There will be false religious scholars who demand money to serve the religion in the end times

“There will be such times that common people will read the Qur’an, devote themselves to worship (but) they will be busy with the acts of the companions of innovation (bi’dah) and stray into polytheism unwittingly. THEY WILL DERIVE PROFIT BY THEIR WORDS AND SCIENCE, GET WEALTH BY ABUSING RELIGION. HERE THEY ARE THE ACCOMPLICES OF THE ANTICHRIST, WHO IS BLIND IN ONE EYE.” (Ahmad Diya ad-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, Hadith no: 6255)

In this hadith of our Prophet (saas), it is stated that in the End Times some people will follow some persons who will concoct superstitions and innovations (bidah) into the religion. In that period some false hodjas will emerge and misrepresent Islam to such an extent that people will believe what these persons tell are in the religion. Therefore they will not be aware that they are straying into polytheism and going afar from the religion.

Profiting by abusing the religion will be one of those false hodjas’ features. What that means is that they will not obey the morality that is stated in Surat al-An’am, 90 which instructs Muslims not to claim any fee for their services to the religion. Our Prophet (saas) also predicted that individuals with this kind of mindset would be subservient to the system of the antichrist that has waged a struggle against the Islamic moral values in the End Times. As it is known, our Prophet (saas) predicted in one of his other hadiths that some so-called scholars would enter into the antichrist’s service in the End Times.

“SOME SEVENTY THOUSAND TURBANED SCHOLARS OF MY COMMUNITY WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE ANTICHRIST.” (Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, p. 796)

These hadiths clearly indicate that, in the period of the emergence of Hazrat Mahdi (as), which is Hijri 1400s, there will be malignant, so-called religious scholars who are afar from the Qur’anic moral values, have the intention to abuse religion to their own benefit, are against the dominion of the Islamic moral values and will support the system of the antichrist by striving to sneakingly demotivate Muslims, concocting superstitions and innovations into the religion and causing mischief.