Cheating is a betrayal of honesty, oneself, the educational body, the teacher, the observer in the examination hall, and society in general.
A. Suleiman bin Saleh Al-Matroudi
Saudi University electronic newspaper
Cheating comes from a source (cheating), and cheating by breaking the sin is the opposite of sincerity.
He deceived him, cheated him deceitfully: he did not give him sincere advice.
Fraud is deception coupled with bad faith and the intention of harming others.
On the authority of Abu Hurairah – may God be pleased with him – that the Messenger of God – may God bless him and grant him peace – «He passed by a container of food, put his hand into it, and his fingers got wet. He said: What is this, O owner of the food? He said, “He was struck by heaven, O Messenger of God.” He said, “Did you not place it above the food so that people could see it?” He who cheats is not of me“.
Cheating is a betrayal of honesty, oneself, the educational body, the teacher, the invigilator in the examination hall, and society in general. It negatively affects the quality of education and harms the credibility of the academic certificates obtained by the learner, and the body granting the certificate when his matter is revealed. Because he obtained the certificate illegally, without seriousness or diligence, but rather through the efforts of others through seeking help other than to obtain information and correct answers in irregular ways and in violation of the values of integrity and ethics in the teaching and learning environment, stealing ideas, and using dishonest, illegal and unauthorized means and sources in semester or final exams or semester work, to achieve what he wants in an undeserved way, and to avoid failure and failure in any academic subject.
The reasons and motives for cheating are varied, including – for example -: neglect and indifference to studies throughout the school year, and great pressure from the family or school may play a role in this, and the intense desire to achieve success with the least effort, and the desire to meet the expectations of society or peers, and excessive anxiety about the inability to achieve positive results, and other – imaginary – motives that push the student to resort to cheating to achieve better results and to overcome difficulties or possible failure, and the most important of these reasons is (weak religious motive) in students. The student, who is the safety valve for any human being’s life.
Understanding these reasons helps in developing effective strategies to reduce instances of cheating and enhance integrity in the educational community.
Cheating methods depend on the context and circumstances, and some of the common methods among students – for example – are: exchanging hints with colleagues during tests, using mobile phones or electronic devices to search for answers during the test, or smart watches, writing notes or answers on small papers or on clothes or the body, and hiding them to be seen during the test, and other methods that some students are creative with and circulate among themselves; Some of them even develop it, taking advantage of modern and advanced technology and programs.
There is no doubt that these methods are unethical and violate the rules of integrity and ethics that students must adhere to in the learning environment.
To prevent cheating, the educational entity can take several measures, including – for example -: working to raise the level of religious faith among all students and employees of the educational entity, because it has a major role in enhancing the sense of commitment and the necessity of acting with integrity and moral responsibility that prevents any violating behavior, enhancing self-confidence, awareness of the importance of integrity and ethics in learning and motivating students to follow them, and emphasizing the values of learning and the importance of understanding materials and developing skills in the long term rather than achieving immediate results, through Holding and implementing courses, lectures, bulletins, and educational messages directed to students, and working to use various assessment techniques, such as oral exams or practical projects, and different question models to reduce the chances of cheating, as well as raising the level of monitoring techniques through the use of effective supervision and organizing tests in a controlled environment, and positive interaction with students who show high ethics and avoid cheating and honoring them in front of everyone, and effectively distributing students within exam halls, and enhancing students’ critical thinking skills, as this can help stimulate comprehension and deep understanding, with Giving students an opportunity to take responsibility for their performance and participate in improving the testing environment.
On the other hand, strict and deterrent regulations are applied against those found guilty of cheating, by applying academic penalties, temporary suspension from studying, and noting cases of cheating in the student’s academic record. Which affects his future higher education or career, and other measures that, when integrated, create a balance between deterrence and providing opportunities to correct and develop the path, thus contributing to eliminating the problem and achieving a fair and just learning environment.
Everyone has an important role in combating cheating, starting with the family, the community, the educational incubator, the teacher, the observer, the administrator, and the student, to achieve a fair, effective, inspiring, encouraging, and transparent educational and testing environment that is aware of academic, research, and administrative ethics and behavior and the negative consequences of cheating for everyone.
Fatwa on the ruling on cheating by His Eminence Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Baz – may God have mercy on him:
(Cheating in exams is forbidden and reprehensible, just like cheating in transactions, and it may be greater than cheating in transactions, because it may obtain great jobs for him due to the reasons for cheating. Cheating is forbidden in exams in all lessons, according to what the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said in the authentic hadith: («Whoever deceives us is not one of us») And because it is betrayal, and God Almighty says: {O you who have believed, do not betray God and the Messenger and betray your trusts while you know.} [الأنفال:27] .
It is the duty of students in any subject not to cheat, and to strive to prepare in order to succeed legitimately.
Fatwa on the ruling on cheating by His Eminence Sheikh/ Muhammad bin Saleh bin Uthaymeen – may God have mercy on him:
(Sheikh: There is something permissible for a student to cheat during exams, because cheating is one of the major sins, according to the saying of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him: “Whoever cheats is not one of us.” And because his cheating results in him succeeding, or being given a pass, while he is not worthy of that, then he takes up positions in the state that are only suitable for those who hold a certificate. If this certificate is based on cheating, then he fears that what he takes from salaries will be forbidden to him, because he is taking it while he is not entitled to it, since he did not deserve it, since he did not He actually attains the grade, or more accurately, he has not actually reached the level that qualifies him for this position, so taking the salary is a result of consuming money unlawfully. Let our brothers and sons beware of cheating on the exam in any subject, because when the government set the curricula in this way and the student entered this school, institute, or university on the basis that he was committed to all of its subjects and curricula, then he must fulfill this, and not cheat in any of the subjects. As for some of them, there is nothing wrong with cheating on a subject. English, French, or mathematics, this is an unfounded assumption, because all the subjects in the curriculum are required of the student, and he is given a certificate that he has mastered all of them, so if he cheats in some of them, transfers from someone else, or is taught by someone else, that will be a betrayal of his honesty, and will lead to him not being successful in reality.