I am not sure if anyone bothered clicking the link and reading the article I posted on previous page. By Shaykh Haitham Al Hadad who has inside knowledge on these issues.
The following is just an extract. Link to the full article is here.
� A speaker was invited to a city to attend a conference. During his stay in the city he visited a mosque for a Friday prayer. For whatever reason, the Khat?b of the mosque was not present and the speaker was approached and asked to deliver the khutbah in the mosque in the city in which he was already present. He said he would do so if he were paid an extra �1,000.
� A speaker delivered a lecture at an event. After this he sat amongst the members of the audience. There so happened to be a 10 to 15 minute segment in which a brother was supposed to offer reminders to the audience but he was unable to do so. The organisers asked the speaker to cover these 15 minutes. He requested an extra �200 to step out of his chair and share a reminder with the audience.
� One speaker was invited to speak at an event as it was known he would be travelling nearby on his way back to his home country. The organisers requested he make a stop-over at their event and offered to pay the difference in the journey. The speaker agreed to attend on condition that his entire travel expense be paid for, including the full price of his ticket. He requested a stay at a 5-star hotel as it would be a 12 hour stop over, and he later called to inform the organisers that he would be bringing his wife and required her ticket to be paid for as well.
� An Im?m was invited to lead Tar?w?? prayers in a mosque in Ramad?n. Because his recitation was widely appreciated, the mosque requested he extend his time leading the prayers each night from one hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. For extending his Salah for fifteen minutes, the Im?m demanded more money.
� Some speakers even assign their personal assistants to speak on their behalf. They claim they are professionals and hence ask for �professional� contracts between the organisation of the speaker and the organisation inviting the speaker. I was shown a �professional� contract in which a speaker outlined his payment demands and stipulated that if the money was not paid on time a charge of 20% would be added to the fee. Perhaps they thought that charging riba (interest) is part of �professionalism�!
This is becoming ridiculous. The sorts of things some speakers are asking to be paid for or compensated are getting out of hand. The organisations that are inviting them are usually grassroots organisations that depend on donations from the public sphere. These organisations have budgets managed by the penny in order to run their activities and events, and yet, some of our speakers, our shuy?kh and our du�?t are demanding business class flights, specific types of beds, chauffeurs, masseuses and all manner of luxury. A brother in an Islamic organisation once told me that a speaker specifically defined Evian bottled water as the only water he drinks!
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (?) say: The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [ The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I fought for you until I died a martyr. He will say: You have lied - you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: He is courageous. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Quran for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And you recited the Quran that it might be said [of you]: He is a reciter. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I left no path [untrodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: He is open-handed. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i).
I did read somewhere that in the internet age most people posting comments on news articles only read the headline, before commenting. Others read only the first paragraph. Very few bother to read the article in its entirety to understand the full scope or context of what is being discussed.
This thread seems to be very enlightening, in that regard.
To be honest, the ones demanding this luxurious treatment and the ones succumbing to these demands are both at fault. The very least that can be done here is to set the speaker straight by outright refusing his demands. Why increase his sense of self-importance by catering to him? Is he that indispensable? Is anyone ever that indispensable?
Plus, the whole point of holding such events with these speakers is to motivate the people towards deen. That doesn't need a celebrity speaker. If you think it does, then that is celebrity-worship and those people are inspired not by what Allah and Prophet have to say but by the mere appearance of that celebrity.
The organisations are at fault for inviting and accommodating them. They invite them because they want to raise profile of their organisation and raise money for their sub projects.
This epidemic is there among barrlelvi ulema in sub continent.
A big list is presented to those who invite them for meelaad un nabi talks.
They make millions in rabi ul awwal. And urs on shrines
How do the simplicity and humility displayed by renowned ulema, such as Maulana Arshad Madani, Mufti Saeed Ahmed Palanpuri, and Maulana Ibrahim Dewla, reflect the values they uphold in their teachings and daily lives?
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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have to say but by the mere appearance of that celebrity. 
