Short answer
In the Hanafi fatwa of the Deobandi institutions, a fixed or expected payment for reciting the Quran in taraweeh is not permissible, for the giver or the taker. A way out is to appoint the hafiz as imam for some daily prayers during Ramadan and pay him for that. A gift given freely, with no condition or expectation, is fine.
Later Hanafi scholars allowed wages for teaching the Quran, adhan and leading the five prayers out of need, but not for mere recitation (tilawah). Payment for completing the Quran in taraweeh, agreed or customary, falls under recitation and is not allowed.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Taking a wage for teaching or reciting the Quran is generally allowed, based on the hadith that the most deserving thing to take a wage for is the Book of Allah.
Explanation
The early Hanafi position was that no wage at all may be taken for acts of worship such as teaching the Quran, adhan and imamate. Later Hanafi scholars saw that, without salaries, teaching and masjid services would collapse, so they allowed wages for these out of necessity. That necessity does not cover simply reciting the Quran. Ibn Abidin explains that paying someone to recite the Quran is not allowed, and the reward of a recitation done for money is lost.
Taraweeh khatm. Completing the Quran in taraweeh is a sunnah, but it is not a necessity like the daily prayers. For this reason the fatwa of Darul Uloom Deoband and other Hanafi institutions is that a fixed fee, or a sum that everyone knows will be given, is not permitted. What is customary counts as agreed. If no hafiz will lead without payment, it is better to pray taraweeh with short surahs.
- Allowed: appointing the hafiz as imam for Isha, or several daily prayers, for the month, with a salary for that duty.
- Allowed: a gift given purely out of love, with no expectation, and which would not be resented if absent.
- Allowed: covering his real travel and food costs.
- Not allowed: a fee for the khatm, or a collection that the hafiz knows he will receive.
The other view. The Prophet ﷺ approved of Companions who took payment for reciting ruqyah, saying the Book of Allah is the most deserving thing to take a wage for. Many scholars outside the Hanafi school use this to allow payment for recitation. The Hanafi scholars limit it to ruqyah, which is treatment. Abu Dawud also records a stern warning to a Companion who was given a bow for teaching the Quran. Masjid committees should discuss this calmly with their local mufti.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:41
وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِمَآ أَنزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقًۭا لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ وَلَا تَكُونُوٓا۟ أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍۭ بِهِۦ ۖ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِى ثَمَنًۭا قَلِيلًۭا وَإِيَّٰىَ فَٱتَّقُونِ ﴿٤١﴾
And believe in what I have sent down confirming that which is [already] with you, and be not the first to disbelieve in it. And do not exchange My signs for a small price, and fear [only] Me.
The Quran is not to be treated as a commodity to sell.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3416
Grading to be checked... إن كنت تحب أن تطوق طوقا من نار فاقبلها ...
"If you would like to be collared with a collar of fire, then accept it."
A warning to a Companion offered a gift in return for teaching the Quran.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5737
Sahih... إن أحق ما أخذتم عليه أجرا كتاب الله ...
"The most deserving thing you take a wage for is the Book of Allah."
Said about ruqyah; the evidence for the view that allows payment.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Ijarah, chapter on invalid hire. Wages for teaching, adhan and imamate are allowed out of necessity; hire for mere recitation is not.
- Imdad al-Fatawa, Kitab al-Salah, section on taraweeh. Payment for the khatm in taraweeh is not permissible; appoint the hafiz as imam instead.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Ijarah. The Shafi'i permission to take a wage for teaching the Quran.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.