Salam,

The distasteful practice of showering or throwing money at religious poem (naat) recitors still exists in some parts of the Indo Pak sufi community. I was surprised to find the following passage from Imam Ibn al-Jawzi from centuries ago describing a very similar practice of the corrupt Sufis of his time.

Imam Ibn al-Jawzi said in his Sayd al-Khatir pg 662 onwards:

I did not find anything more harmful for the believers than mixing with those of a low spiritual state. This is because peoples natures/spiritual states impact on others, so if you do not end up imitating them or are influenced by them you will none the less end up lessening your religious practice.

He then goes on to highlight the fraudulent sufis of his time as being of those with low spiritual states who harm others, saying: