What is the ruling on cheating in examinations?
2026-09-21
F91 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn Bāz
الشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Original Q&A · Complete published question and answer
The complete published question and answer are included, with presenter follow-ups and closing remarks where present. The browsing title is editorial.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
كما أوضحتَ فضيلتكم الخيانة -ومنها الغشّ في الامتحان- أرجو توضيح الحكم الشرعي في ذلك مع ذكر الدَّليل؟
الجواب
الغشُّ في الامتحان لا شكَّ أنه يدخل في العموم، والدليل: يقول النبيُّ ﷺ: مَن غشَّنا فليس منا، هكذا قال النبيُّ ﷺ: مَن غشَّنا فليس منا.
وإذا كان الغشُّ في البيع والشراء حرامًا فهو في العلم كذلك؛ لأنَّ طالب العلم تُعلّق عليه آمال، وتُعلّق عليه أحكام، فإذا غشَّ في امتحاناته واختباراته فقد يُنسب إلى العلم ويُعدّ من العلماء وهو ليس كذلك، وإنما حصل ما حصل من الشَّهادات من طريق الخيانات، ومن طريق الكذب، ومن طريق التزوير، فيضرّ نفسَه، ويضرّ الناس، والحديث عام: مَن غشَّنا فليس منا.
ولما مرَّ النبيُّ ﷺ على صبرةٍ من طعامٍ أدخل يده فيها، فنالت أصابعه بللًا، فقال: ما هذا يا صاحب الطعام؟ قال: أصابته السَّماء يا رسول الله، يعني: المطر، قال: أفلا جعلتَه فوق الطعام كي يراه الناسُ، مَن غشَّ فليس منا.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
Your Eminence explained betrayal, including cheating in examinations. Please clarify its religious ruling and give the evidence.
Answer
Cheating in examinations undoubtedly falls under the general prohibition. The evidence is the Prophet's ﷺ statement: “Whoever cheats us is not one of us.” That is what the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever cheats us is not one of us.”
If cheating in buying and selling is unlawful, the same applies to knowledge. Hopes are placed upon a student, and judgments depend upon him. If he cheats in examinations and tests, he may be associated with knowledge and counted among the scholars when he is not one. He has only obtained his certificates through betrayal, lying and falsification. He harms himself and harms people. The hadith is general: “Whoever cheats us is not one of us.”
When the Prophet ﷺ passed a heap of food, he put his hand into it and his fingers encountered moisture. He asked, “What is this, owner of the food?” The man said, “Rain fell on it, Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Why did you not put it on top so that people could see it? Whoever cheats is not one of us.”
Source and editorial notes
Official Ibn Bāz website fatwa 3691
الموقع الرسمي للشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Official website of Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz
Arabic checked against the complete official published transcript. Text is preserved; spacing is normalized and legacy honorific glyphs are expanded. The English translates every displayed paragraph; Quran quotations are translations of their meanings.