Fatwa ID: 07545
Answered by Alimah Shireen Mangera-Badat
Question:
My brother wants to pursue a master’s from abroad & he has a 3-year bachelor’s degree, but they want a 4-year bachelor’s degree. So, he is trying to forge an equivalent degree of 4 years to pursue a master’s. He is guilty of it knowing it’s a sin, but will the income based on the master’s he acquires from abroad be Halal or Haram?
What if he directly uses this degree for a Job?
I have searched for Fatwas on this matter & found a difference of opinion. Darul Iftaa(UK) by Mufti Muhammad Adam bin Al Kawthari say it’s Halal as the salary is given on the basis of Halal work he does & some say it’s haram as said by the website IslamQA. What is the correct opinion? Give some supporting evidence on ur opinion so that we can understand the issue at our level best.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
From a Hanafi perspective, this issue involves two key considerations: the permissibility of forgery and the implications of using a forged degree to earn an income.
- The Sin of Forgery
Forgery, which involves falsifying documents or providing false information, is a clear sin in Islam. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“And do not deprive people of their due and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.” (Surah Al-Shu’ara, 26:183)
Depriving others of their rights, which includes obtaining something through deceit, is considered a form of injustice.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“من غش فليس منا” “He who cheats is not one of us.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 102)
Forging documents falls under cheating and deception, which are condemned in Islam. This makes the act of falsifying a degree haram (forbidden).
- Using a Forged Degree to Earn Income
Now, the question of whether income earned through a job obtained using a forged degree is halal or haram revolves around two issues: the method of obtaining the job and the nature of the work itself.
In Fatawa Hindiyya, it is explained that means of acquiring income should be permissible, and any deceit involved in obtaining wealth renders the acquisition sinful
Using a forged degree to secure a job is a form of deceit. Even if the job itself involves permissible work, the means of obtaining that job (through deception) are haram, and this affects the permissibility of the income earned.
In Radd al-Muhtar, a prominent Hanafi text, it is explained that if a person uses unlawful means to acquire something, the earnings are tainted:
“الوسائل المحرمة تجعل النتيجة محرمة أيضًا” “Unlawful means make the result unlawful as well.” (Radd al-Muhtar, vol. 3, p. 345)
Therefore, the income would be considered haram if the job was secured using a forged degree, as the means of obtaining the job were impermissible.
3. Direct Use of the Forged Degree for a Job
If the forged degree is directly used to obtain a job, the Hanafi principles regarding deceit and dishonesty apply more strongly. Since the very act of securing the job involves a haram action (deceit), the earnings from that job would be considered haram.
Thus, using a forged degree to directly secure a job makes both the act of obtaining the job and the income from that job impermissible (haram).
Conclusion:
Forgery itself is haram. The act of falsifying a degree is clearly prohibited in Islam due to the deceit involved. This is supported by Qur’anic verses, hadith, and Hanafi juristic texts.
Income from a job obtained with a forged degree:
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- While some scholars like Mufti Muhammad Adam argue that the salary might be halal if the work itself is halal, the stronger and more cautious opinion, supported by classical Hanafi sources, is that income earned through a job obtained via deceit (forged degree) is haram. This is because the means of acquiring the job were impermissible, which taints the income.
Direct use of a forged degree for a job: Using a forged degree directly to secure a job would render the income haram, as the entire process is built on deceit.
Considering the Hanafi rulings and the emphasis on lawful means, your brother should avoid using a forged degree. Repentance (Tawbah) and reliance on lawful, transparent means to achieve his goals are essential. The correct opinion, according to the principles of Hanafi Fiqh, would be that income gained through a forged degree is haram due to the sinful means used to obtain the job.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Alimah Shireen Mangera-Badat
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
“كل ما كان من طريق الحرام فالمال المكتسب منه حرام – (Fatawa Hindiyya, vol. 4, p. 156)
