Fatwa ID: 07642

Answered by: Maulana Aabu Saeed Miah

Question

Assalamualaikum. I want to ask, During my high school final exam, I cheated quite a lot. Right now I already regret it and am planning to retake some papers that I cheated on. But after the retake, we can apply for a new certificate that will state our better result but the certificate is a bit different from the original one. Now what I’m sort of worried about is, what if the interviewer asks me why I repeat the test even though my previous result is already good. I feel like the safest answer would just be because I’m not satisfied with the way I answered before and I just want to improve my results more. Though this is true, this is not really my main intention, as my main intention is to rectify my cheating sin. So, am I considered to be lying to the interviewer if I give this answer?

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

Answer:

Wa Alaykum Assalam Wa Rahmatullah,

In difficult cases when concealing a past sin, it’s imperative to avoid committing another. In this case, lying/saying something which is factually incorrect must be avoided. Answering with ‘I’m not satisfied’ or suggesting that ‘you didn’t try your best and would like another attempt with your best effort’ would be factually true, thus you will not be held accountable for committing any sin.

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Aabu Saeed Miah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham