False medical excuses used by students and employees
Question

                What is the ruling on using false medical excuses used by some clerks and students? While the real reason for their absence is traveling or sleeping for example. Is it permissible for a student, for example, to use such false medical excuse in case he could not wake up or did not hear the alarm and got delayed for the exam; as he is, in fact, excused anyway?.
Praise be to Allah.
    What the Muslim must do is be trustworthy, and remember that 
    Allaah, may He be exalted, is always watching him in all his affairs, so he 
    should be honest in word and deed, and he should not be deceitful or do 
    anything that would make others suspicious of him. 

    Allaah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the 
    meaning): 

    “Verily, Allaah commands that you should render back the 
    trusts to those, to whom they are due; and that when you judge between men, 
    you judge with justice. Verily, how excellent is the teaching which He 
    (Allaah) gives you! Truly, Allaah is Ever All‑Hearer, All‑Seer”

    [al-Nisa’ 4:58]

    al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
    Tafseer al-Qur’aan il-‘Azeem (2/338): 

    Allaah tells us that He has enjoined rendering back trusts to 
    those to whom they are due. In a hadeeth narrated by al-Hasan from Samurah 
    it is reported that the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of 
    Allaah be upon him) said: “Render trusts back to those who entrusted them to 
    you, and do not betray the one who betrays you.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad and 
    the authors of al-Sunan. This includes all kinds of trusts that are 
    binding upon one, such as the rights of Allaah over His slaves, prayer, 
    zakaah, fasting, expiation, fulfilment of vows and other things with which 
    one is entrusted and that other people cannot see; and the rights that 
    people have over one another, such as things that are entrusted to one’s 
    care and so on, with no proof. Allaah has enjoined us to fulfil these trusts 
    and if a person does not do that in this world, it will be taken from him on 
    the Day of Resurrection. End quote. 

    Falling short in doing one’s work by being absent or by not 
    doing it properly or by neglecting it is regarded as a betrayal, which is 
    haraam. So how about if that is combined with lying and fabricating excuses 
    one way or another?  

    The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 
    said: “Righteousness is a good attitude, and sin is that which wavers in 
    your heart and you do not want the people to find out about it.” Narrated by 
    Muslim (2553). 

    If an employee falls short in his work, then he offers a 
    fabricated medical excuse, he feels in his heart that he is sinning and he 
    does not want people to find out what he has done, even those who are close 
    to him. He wants to appear trustworthy, honest, productive and committed to 
    his work. 

    The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas 
    were asked: What is the ruling on an employee who works in a government 
    department asking for sick leave when he is not telling the truth? 

    They replied: If the situation of the employee is as 
    described, then that is not permissible, because it involves lying and 
    deceiving the state, and taking the wages that he is paid during that false 
    sick leave unlawfully. End quote. 

    Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah 
    (15/152-153). 

    They were also asked (15/153-154): 

    I work as a teacher, and my wife is also a teacher – praise 
    be to Allaah. On some occasions one or both of us were absent, but not for 
    any legitimate excuse, rather it was because we overslept or felt lazy, but 
    the following day we gave a false excuse, and sometimes our boss turns a 
    blind eye to that. What is the ruling on that? What should we do with the 
    salary that we were given for those days when we did not attend? Please note 
    that we regret our absence on those days, and we resolved not to do that 
    again, then we do it again. 

    They replied: 

    What a person who is entrusted with work in return for 
    payment must do is do the work in the manner required. If he fails to do so 
    with no legitimate excuse, the salary that he receives is not permissible 
    for him to keep, because he is not taking it in return for work. Based on 
    that, you have to repent and not go back to what you have mentioned, and you 
    have to be trustworthy in doing the work with which you are entrusted, and 
    give in charity the part of your salary that you took with no legitimate 
    excuse. End quote. 

    They were also asked (15/156): 

    How can one be sincere in doing one’s work; does this come 
    under the heading of amaanah (trust) that is mentioned in the Qur’aan? 

    They replied: 

    Sincerity in doing one’s job or work that one has been hired 
    to do means doing the job in the manner required, as agreed upon in the 
    contract or in accordance with the work system. This is a kind of trust that 
    must be fulfilled, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
    “Verily, Allaah commands that you should render back the trusts to those, to 
    whom they are due”[al-Nisa’ 4:58]. End quote. 

    Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in 
    Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (5/40): 

    What the employee must do is to fulfil the trust sincerely 
    and carefully, and not waste time, so that he will have discharged his duty 
    and so that his earnings will be halaal, he will please his Lord and he will 
    be acting sincerely towards his state or towards the company for whom he 
    works or anyone for whom he is doing work. This is what is required of the 
    employee, to fear Allaah and to fulfil the trust with the aim of doing a 
    good job and being sincere, in the hope of attaining Allaah’s reward and for 
    fear of His punishment, in accordance with the words of Allaah, 
    (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, Allaah commands that you should 
    render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due”[al-Nisa’ 4:58]. 

    One of the attributes of the hypocrites is betrayal of 
    trusts, as the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 
    said: “The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks he lies, when he 
    makes a promise he breaks it, and when he is entrusted with something he 
    betrays that trust.” Agreed upon. 

    It is not permissible for a Muslim to resemble the 
    hypocrites, rather he must avoid their characteristics and remain 
    trustworthy, and do his work with the utmost care, making good use of his 
    time even if his boss is lenient and even if his boss does not tell him to 
    do that. He should not neglect his work or be careless about it, rather he 
    should try to be better than his boss in doing his job, and be sincere in 
    fulfilling the trust, so that he will be a good example to others. End 
    quote. 

    The doctors who help these employees who are falling short in 
    their duties, and write notes for them when they know that they are not 
    true, so that they become a cause for corruption among employees and 
    encourage them to neglect their work, fall short and consume people’s wealth 
    unlawfully, should also fear Allaah. 

    Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was 
    asked in al-Liqa’ al-Shahri (7/question no. 4): 

    Is it permissible for a doctor to give anyone a sick note – 
    especially for employees – when the person may not really need that note, 
    and the doctor has not examined this person? Is the doctor sinning if he 
    gives the patient a sick note that allows him more time off than he 
    deserves? 

    He replied: 

    In al-Saheehayn it is narrated from Abu Bakr (may 
    Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of 
    Allaah be upon him) said: “Shall I not tell you of the greatest of major 
    sins?” They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allaah. He said: “Association of 
    others with Allaah,  disobedience towards one’s parents” – and he was 
    reclining, but he sat up and said: “And false speech and false witness.” 

    Undoubtedly if the doctor gives a person a sick note when he 
    is not sick, then this is undoubtedly false speech and false witness, and he 
    is sinning and has committed one of the worst of major sins. Similarly, the 
    one who takes leave on the basis of this sick note is sinning and lying to 
    his employers, and he is consuming wealth unlawfully, because he is taking 
    the salary that he gets during this sick leave unlawfully. The same applies 
    if he gives him more than he needs, such as if he needs three days sick 
    leave and he gives him four days. This is haraam and is a major sin. 

    In fact, the more a person thinks about these matters, the 
    more he will wonder how a Muslim can do such a thing. Are we not all 
    Muslims? Doesn’t the religion of Islam forbid that? Doesn’t pure reason, 
    aside from faith and Islam, disapprove of that? The answer is yes, but 
    unfortunately Muslims do this, and it is a disgrace for every Muslim. Now 
    some foolish people are saying that the kuffaar are more sincere than the 
    Muslims and more honest than the Muslims and more loyal than the Muslims. 
    This may be true in some cases, but we say to this person: The religion of 
    Islam is more perfect than any other religion, and the path of Islam is 
    better than any other path, and the law of Islam is superior to any other 
    law. The problem is with the followers of Islam, not with Islam itself. So 
    long as a man regards himself as a Muslim and feels proud of it and hopes to 
    earn the reward of Allaah thereby, then why would he go against the laws of 
    Islam? Why would he speak false words? Why would he give false testimony? 
    Why would he consume wealth unlawfully? Why would he betray his employers? 
    All of this is most regrettable, all of this is what has caused the Muslims 
    to become backward and has allowed their enemies to prevail over them. Our 
    Muslim brothers in some Muslim lands are being slaughtered like sheep, their 
    sanctity is being violated, their children are being taken captive, and 
    their wealth is being plundered – why? All of that is because of our sins. 
    We ask Allaah to forgive us and to help us against our enemies. End quote. 

    The same applies to a student as to an employee: it is not 
    permissible for him to tell lies and bear false witness. 

    We ask Allaah to guide us all. 

    And Allaah knows best.