Is it permissible to take money that will be given as a reward for an alleged success, or must it be given away in charity?

If the money is given to the applicant for a specific qualification that he does not possess, such as obtaining a certificate, then it is not permissible for him to take it initially. If he takes it, he must return it to its owner. It is stated in "Al-Ghurar Al-Bahiyyah" and "Tuhfat Al-Muhtaj" that if someone is given something for a characteristic that is presumed of him, but he is in fact not as presumed, he does not own what he has taken, and it is absolutely forbidden for him to take it. Therefore, if the applicant takes this money without a rightful claim, he must return it to its owner by any possible means, while emphasizing the impermissibility of forging certificates.