Is It Permissible to Keep a State Scholarship Deposit If I Refused It?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

If I refuse a state scholarship, but it is deposited anyway, is the money permissible to keep?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Yes, it is permissible to keep the money, provided that it was deposited intentionally by the awarding body and not deposited by mistake.

When It Is Permissible to Keep the Money

If you refused the scholarship and they accidentally deposited the money, that would be a different situation.

However, if, after you refused, they decided to give you the money anyway, then there is no issue. There is no deceptive element on your side. In this case, you may treat it essentially as a grant or a voluntary gift, and this is how you should view it.

The Principle of Not Taking Wealth Without Right

Allah says very clearly:

“O believers! Do not devour one another’s wealth illegally, but rather trade by mutual consent.” [Quran, 4:29]

If the Deposit Carries Conditions You Did Not Accept

However, if the deposit carries conditions that you did not accept, or it creates a binding obligation that you are unwilling to fulfill, or unable to fulfill, then you should inform those who gave you the grant.

You should explain:

1. That you refused to accept it,
2. That it was given to you anyway, and
3. That the conditions attached to it are conditions you are unable to fulfill.

Then ask them how you should proceed.

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.