Does the Hadith, "Whoever takes a bow for teaching the Qur'an, Allah will adorn him with a bow of fire on the Day of Resurrection," prohibit taking a wage for teaching the Qur'an if the teacher does not intend to receive direct financial compensation? And is it permissible for the teacher to reduce the hours designated by the Endowments for teaching the Qur'an if he deems that sufficient for the students, and what is the ruling on the salary he receives in this case?

The early Hanafis and the relied-upon opinion of the Hanbali school adopted the literal meaning of the aforementioned hadith (definition) prohibiting the taking of wages for teaching the Qur'an. In contrast, the later Hanafis permitted it by way of istihsan (juristic preference), fearing that the teaching of the Qur'an would cease. The Malikis and Shafi'is permitted taking wages for teaching the'an, citing other evidence, such as the action of Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, who used to provide stipends for teachers. It is not permissible for someone who has contracted to teach the memorization of the Qur'an for a specific period to teach only a part of it and then depart before the agreed time.