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Is it permissible to do research for a student in return for payment?

08-07-2008

Question 22914

Some teachers ask their students to do research and give the students grades for that. Is it permissible for me to do this research for the student in return for payment that I take from him?.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Doing research that is required by teachers in government schools or elsewhere is a requirement of study that serves specific goals such as training the student to research, acquainting them with the sources, finding out how able he is to derive information and organize it, and other aims of asking the student to do research. Hence if some teachers or others do this work on the student’s behalf in return for payment or without payment, this is a haraam action, and the payment for it is haraam earnings, because it involves deceit, lying and falsification. This is a kind of cooperating in sin, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“but do not help one another in sin and transgression”

[al-Maa'idah 5:2]

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever deceives us is not one of us.” Narrated by Muslim, 101 

To sum up: it is not permissible for a student to delegate someone to do research on his behalf, and it is not permissible for anyone to do it on his behalf in secret, or to take payment for that. 

And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon of Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. 

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