Is It Degrading That a Religious Teacher’s Salary Is Less Than a Primary Teacher’s?

Question

Arabic and Persian are taught up to the final-year hadith course, and also Urdu, Hindi and arithmetic up to the fifth grade. The teachers of hadith and tafsir get a “dry” salary, while the teachers of the primary grades get a salary together with food and breakfast, in such a proportion that the teachers who teach hadith and tafsir receive less salary than the teachers of the primary grades — is this not a degradation of the ‘ulama and of religious knowledge?

Answer

People of knowledge should serve the religious sciences purely for the sake of Allah, not for the salary. Whatever they receive they should regard as a gift from the True Owner, not as recompense for serving the religion. In sha’ Allah, the reward will also be given in full, the pleasure of the Exalted will be attained, and honour will be gained in this world too.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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