I recently came across an advert looking for a full-time position for an Imam in the UK. Do you want to hear some of the steep requirements sought of such an individual?
They must be:
- a hāfidh — i.e. memorised the Qur’ān cover-to-cover;
- a speaker of fluent English — though the ad said “preferably”;
- a qualified ālim — i.e. completed a six-year full-time Islamic studies programme.
The ad further mentioned that, within his job description, there would be:
- leading the five daily prayers;
- running the children’s maktab;
- and conducting the Friday sermon.
All of the above, for the grand wage of £18,200 a year.
That wage is beyond demeaning, it’s illegal
The UK’s National Minimum Wage Act 1998 mandates a minimum hourly rate depending on age and work type. [1]
For adults aged 23 and older, the 2024 National Living Wage has been £11.44 per hour. Therefore, right now, a 40-hour work week should yield at least £21,673.60 annually. [2] [3]
In 2025, there will be a broadening to include adults aged 21 and over, and an increase to £12.21 per hour. [2]
And yet, many Imams are paid far less, often with the justification that their wages are “community service” or “a sacrifice”.
Furthermore, some legal experts argue that typical Imam work-days — from Duhr to Isha — span 11 or more hours during summer months in the UK.
This raises concerns about compliance with the UK’s Working Time Regulations 1998, which limits weekly hours to an average of 48.
But that’s not all.
What does an Imam actually do?
I’ve had the honour of being involved in three mosques, being a khatīb for many years, and having a number of friends and teachers who are full-time Imams.
Believe me when I tell you that the above roles are just a fraction of what an Imam actually does.
In addition to what we’ve already mentioned, day-to-day responsibilities that are typically expected of a full-time Imam also include:
Fundraising
This is for the mosque and important local and global causes.
Counselling and conflict resolution
Addressing marital disputes, family issues, and youth challenges.
Life events
Performing marriages, leading funeral prayers, and offering pastoral care.
Community outreach
Engaging with local groups, conducting da’wah, and supporting new Muslims.
Religious education
Answering Islamic queries through emails, calls, or one-on-one discussions.
Event management
Organising daily classes in the mosque, Ramadan programmes, Tarawīh, and Eid prayers.
These duties often demand skills in leadership, emotional intelligence, public speaking, and deep religious knowledge — yet the financial compensation is disproportionately low.
But they do carry out all of these roles, which in any normal organisation would be separate positions, all for a salary less than that of an entry-level worker at a supermarket!
So why do Imams leave?!
We, Muslims, shoot ourselves in the foot by expecting the highest level of service for a pittance of a salary.
And when we can’t find an Imam who is willing to “sacrifice” their Dunya, we import them from abroad, where £18k sounds like an attractive wage…
But then we wonder why the community doesn’t support the masjid when the Imam can’t deliver a khutbah in English, relate to the problems of the community, or connect with the youth.
A true story
One of the Imams of my local area had been faithfully serving his community for more than 12 years, before his attar (Middle Eastern perfume) business made him way more money than his Imam salary! So he quit.
It wasn’t because he’s greedy for money, but because he has a family that he needs to provide for. And £17,000 per year + state benefits wasn’t a dignified wage for anyone to live off of.
Conversely, the average wage of a priest in the UK is £28,000 and a rabbi’s £35,000, both of which arguably have less responsibility and far better employee benefits!
The Church of England not only pays for the housing of its priests, but also manages a £3.3bn pension fund to ensure a secure retirement for its workers.
As Muslims, we’d be shocked if an Imam gets paid annual leave!
Role of the Imam in the community
When you’re having problems in your marriage, who do you run to? When your child says they want to leave Islam, who do you seek for help?
When you complain about the spiritual ills of society, who do you think is actually putting in the time and effort to work on these problems?
Imams.
First point of contact for Muslims in crisis
They are the spiritual doctors of our community, and as the saying goes,
“If you pay peanuts, you’ll get monkeys.”
When living on such unliveable wages, Imams have no choice but to dedicate whatever little free time they have left to side hustles to bring themselves up to a liveable wage.
This inevitably leads to burnout and diminished effectiveness in their primary roles.
When communities fail to invest in their leaders, the long-term costs — such as spiritual disconnect, lack of engagement, and declining mosque attendance — are far greater.
Misplaced priorities in mosque budgets
Nurturing people, not buildings
Mosque committees and trustees need to be forward-thinking.
They need to invest in the community by paying a dignified, liveable wage to their Imams, such that they are fairly compensated for the amount of work and responsibility placed upon their shoulders.
But many still have the “back-home mentality” that mosques are just for prayer and maktab (as the abovementioned job description so clearly illustrated).
So instead, they prioritise the donation funds for cosmetic upgrades: expensive wudū areas, unnecessary ornate domes, and luxury carpets over community-centred investments.
Or worse, funds are hoarded in bank accounts rather than on building capacity for attendees.
Model of the Prophet’s mosque (ﷺ)
Contrast all of the above with the Madinan model established by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
His mosque was simple: four brick walls, an earthy floor, and a partial thatched roof.
Yet it became the hub for education, governance, and spiritual development of the greatest society the Earth had ever seen.
Why? Because the focus was on nurturing people, not buildings.
Time for change
A dignified wage not only means that Imams happily give 110 per cent to their communities, we’ll also get better candidates for the roles.
We will secure people who can actually lead their communities effectively, rather than scraping the bottom of the barrel for whoever is willing to work for pennies.
The ultimate benefit will be seen and lived in our communities; when Imams thrive, their communities flourish in the spiritual and social sense.
To secure the future of mosques and their relevance, trustees and committees must rethink their priorities.
Instead of focusing on bricks and mortar, let’s invest in the people who bring our faith to life. Imams are indispensable to the spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing of Muslims. Paying them fairly isn’t just an act of justice — it’s an investment in our future.
Let’s not wait until our mosques become irrelevant to address this crisis. Change begins now.
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/39/contents
[2] https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates
[3] https://minimumwageuk.co.uk/minimum-wage-salary-40-hours-a-week/
Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa Raḥmatullāhi wa Barakātuh,
My dear brother Khidr,
May Allāh Almighty bless you for shining on a light on this very important subject. I pray that this article of yours sparks the motivation for a far-reaching change in our communities throughout the UK and in the world.
However, this problem is a little more complicated; there are communities where donations are not sufficient to even cover minimum wage, let alone a decent, dignified earning. I have seen Masājid that collect £100/week and yet have energy bills more than their donations. Donation income varies significantly up and down the country. Some Masājid are forced to think outside of the box and have paid services which are then paid back to an Imām via separate agreements.
I think one of the main issues which you touched upon in your piece is that the wealthiest Masājid are forever upgrading their own buildings and there is no central point distributing for other locations according to some well-determined criteria. Many Church denominations have a fund, if not government-funded (such as the CBF CoE Fund), as do Synagogues in the UK (adding to many funding routes from Israel itself). There is nothing similar that I am aware of for Masājid.
If there was a central pot which did not discrimate except on established sign-up criteria (such as salary amounts, creedal red lines etc) and ensured:
1- That a certain amount of funding would be available to have premises of a certain standard;
2- That a certain amount of funding would be available for critical staff based on size; and,
3- That Masājid would then have to pay into the pot when they reach a size and donation level which makes sense.
The motivation to join would of course swing more towards Masājid that are struggling but I believe it would add pressure to large Masājid to support the rest of the community in the country as a strong motivator.
Alas, this would likely take a seismic shift in the community to organise as we have not been able to do so with Zakāh, let alone something like this.
I pray for the increase in knowledge and beneficial action of our communities and that we are able to stand before our lord on the day of judgement having taken care of the rights of ourselves, our families and our communities wherever we are responsible.
Āmīn
Great article. May Allah reward the Imams that put up with the finincial hardships and strangleholds of Trustees.
Could you add further thought under:
*Model of the Prophet’s mosque (ﷺ)*
-What was the salary of of our Prophet SAW?
-Recount the story of when the Ansar asked for a ‘break’ and the Prophet SAW’s response.
-What was the salary of the Sahaba that brought Islam to our continent?
We need to come on to the entire model if we put up the Nabwi model for emulation. Not just the building.
I agree with the article in most part. Good Ulama are leaving. But we learn from our Shuyookh that you’ve also got to have a business. A hustle. And not be reliant on the Imams salary.
We’re at an impasse. What do we do? Do we wait for Masjids to become ‘irrelevant’ as you write? I say we march on the ansari model. Allah will reward us. We can’t walk away.
I find the following advice from Shaykh Abdur Raheem helpful: https://youtu.be/mm5lCliqv-c?feature=shared
Assalamualaykum warahmatullah.
My dear brother and Imaam, I can’t say more than you said. You truly read my mind. I wish and pray that we wake up and smell the coffee and Do something about it before it’s too late. Though it’s already too late.
Yaa Allah help us to understand the time, the country and society we live in and do things according to the demands of the time.
Jazakallahu biahsanil jazaa.
I am agree with br Khidr Mohammaed point of view regarding the Imam issues in UK Mosques which they are facing. They are treated unfairly and humilated . There are so many Issues in the Mosques committees one of them are illetrate people have taken over the Mosques and some organisations just do fund raising through the Mosques but does not pay properly wages to their imams even they treat the like a slave . There is other major issues in the Mosques committee is racism and nepetisim only they keep their own family members or imam in Mosques. . what is the solution for this and kind of step should take against these issues . is there any department to make
a compliment about the Mosques committees and organisations who involved in this Unfair and disrespectful behaviour towards their imams in the job place . Last but not least what you can do in this regard and what is you future plan for it .I order to stop it.