Salam I am a student of a college and the government here provides scholarships Rs.500/- monthly to students. It has been trend that majority get the scholarship. There is a limit of Rs.35000/- annualincome of the student's father to be eligible for the scholarship, which is very less and almost none qualify for it, yet majority get the scholarship.1. Should I take the scholarship, and will it be Halal? 2. Some say if I don,t take it it will get wasted or some clerks etc may take it instead. Please guide me. Thankyou

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

A student does not deserve this grant unless he meets the conditions of the authority which offers it, and it is not correct to provide evidence that most of the students take the grant in this manner. A believer abides by the rulings of the religion even if most people or all of them act differently, and it is not a sound reason for the employees to misuse the money of the general public –whether grants or else –and try to make use of tricky methods in order to give it to some at the expense of others without right.

In case a student had provided false documentation upon which he received the grant and it is not possible to give the grant back to the authority which provided it and the employees would take it without right, then it is an obligation upon the student to take it and spend it on the general welfare of the public or spend it on the poor. 

Allaah Knows best.