The Ruling on Considering a Student's Conduct and Behavior When Assigning Grades
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His Eminence the Shaykh: Is it permissible for a teacher, while grading students' papers or during an oral exam, to take into account the students' behavior in the classroom, such that if it is good, he increases their grades or the like? Also, is it permissible in the term's work for the teacher to add one or two points to students' grades out of fear of injustice or the like? You know that injustice is darkness on the Day of Resurrection, that the supplication of the wronged is answered, and that many teachers commit great injustice against students without realizing it, so the teacher fears this. Please inform us, may Allah guide you.
This question is important for teachers, and I know that they assign grades for a student's behavior and morals within the school. It is obligatory for the teacher who determines these grades to judge with justice and to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic). If one of the students has better behavior and morals, he gives him the grade he deserves, and he deducts from the student with bad morals the amount of behavior grades he deserves, and he does not show favoritism to anyone in this.
As for the grades in sciences, mathematics, and academic level, he does not increase or decrease them based on the student's behavior, but rather he gives each student the grades he deserves. Have you seen if two men went to a judge, one a disbeliever and the other a Muslim, would he deprive the disbeliever of his right because he is a disbeliever? No.
So the issue of the answer is according to the information presented to you, whether the student has bad morals or good morals.
The second issue: If the teacher has wronged the student, this does not fall outside of two cases. The first case: he thought when dealing with the student that he was on the right path, and that he was exercising independent legal reasoning (ijtihad), and this is what his ijtihad led him to, such as stopping him in the classroom, hitting him, expelling him, or the like, but at that time he saw that he was on the right path, and then after reflection he saw that he made a mistake; in this case, there is no injustice, and a person is not punished for it, because at that time he was exercising ijtihad.And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (If a judge rules and exercises ijtihad and is correct, he has two rewards, and if he makes a mistake, he has one reward).
And if we said to every one who acts in the affairs of others: If he makes a mistake after his ijtihad, he bears this mistake and the punishment falls upon him; no one would accept acting in the affairs of others, and the interests of the people would be neglected. But out of Allah's mercy, the one who acts for others, such as the guardian of an orphan, the agent, the overseer of an endowment, and others, if they act while seeing that this is the correct thing without any negligence on their part, and then after this their mistake becomes apparent, then they owe nothing, there is no liability in this world and no sin in the Hereafter.
The second state: That he knows that he has wronged the student with true injustice, and at that time he knows that he punished him only for revenge for himself; in that case, he appeases the student without increasing his grades, but rather gives him only his right; because if he increases his grades, he commits injustice against the other students, and confusion results from that, and it may lead to students losing their trust in their teachers, and this is one of the most dangerous matters; because if a student loses his trust in his teacher, he does not care about his orders, and does not benefit from him, even if he appears to be listening to him and paying attention to his explanation.
This question is important for teachers, and I know that they assign grades for a student's behavior and morals within the school. It is obligatory for the teacher who determines these grades to judge with justice and to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic). If one of the students has better behavior and morals, he gives him the grade he deserves, and he deducts from the student with bad morals the amount of behavior grades he deserves, and he does not show favoritism to anyone in this.
As for the grades in sciences, mathematics, and academic level, he does not increase or decrease them based on the student's behavior, but rather he gives each student the grades he deserves. Have you seen if two men went to a judge, one a disbeliever and the other a Muslim, would he deprive the disbeliever of his right because he is a disbeliever? No.
So the issue of the answer is according to the information presented to you, whether the student has bad morals or good morals.
The second issue: If the teacher has wronged the student, this does not fall outside of two cases. The first case: he thought when dealing with the student that he was on the right path, and that he was exercising independent legal reasoning (ijtihad), and this is what his ijtihad led him to, such as stopping him in the classroom, hitting him, expelling him, or the like, but at that time he saw that he was on the right path, and then after reflection he saw that he made a mistake; in this case, there is no injustice, and a person is not punished for it, because at that time he was exercising ijtihad.And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (If a judge rules and exercises ijtihad and is correct, he has two rewards, and if he makes a mistake, he has one reward).
And if we said to every one who acts in the affairs of others: If he makes a mistake after his ijtihad, he bears this mistake and the punishment falls upon him; no one would accept acting in the affairs of others, and the interests of the people would be neglected. But out of Allah's mercy, the one who acts for others, such as the guardian of an orphan, the agent, the overseer of an endowment, and others, if they act while seeing that this is the correct thing without any negligence on their part, and then after this their mistake becomes apparent, then they owe nothing, there is no liability in this world and no sin in the Hereafter.
The second state: That he knows that he has wronged the student with true injustice, and at that time he knows that he punished him only for revenge for himself; in that case, he appeases the student without increasing his grades, but rather gives him only his right; because if he increases his grades, he commits injustice against the other students, and confusion results from that, and it may lead to students losing their trust in their teachers, and this is one of the most dangerous matters; because if a student loses his trust in his teacher, he does not care about his orders, and does not benefit from him, even if he appears to be listening to him and paying attention to his explanation.