Support IslamQA

Please contribute generously in order to ensure the continuity of our website InshaAllah.

Teacher accepting a gift from the students

06-06-2008

Question 22762

A teacher working in a Qur’aan memorization school which belongs to al-Jamaa’ah al-Khayriyyah li Tahfeez al-Qur’aan il-Kareem (Charitable organization for memorization of the Qur’aan) does not receive any payment for her teaching. At the end of the school year, after the certificates have been given to the students, they may give her a gift of gold or something similar. What is the ruling on her accepting this gift? Refusing the gift would break her students’ hearts and upset them, especially since she has given gifts to them.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

If a student has completed her studies and will be leaving the school, there is no bribery in this case. But if the teacher-student relationship will continue, there is the fear that this gift may cause the teacher to be biased in favour of that student, so that she may overlook her mistakes and not be fair to her and the other students.

Gifts and Presents
Show on Islam Q&A website.