Fatwa ID: 05220

Answered by: Mufti Eunus Ali

Question

I am a freelance academic writer. I wanted to know whether it is right to work as an academic writer because the student pays for getting his/her academic assignments done. Is it ok for me to continue this work? I don’t have any direct contact with the students, the central agent gives me assignments and pays me according to the decided pay rate. kindly tell me should I continue this or not.

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

Answer:

There are two possible scenarios for your question.

• If the assignments that you are writing for the customers/students are used as a template which they would use to write their own assignments, it will be permissible. This would be a normal transaction.[1]
• If the assignments are written by you and then submitted by the customer/student as their own work, it will not be permissible and this would be deception and fraud.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by a man who was selling food. He put his hand in it and saw that there was something wrong with it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘He is not one of us who cheats.”‘ (Sunan Ibn Majah: 2309)

Allah has stated: Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment. (Surah Maidah: 2)

In light of the above, not only is it impermissible for one to deceive others but it will be equally impermissible to facilitate deception.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Mufti Eunus Ali

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] Al-Binaayah Sharhul Hidayah, Volume 8, Page 3, Darul Kutubul Ilmiyyah