In
the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Praise be
to Allaah and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger and upon his family and
companions.
The
Muslim student puts his trust in Allaah when facing the tests of this world,
and he seeks His help whilst following the prescribed means, in accordance with
the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The
strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allaah than the weak believer,
although both are good. Strive to attain that which will benefit you and seek
the help of Allaah, and do not feel helpless.” (Saheeh Muslim, hadeeth
no. 2664) Among those means are the following: Turning to Allaah by making
du’aa’ in any way that is prescribed in Islam, such as saying, “Rabbiy ishrah li sadri wa yassir li amri (O my Lord, expand my
chest and make things easy for me).” Getting
used to sleeping early and going to exams on time. Preparing all
required or permitted equipment such as pens, rulers and setsquares,
calculators and watches, because being well prepared helps one to answer
questions. Reciting the du’aa’ for leaving the house: “Bismillaah, tawakkaltu ‘ala Allaah, wa laa hawla wa laa
quwwata illa Billaah. Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika an adilla aw udalla, aw
azilla aw uzalla, aw azlima aw uzlama, aw ajhala aw yujhala ‘alayya (In the name of
Allaah, I put my trust in Allaah, and there is no strength and no power except
with Allaah. O Allaah, I seek refuge with You lest I should stray or be led
astray, lest I slip (commit a sin unintentionally) or be tripped, lest I
oppress or be oppressed, lest I behave foolishly or be treated foolishly).”
Do not forget to seek your parents’ approval,
for their du’aa’ for you will be answered. Mention
the name of Allaah before you start, for mentioning the name of Allaah
is prescribed when beginning any permissible action; this brings blessing, and
seeking the help of Allaah is one of the means of strength. Fear Allaah with
regard to your classmates, and do not be affected
by their anxiety or fear just before the exam, for anxiety is a
contagious disease. Instead, make them feel
optimistic by saying good words as prescribed in Islam. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was optimistic when he heard the
name of Suhayl (which means “easy”) and he said: “Things have been made easy
for you.” He used to like to hear the words ‘Yaa Raashid, when he went out for
any purpose. So be optimistic that you and your brothers will pass this exam. Remembering Allaah (dhikr) dispels anxiety and tension.
If something is too difficult for you, then pray to Allaah to make it easy for
you. Whenever Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) found
something too difficult to understand, he would say, “O You Who taught
Ibraaheem, teach me; O You Who caused Sulaymaan to understand, cause me to
understand.” Choose a good place to sit during the exam, if you can. Keep your
back straight, and sit on the chair in a healthy manner. Look over the exam
first. Studies advise spending 10% of the exam time in reading the questions
carefully, noting the important words and dividing one’s time between the
questions. Plan to answer the easy questions first,
then the difficult ones. Whilst reading the questions, write notes and ideas
which you can use in your answers later. Answer
questions according to importance. Start by answering the easy questions
which you know. Then move on to the questions which carry high marks, and leave
till the end the questions to which you do not know the answers, or which you
think will take a long time to produce an answer or which do not carry such
high marks. Take your time to answer, for the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Deliberation is from Allaah and haste is from the
Shaytaan.” (A hasan hadeeth. Saheeh al-Jaami, 3011). Think carefully
about the answer and choose the right answer when answering multiple-choice
questions. Deal with them in the following manner. If you are sure that you
have chosen the right answer, then beware of
waswasah (insinuating whispers from the Shaytaan). If you are not sure,
then start by eliminating the wrong or unlikely answers, then choose the
correct answer based on what you think is most likely to be correct. If you
guessed at a correct answer then do not change it unless you are sure that it
is wrong – especially if you will lose marks for a wrong answer. Research
indicates that the correct answer is usually that which the student thinks of
first. In written exams, collect your thoughts before you start to answer.
Write an outline for your answer with some words which will indicate the ideas
which you want to discuss. Then number the ideas in the sequence in which you
want to present them. Write the main points of your answer at the beginning of
the line, because this is what the examiner is looking for, and he may not see
what he is looking for if it is in the middle of the page and he is in a hurry.
Devote 10% of the time for reviewing your answers. Take your time in reviewing,
especially in mathematical problems and writing numbers. Resist the desire to hand in the exam papers quickly,
and do not let the fact that some people are leaving early bother you. They may
be among the people who have handed in their papers too early. If you discover
after the exam that you answered some questions incorrectly, then take that as
a lesson in the importance of being well prepared in the future, and not
rushing to answer questions. Accept the will and
decree of Allaah and do not fall prey to frustration and despair. Remember
the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “If
anything befalls you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such and such.’ Rather
say, ‘Qadar Allaah wa maa sha’a kaan (the decree of Allaah and what He wills
happened),’ for saying ‘if only’ opens the door for the Shaytaan.” (Saheeh
Muslim, and the first part of this hadeeth was mentioned above). Note that
cheating is haraam whether it is in foreign language tests or any other tests.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Whoever cheats
is not one of us.” It is wrongdoing and it is a haraam means of attaining a
degree or certificate, etc., that you have no right to. The consensus is that
cheating is a kind of cooperation in sin and transgression. So do without that
which is haraam, and Allaah will suffice you from His bounty. Reject all offers
of haraam things that come to you from others. Whoever gives up a thing for the
sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with something better. You have to
denounce and resist evil, and tell the authorities about any such thing that
you see during the exam, or before or after it. This is not the forbidden kind
of slander rather it is denouncing evil which is obligatory. Advise those who
buy or sell questions or post them on the Internet etc., or who prepare cheat
notes. Tell them to fear Allaah, and tell them of the ruling on what they are
doing and on the money they earn from that. Tell them that the time they are
spending in preparing these haraam things, if they spent it in studying, or
answering previous exams, or helping one another to understand the subject
before the exam, that would be better for them than doing these haraam things.
Remember what you have prepared for the Hereafter, and the questions of the
examination in the grave, and how to be saved on the Day of Resurrection.
Whoever is saved from the Fire and admitted to We ask Allaah to make us succeed
in this world and cause us to be among those who are victorious and saved in
the Hereafter, for He is the All-Hearing Who answers prayer. Sheikh Muhammed
Salih Al-Munajjid
