Spying or Working Against Muslims is HARAAM

NOTE:  Again the kufar governments and regimes are trying hard to recruit Muslims to spy on their fellow brethren. Obviously, they will give it other names so as to justify the spying and offer bountiful of rewards for such actions. If one were to look at the action itself and see where it falls under in Islam, surely they would know that any from of spying on another Muslim is HARAAM. We would like to remind the Muslim communities and especially the masajjid with the article below which reminds Muslims not to fall victim to such trickery as taking upon this severe action makes a person sinful.


Using intelligence services against Muslims or working for or co-operating with any organization is Prohibited (Haraam) according to the Shari’ah.

One of the calamities being faced by Muslims world-wide in their own countries nowadays is having kufr dictatorships ruling over them which control Muslim resources without their consent. These regimes rule by oppression and aggression as opposed to by Islam and good governance. Their governance is more aggressive control than managing the affairs of the people, governing Muslims with animosity rather than looking after their affairs. These countries have become police States. They set up the intelligence services specifically against Muslims to monitor their affairs and livelihood. These bodies have been given absolute power to deal with the citizens as they wish as long as they maintain the interests of their leaders. The intelligence services use many weapons against Muslims including spying on them, tracking them down, punishing and torturing them. They even ensure that positions in State departments are only given to those who support the tyrant regimes. Consequently the government departments are solely

made up of corrupted people, to the extent that Muslims detest and curse them the way the Messenger Muhammad (saw) prophesised: “The worst leaders are the ones who you detest and who detest you and who you curse and who curse you in return” [Narrated by Abu Zinad Al-A’araj ( Muslim)]

The duty of the intelligence services is monitoring, following, and tracing people all of which involves spying which is Haram. Islam forbids a Muslim to spy on another Muslim or on the people of Dhimmah whether to benefit himself or others because the text in the Quran is general, Allah (SWT) says: “O you

who Believe avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicion is a sin. And spy not on one an other neither backbite one another.” [EMQ 49:12] In this Ayah Allah (SWT) forbids Muslims from spying on or even doubting other Muslims. And this prohibition is general and includes all kinds of spying on Muslims whether to benefit the one spying or any other person. It is collected in Bukhari and Muslim and narrated upon the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) said: “Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales. Do not look for others faults, do not spy on one another, do not practice najash (biding over one another), do not be jealous of one another, do not hate one another and do not desert or stop talking to one another. O Allah’s worshippers, be brothers”. This verse and hadith is clear evidence that all types of spying on Muslims is prohibited. In addition, it is reported by Muslim upon the authority of Abu Hurairah and in Ahmad upon the authority of Abu Barza Al-Aslami (ra) that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) said: “O you who believe from your tongues but whose Imaan has never settled in their hearts. Do not backbite Muslims, do not follow up their aworaat (e.g. spying on them or tracing their errors and personal affairs); whoever does so Allah will punish him for all his errors and will expose his affairs even if he is settled in his own home”

Islam has therefore specified that spying on people and working for people who spy on others are both haram. It is reported by Abu Daoud and Imam Ahmad upon the authority of Al-Misswar Bin Makhrama that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) said: “Whoever earns and eats from exposing any secret of a Muslim, Allah will put fire in his mouth in Jahannam and whoever earns and clothes himself from exposing any

secret of a Muslim Allah will cloth him with clothes of fire in Jahannam”. Moreover Islam has forbidden spying or looking into peoples homes and has violated the sanctity of the spy while he/she is looking into peoples homes without their permission. It is reported by Muslim upon the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) said: “If someone looks into your home without your permission and you throw a stone and blind him there is no sin on your neck or blood-money towards him” and it is further reported in Bukhari and Muslim upon the authority of Sahl Bin Sa’id that a man was looking from a hole into the Prophet’s room and the Prophet had a short sharp arrow with which he (saw) was scratching his head. He (saw) said to him that: “If I had known that you were spying on me I would take stabbed you in your eye through the hole, verily requesting permission to enter peoples houses has been legislated for the sake of looking into peoples houses”

In the same way that Islam forbids Muslims from spying on Muslims it also forbids Muslims from spying on non-Muslim citizens of the Islamic State (a State which we do not have today) because they are citizens having the same rights and duties as Muslims as far as religion, welfare and security are concerned. It is reported that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) said: “Whosoever harms a Dhimmi he harms me (i.e. the Prophet)”. And it is reported in Abu Daoud that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) also said: “Whoever oppresses a person who has a covenant with the State or designates responsibility for him beyond his limit, I will stand against him on the day of Judgement.” Consequently, Islam has made working with such spying services one of the biggest sins. When these services become the iron fist with which the tyrant rulers hit the people, the Islamic principle of “whatever leads to a sin is itself a sin” applies…

In conclusion, it is prohibited and a SIN for a Muslim to spy on a Muslim or a non-Muslim citizen. However, despite the fact that the verses and the ahadith which forbid spying upon people (Muslims or non-Muslims) are general and unrestricted, there is an exception for Muslims to spy on non-Muslims who are Kafir Harbi (i.e. Kuffar at war with Muslims or who reject/have no treaties with the Islamic State). The evidence for this is that it is reported in Bukhari upon the authority of Ali Ibn Abi Taalib that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) sent Abdullah Ibn Jahsh with eight from the Muhajireen to an area called Nakhla allocated between Makkah and Al-Taa’if to spy for him upon Quraish, the enemy at that time. Finally, a Muslim is forbidden to spy whether as individual curiosity or as a job for Muslims or non-Muslims and it is prohibited for Muslims to work in intelligence services such as the CIA, FBI, NSA, Homeland Security,ISI, MI5, MI6 etc. or in the intelligence services of any countries of the world. This type of Muslim (who works as a spy on Muslims) is untrustworthy and Muslims should avoid him, expose him and not co-operate with him otherwise they will be sinful like him, Allah (SWT) says: “Co-operate in the good deeds and do not co-operate in bad deeds…” [ 5:2] We must invite people to Islam, command good, forbid evil and working to establish Islam in its Totality not only to fulfill our obligation but also that’s the only way out to be liberated from the present colonization and imperialism, through an intellectual and a political struggle.

* It is haraam to work with kufr governments and authorities to spy and/or intelligence gathering on fellow Muslims.

* It is haraam to work as a translator for kufr governments.