Is It Wrong to Ask a Friend for Help During an Exam?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is it wrong to ask a friend for help with a task during an exam when I wasn’t sure of my mistakes, especially if I could see other people’s screens due to sitting close together?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question and for being mindful of Allah (Most High) in your exams.
Yes, it would be wrong for you to ask your friend for answers while in an exam room and looking at other people’s screens. Cheating is a negative character trait. If you have previously accepted answers in an exam in the way you have mentioned, let it be so. However, in the future, refrain from asking or looking at others’ screens.
Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) passed by a man selling food. He put his hand in it and saw something wrong with it. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “He is not one of us who cheats.” [Ibn Maja]
Related:
- Exams
- Deception, Cheating, & Concern – Birgivi’s The Path of Muhammad Explained [Video]
- What Should I Do After Having Cheated in My Online Exams?
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
