He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

A man does not have enough to meet his needs and leads prayers for payment. Is this permissible or not?

He replied:

Hiring someone to lead prayers is not permissible according to the well-known position in the schools of Abū Hanīfah, Mālik, and Imam Ahmad.

Another view permits it. This is the position of al-Shāfiʿī, one view reported from Imam Ahmad, and an opinion within Mālik’s school. The same disagreement applies to giving the call to prayer. However, the well-known position in Mālik’s school permits hiring someone to give the call to prayer and to lead prayers in conjunction with that duty, but not to lead prayers alone.

A third view within Ahmad’s school and elsewhere concerning payment for these duties and similar activities, such as teaching, is that it is permissible when there is a need, but not otherwise. Allah knows best.