Would you pay for this?!

**Hulk** · 05-14-2012

Assalamualaikum,

I was just curious to know, are you willing to pay to join a class to learn more about Islam? I'm curious because there have been quite a few times when I invite a friend to join a class with me the first thing they ask if whether it's free or not. Personally I find it sad as it gives me the impression that knowledge in Islam is not worth their money. If anything, I would say that knowledge is priceless!

I can understand if a person is low on income but there are people who go crazy shopping for clothes, the latest gadgets, watch movies but when it comes to learning about Islam their wallets get heavy. They will say "The teacher should do it for free as it is for the sake of Allah.". I don't disagree that the teacher should definitely do it for the sake of Allah but he is still dedicating time and effort, is it wrong to charge a fee?

Well, this is my own personal opinion and I am wondering what others think.

Hulk

**~ Sabr ~** · 05-14-2012

Yes, I would InshaAllaah, providing they don't charge ridiculous amount, like £60 per day. That is like the Al-Kauthar courses, I think it is too much.

Obviously even people who work have a budget, they have bills, they have their own expenditure (doesn't have to be extravagant).

**Naeema** · 05-14-2012

For a class, yes, I would pay reasonable fees to help compensate for a teacher's time, materials, travel expenses, and facility use.
If it was a weekly get-together for women with drop-in/drop-out common, like a discussion group, then I would be less inclined to pay.
The first instance is something professional, the second is something more social. Both may have value, but the costs involved are different.

**marwen** · 05-14-2012

Yes I would, if there are consistant courses and competent teachers.

Originally Posted by Hulk

I don't disagree that the teacher should definitely do it for the sake of Allah but he is still dedicating time and effort, is it wrong to charge a fee?

Well, this is my own personal opinion and I am wondering what others think.

my personal opinion too :

1 - concerning someone who wants to learn, he should scrifice to seek knowledge if he is able to do it : making effort to learn, buy books, paying for school or paying for travels. And he should not ask too many questions about why he should pay or where this money goes, as long as he gets a beneficial knowledge.

2 - concerning the teacher, I think he should teach deen for the sake of Allah. He should not ask for money in return of his courses. But if he has no other possible job and he dedicates all his time to teaching 'ilm, he can ask for a pay in order to not starve or beg humans for living. The other example is when someone runs a school and it costs too much depenses and equipements and he can't handle all these expenses on his own, he can ask for school fees.
But first, one must have the intention to teach 'ilm for the sake of Allah, and that's what many scholars (May Allah reward them) do. The amazing thing is that many of those 'Ulama' who teach for free, Allah gave them other provenances of rizq (business, commerce) so they can teach for free and live without problems. Indeed rizq is from Allah, and He will provide you with your living wherever you are and whatever you do.

**Beardo** · 05-14-2012

Knowledge is of value and in order to truly acquire it, sacrifices have to be made. I don't mind paying, but I do have similar situations with friends, lol. I ask them if they want to go to an event but they're not willing to pay for the ticket.

**GuestFellow** · 05-14-2012

Salaam,

Depends on how much it is. If it is about £10 - £30, I wouldn't mind. However, if I have to pay over a £100, then...no. I'll just stick to the Internet.

**Alpha Dude** · 05-14-2012

Wa alaykum salam,

Maybe every once in a while if price is reasonable. I don't see myself doing it too often though.

It's not a good idea to push anyone to attend something they don't want to. If someone says no, we shouldn't push them and ask for reasons etc.

**Hulk** · 05-14-2012

Originally Posted by marwen

And he should not ask too many questions about why he should pay or where this money goes

Yes! As if it is our affair!

Originally Posted by Beardo

Knowledge is of value and in order to truly acquire it, sacrifices have to be made. I don't mind paying, but I do have similar situations with friends, lol. I ask them if they want to go to an event but they're not willing to pay for the ticket.

I think a lot of this issue comes from a misplacement of what is valuable and what is not

.

Originally Posted by Tragic Typos

Depends on how much it is. If it is about £10 - £30, I wouldn't mind. However, if I have to pay over a £100, then...no. I'll just stick to the Internet.

Thanks for your input bro, I imagine there are certain things that if only learnt through the internet would be very limiting. But I get what you mean, it was a pretty big if, i'm sure there are probably cheaper alternatives for a course that might cost a hundred quid.

Originally Posted by Alpha Dude

Maybe every once in a while if price is reasonable. I don't see myself doing it too often though.
It's not a good idea to push anyone to attend something they don't want to. If someone says no, we shouldn't push them and ask for reasons etc.

I admit I used to "push" my friends to come with me(free events) because I didn't want to go by myself. But now alhamdulillah I've found more willing friends. Sometimes I invite the old friends but I no longer try to persuade as I used to.

**Qurratul Ayn** · 05-14-2012

I try to go to events or classes, I'm not worried about the cost as long as the subjects within are enough for me to expand my knowledge and for me to gain.

Alhamdulillah, my brother is a Haafiz and is doing the Aalim Course in Madrasah, so I ask him a a lot about Islam, especially if it's something complex or I would like to know more in-depth.

But I do find it interesting to see other people's reactions when invited to an Islamic event or a class, if not for monetary reasons, there's always some other excuse, but Insha'Allaah, they will be guided.

**Alpha Dude** · 05-14-2012

But I do find it interesting to see other people's reactions when invited to an Islamic event or a class, if not for monetary reasons, there's always some other excuse, but Insha'Allaah, they will be guided.

It's very important not to judge anyone here. Allah may have given some people the tawfiq to go to events and classes without trouble but made it more difficult for others. Don't judge or assume negatively about anyone and don't assume they are coming up with 'excuses'.

We don't have knowledge of the unseen and are never able to know what is going on in people's private lives that would prevent them from doing such things.

Advise but don't assume anything about anyone.

**Muhaba** · 05-14-2012

i pay for course at college. some of them are islamic courses, part of the curriculum. so it depends on the course/lecture, is it good or not. and the scholar, is he a good scholar or not. some of the speeches i've heard at some places were total nonsense. the person giving it had no speaking abilities. he didn't even know how to focus on a particular subject. he was just going from one topic to another, rambling really!

another thing to look at is the price. some people won't be able to afford high prices. also, if the speaker is charging outrageously high rates, then i wonder what kind of scholar is he? a true scholar would want that the knowledge should reach many people. of course, if he has paid for the facility, then he would need to charge enough to pay the cost. even still he should try to make it affordable and also would place the lecture online for people to be able to benefit from.

Finally, when you go to a lecture, you can notes and summarize the lecture and give them to your friends who didn't attend so they benefit from it. and the speaker will get reward for whoever benefits from his/her lecture, insha-Allah.

**Qurratul Ayn** · 05-17-2012

Originally Posted by Alpha Dude

It's very important not to judge anyone here. Allah may have given some people the tawfiq to go to events and classes without trouble but made it more difficult for others. Don't judge or assume negatively about anyone and don't assume they are coming up with 'excuses'.

We don't have knowledge of the unseen and are never able to know what is going on in people's private lives that would prevent them from doing such things.

Advise but don't assume anything about anyone.

I apologise sincerely.

I wasn't assuming anything, I chose the wrong words to express my points... I'm NOT judging anyone, and I'm not being obtuse either.

I apologise sincerely once again to all.

May Allaah Ta'ala forgive and guide us all.

**CosmicPathos** · 05-17-2012

I've gone to couple of classes by Al-Maghrib and their halaqaas as well as to few classes by Al-Kauthar. I have stopped attending these courses now, as I do not see any point in learning about such stuff when I yet have to solidify the basic tenets of faith, and these only come from life-long struggle and patience against the trials sent by Allah, to which none of these scholars or their students can relate to or even begin to provide solutions to. It is everyone's individual struggle.

Not only that, but I am not too huge a fan of these aalims and their agendas. So I take the safe approach and if I have some concerns, I try to direct them to more traditional scholars back home who grew up in the scorching desert and did not live a pompous life, who are more likely to be free from the corruption of the Western world.

Al-Bayyinah institute (Noman Ali Khan) I think is an exception, he is doing great work in disseminating knowledge of Quran. If I had the motivation to memorize or learn more of Quran, I'd certainly take his courses and pay for it.