, we may fill seats but empty hearts. True change comes not from polished performances, but from sincere scholars invested in the community’s long-term spiritual growth.
Reflection:
This profound ayahโand indeed the entire Quranic traditionโreminds us that true religious leadership is measured not by worldly compensation, but by sincerity of heart and selfless dedication to the Ummah. The most transformative scholars in our history were those who gave freely, trusting in Allahโs provision, their words carrying weight precisely because they sought no earthly reward.
For contemporary scholars, this means embodying the Prophetic model: serving communities without commodifying sacred knowledge, and viewing invitations as opportunities to nurture faith rather than as transactions. For communities, it means supporting scholars with dignityโnot through extravagant fees that distort priorities, but through sustainable, dignified means that preserve the purity of the teacher-student relationship.
Let us pause and examine our own roles:
โข As seekers of knowledge, are we valuing substance over spectacle?
โข As custodians of mosques and centers, are we prioritizing sincere guidance over crowd-pleasing performances?
โข As believers, are we fostering an environment where spiritual growth matters more than worldly metrics?
May Allah ๏ทป guide us to revive the noble tradition of selfless scholarshipโwhere, like the Prophets and Imams before us, we seek only His pleasure, knowing that the most enduring rewards are those that come from Him alone.
