“Madrasa or Shop? — Trade in the Name of Religion and Accountability of Conscience”
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Article (88)
In the religion of Islam, the very first foundation is sincerity. Whether the action is worship or service to humanity, if the intention is not pure, that action becomes weightless in the sight of Allah. The establishment of religious seminaries (madrasas) is also a practical manifestation of this sincerity; these are institutions where there should be no trade, no profit, no show-off, but only service to religion, dissemination of knowledge, and spiritual and moral training of the new generation should be the objective.
But alas! Today, there are some madrasas that take the name of religion but run a system of trade. Full fees, mandatory monthly payments, and still begging for donations door to door. And if a student cannot pay the fees, the door is closed, admission is canceled, and self-respect is trampled. It has even come to our ears—and this is not just a rumor but a bitter reality—that children are made to work in the madrasa's kitchen, cleaning, and other tasks if they do not pay the monthly fees, mental pressure is put on the children and their guardians, they are humiliated, even tortured with "expulsion from the madrasa," they are abused, cursed, and silenced through fear.
What kind of knowledge is this that snatches away honor? What kind of religion is this that turns children into laborers? What kind of training is this that makes a person a criminal for not having fees?
And after all this, this sentence is uttered:
“This is not a madrasa that runs on donations!”
This is not a sentence, it is acid on the conscience. This is not clarification, it is the murder of truth.
This is not an announcement, it is open hypocrisy.
The thing that Islam has emphasized the most in financial matters is trust and justice.
The Holy Quran says:
“إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا”
Indeed, Allah commands you to return trusts to their owners: (Surah An-Nisa, Verse 58)
The madrasa is a trust, the donation is a trust, the lives of the students are a trust, and above all, the name of religion is a trust.
If a madrasa is really weak, resources are limited, concessional fees are charged, teachers' salaries are not fully paid, and food and accommodation are managed with difficulty, then donation there is not only permissible but also a source of reward. Such madrasas are the assets of the Ummah; supporting them is an act of worship.
But those madrasas:
That charge full fees, cover all expenses from fees,
Expel the student for not paying the fees,
And still ask for donations—then this is not service, it is deception. This is not religion, it is business. This is not a madrasa, it is a shop. Here, the student is no longer a student, he becomes a prisoner. Here, the fee is no longer a bill, it becomes a punishment. Here, the madrasa is no longer a school, it becomes a psychological torture chamber.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ said:
“مَن غَشَّنَا فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا”
He who deceives us is not one of us (Muslim. Kitab al-Iman: 283)
This deception is not just from an individual, but from the entire Ummah.
This is not just a matter of money, it is a matter of the honor of religion. If the administrators earn personal profits under the guise of fees and donations, fulfill their cars, their homes, their comforts from these amounts, then this is not just dishonesty but betrayal of religion. These are those pious-looking robbers who have rosaries in their hands, Allah on their tongues, but only greed and lust reign in their hearts. _ These are the people who talk with a smile while admitting a poor child, but do not tremble while humiliating the same child for not getting the fees. They talk about piety on the stage and only look at the amount before signing on the future of children in the office, not the character.
If you want to run a private madrasa, say it openly:
This institution runs on fees, it is commercial, it does not take donations.
But do not defame others, do not throw mud at the original madrasas,
Do not auction off the honor of the scholars, and stop looting in the name of religion.
Remember!
People may be silent, the Ummah may be unaware, but Allah is not unaware.
The Quran says:
“وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ”
(Surah Ibrahim, Verse 42)
And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do.
The madrasa is the brother of the mosque, and the mosque is not a place for trade.
The madrasa that is truly deserving, helping it is worship. Supporting its cooperation is a continuous charity. Spending on an institution that is running with sincerity is not only an investment for the Hereafter, but also for both this world and the Hereafter.
The madrasa that maintains honesty even in poverty, helping it draws Allah's help.
The place that distributes knowledge, investing in it is actually grooming oneself.
The madrasa that is not a business, but a service—every rupee given on it becomes a prayer. And the madrasa that eats donations despite the fees, that is not service but robbery.
This is the time to look into our own collars. This is the time to awaken the conscience. This is the time to decide whether we are running a madrasa or selling religion? May Allah make us true servants, save us from becoming pious-looking robbers,
And grant us the ability to understand religion not as a business but as a trust. Amen, O Lord of the Worlds.
By Qalam Mahmoodulbari
Mahmoodulbari342@gmail.com