Fatwa ID: 08369

Answered by: Maulana Ateiq-ur Rehman

Question:

I have seen people working on someone else assignments, quizzes and exams for money. I consider it wrong but I see a lot of people make living this way. Moreover, they use pirated software’s for performing tasks for money (mostly do freelancing using pirated software’s). Is this Halal or Haram?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Allah mentions in the Quran: “Help each other in righteousness and piety, and do not help each other in sin and aggression. Fear Allah. Surely, Allah is severe at punishment.” (Ma’idah 5:2)

‘Abdullah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “You must be truthful. Truthfulness leads to dutifulness and dutifulness leads to the Garden. A man continues to tell the truth until he is written as a siddiq with Allah. Beware of lying. Lying leads to deviance and deviance leads to the Fire. A man continues to lie until he is written as a liar with Allah.” (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 386)

Lying and cheating are forbidden in Islam, doing so will incur a sin. It is not permissible for a believer to sin, nor aid another in sinning. To answer your question, it would be Haraam to cheat in exams, quizzes and assignments, and so too will it be forbidden to assist someone in doing so. The fact that you also consider it wrong means that Mashallah you have strong imaan.

Nawwas b. Sam’an al-Ansari reported: I asked Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) about virtue and vice. He said: Virtue is a kind disposition and vice is what rankles in your heart and that you disapprove that people should come to know of it. (Sahih Muslim 2553a)

References:

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، قَالَ‏: ‏ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ دَاوُدَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ‏: ‏ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالصِّدْقِ، فَإِنَّ الصِّدْقَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْبِرِّ، وَإِنَّ الْبِرَّ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يَصْدُقُ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللهِ صِدِّيقًا، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالْكَذِبَ، فَإِنَّ الْكَذِبَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْفُجُورِ، وَالْفُجُورَ يَهْدِي إِلَى النَّارِ، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَكْذِبُ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللهِ كَذَّابًا‏.‏

(Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 386 / https://sunnah.com/adab:386)

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمِ بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ النَّوَّاسِ بْنِ سَمْعَانَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ الْبِرِّ وَالإِثْمِ فَقَالَ ‏ “‏ الْبِرُّ حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ وَالإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِكَ وَكَرِهْتَ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

https://sunnah.com/muslim:2553a

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Maulana Ateiq-ur Rehman

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham