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Fatwa CenterIs It Obligatory to Report Cheating, and Will It Be a Sin Not to Name the Person?
Question
Assalamu Alaikum!Do I have to tell the teacher if I caught someone doing cheating in exams or test or if I just tell the students directly not to do?Will I get sin if I tell the teacher about cheating but not specifying the person's name?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Cheating in exams is a wrongdoing that should be addressed like other wrongdoings. Initially, it should be denounced verbally. Therefore, if you see someone cheating, admonish them to stop. If they do not cease, warn them that you will report them to the teacher or supervisor. Should they persist, inform the teacher or supervisor so they can take action, because such a wrongdoing that cannot be prevented by words should be prevented by hand [by taking action], and the teacher or supervisor has the authority to intervene and put an end to it by means of using their hand [authority].
It is mentioned in the collection of Fatwas of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin
: “A student posed the following question: ‘If I witness another student cheating or attempting to cheat, am I obligated to report them, or should I say that this matter is somebody else’s responsibility?’
The answer: ‘He is obliged to report them, as this falls under the principle of cooperating in righteousness and piety.’”
Furthermore, it is more likely that revealing the identity of the cheater is obligatory if it is the only way to prevent them from continuing to cheat. If the teacher is not informed of the student's name, it is feared that you are not exempted from the obligation in this case, especially if the student persists in cheating.
Allah knows best.
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