Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Question:
I registered in an honorable prize competition around 1.5 years ago, giving false information as I wasn’t eligible for it. But when I stepped into the national level, I am feeling grieved for attending this. Should I go further away?
Answer:
Walaikum assalam,
I hope you’re doing well, insha’Allah. May Allah bless you for your remorse and for asking. Lying, cheating, and deception are three grave sins that are unacceptable to Allah.
But Allah loves the repentant. He tells us, “Truly, Allah loves the oft-repentant, and He loves those who purify themselves.” [Quran, 2.222]
The heart of sincere repentance is remorse, leaving the sin, and rectifying the wrong one did.
Cheating Is Unacceptable
The Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever cheats us is not of us.” [Muslim]
Withdraw, and Have Certitude in Allah’s Promise
Repent, admit your wrong, and withdraw from the contest. Have certitude in the promise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that, “You will not leave anything out of mindfulness of Allah except that Allah will grant you better than it.” [Ahmad]
And Allah is the giver of success and facilitation.
[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center