The Obligations of the Student in the Examination Hall.

The Shaykh : Second: From the perspective of the students, it is obligatory for the student to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and to be a student of knowledge in the true sense of the word. He should not deceive, betray, cheat, or violate the regulations. By doing so, he becomes an ideal student, and matters will be made easy for him and his distresses relieved, for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: and He says: It is also incumbent upon the student in this state of distress to rely upon Allah, seek His help, and entrust his affairs to Him, for he may have no power or strength in this situation. He should turn to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah the Exalted said: meaning He is sufficient for him. I am not saying that he should not rely on the knowledge he has acquired, but rather he should rely on it, because it is a cause. However, Allah is the one who brings about the effect. Therefore, his greatest reliance should be on Allah (Mighty and Majestic) so that He will help him. It is recommended that when the question paper is handed to him or the questions are dictated to him, he should remember Allah the Exalted with the word of seeking help, which is "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" (There is no power nor strength except with Allah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said about this phrase that it is a treasure from the treasures of Paradise. He said to Abu Musa al-Ash'ari: In it is the entrusting of affairs to Allah and seeking help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Likewise, for every difficult matter, one should say this phrase, for one is helped by it. Therefore, when the mu'adhdhin says "Hayya 'ala al-salah, Hayya 'ala al-falah" (Hasten to prayer, hasten to success), what do we say? We say "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah," seeking help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to respond to this mu'adhdhin who called us to prayer and called us to success.
The student must also fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) regarding cheating, whether he cheats for himself or for someone else. That is, he should not cheat himself, nor should he help anyone else cheat, because he is entrusted with trust. There is no good in a certificate that is obtained through cheating; rather, it is a calamity for you. For example, if you hold a certificate in the Arabic language and you are asked to parse this sentence: Some people hold a certificate in the Arabic language but do not know how to parse the verse. Where is the certificate? And some people hold a certificate in the Arabic language, but when they read, the number of grammatical errors in their reading is uncountable. Why? Because their certificate is based on what? On cheating. Such a person does not benefit himself, nor does he benefit his community, nor does he remove the blemish from this community. We want our community in this peninsula to be an aware, refined, and educated community from which both the near and the far can benefit.
Now, I say that he must fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and not cheat himself or help others cheat. His emotions should not lead him to see a weak student who needs assistance and say, "By Allah, a servant is helped when he helps his brother." Some of them say, "What is difficult for you?" "This and that is difficult for me." Then he gives him a paper or tells him the answer orally if the proctor is far away, not knowing that the proctor is close. Who is the proctor who is truly watching over everything? It is Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
Therefore, it is obligatory for the student to be a student in the true sense of the word and to fear his Lord.
It has become popular among some people that cheating in non-religious subjects is generally permissible. They say that cheating in all non-religious subjects is permissible. Some of them made the matter more specific, saying, "Cheating in English is permissible, do not worry about it, but it is not permissible in others." This is an error. As long as the sciences are prescribed and the certificate is based on mastering these prescribed sciences in the curriculum, cheating in them is not permissible, even if it is in the English language. The thing that is not approved from the prescribed courses, for example, one writes about it, but a prescribed and recognized curriculum must be mastered, whether it is from the Islamic sciences or from what supports the Islamic sciences, such as Arabic sciences, or from what serves as a means to convey the Shari'ah. The English language may be a means to convey the Shari'ah if you are addressing someone who does not know Arabic but knows English. How do you convey the Shari'ah to him if you keep speaking to him in Arabic from sunrise to sunset? He does not understand. But if you have the English language, which is his language, for example, he understands and benefits. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), who was a young, quick-witted, and intelligent man, to learn the language of the Jews in order to read what came from their books to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and to write for them what was written from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in their language. The people of transmission say: "He learned the Hebrew language in sixteen days", because he was a young, quick-witted, and intelligent man. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: "He learned it with this speed because the Hebrew language is close to the Arabic language". This indicates that learning a non-Arabic language is not blameworthy; it is neither blameworthy nor praiseworthy. If it is a means to good, then one is praised for it. If someone says, "I want to learn the English language to call people to Islam," we say, "May Allah reward you with good." Allah the Exalted says: And it is not possible to call someone who does not know the Arabic language to Islam in Arabic. Rather, you do not call him except in his language. If the matter is thus, it is not permissible for us to issue incorrect fatwas for ourselves and say that there is no harm in cheating in anything other than the Islamic sciences, and as for the English language, you must cheat. Who said this? The certificate is based on what? On passing all subjects. If you are unable to master this language, knock on other doors, perhaps Allah will open other doors for you if you fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic).