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What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding a female student's refusal to complete her university studies abroad due to gender mixing, her failure to fulfill her obligation to the university that sponsored her, and her inability to pay the penalty clause resulting from the termination of the contract?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible for a university and a student to agree upon a scholarship in exchange for teaching later, and it is incumbent upon him to pay a financial penalty as a penalty clause if he does not fulfill his commitment, and this is a legitimate condition. The obligation to fulfill contracts is the fundamental principle, as Allah Almighty says: (O YOU WHO HAVE BELIEVED, FULFILL [YOUR] CONTRACTS), and as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: (Muslims are bound by their conditions). However, if fulfilling the condition leads to falling into something prohibited, such as prohibited mixing, then it is not obligatory to fulfill it or to work in a mixed environment, and it is not obligatory to pay the penalty clause. But if it is possible to study and work without mixing, then it is obligatory to commit to both or to pay the money.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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