Bismillah
Islam gives great importance to the fundamental human right to privacy. This is evident from the some of the verses of the Quran:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا۟ وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٢﴾
O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.
[Quran, Al Hujurat 49:12]
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَدْخُلُوا۟ بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تَسْتَأْنِسُوا۟ وَتُسَلِّمُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿٢٧﴾
O you who have believed, do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome and greet their inhabitants. That is best for you; perhaps you will be reminded.
[Quran, An-Noor 24:27]
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam taught us not to even enter our own houses surreptitiously, without announcement. Now, what about snooping on people's life, directly or indirectly, from public records or otherwise? This is infringing upon the person's privacy and spreading it may hurt the person involved in many ways that we may or may not realize. How do you meet Allah with such sins on your backs?
Each sin that we do is a black spot on the heart. If we don't repent, it will cummulate until that heart becomes totally black.
Eventhough
a lot of private information is accessible on the internet and public
records, this does not mean you are free to access other people's
information especially if it is for some evil intent or spying. Using
the information gathered to hurt another person is a grave sin.
Islam not only condemns infringement of one's privacy, but also disallows spying or prying into others life. In addition to spying, Islam imposes a ban on scandalization and defamation in order to protect people's privacy and sanctity of life.
There are many texts which condemn nameemah (talebearing) and spying and seeking out people’s faults.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No person who spreads nameemah will enter Paradise.” According to another report, “No eavesdropper (qattaat)…”
[Al Bukhari & Muslim]
It is also narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the falsest of speech. Do not eavesdrop; do not spy on one another; do not envy one another; do not forsake one another; do not hate one another. Be, O slaves of Allah, brothers.”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Some of the scholars said that tahassus [‘eavesdropping’] means listening to other people’s conversations, and tajassus [‘spying’] means seeking out their faults. Or it was suggested that tajassus means lookin for secrets. The word is mostly used in the sense of evil. The jaasoos (spy) is the one who seeks out secrets for evil purposes and the naamoos is the one who seeks out secrets for good purposes. And it was said that tajassus means looking for information for someone else, and tahassus means looking for information for oneself.
[Al Bukhari & Muslim]
May Allah protect us from injustices to and from others.
وَلَا تُخْزِنِى يَوْمَ يُبْعَثُونَ ﴿٨٧﴾ يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ ﴿٨٨﴾ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى ٱللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ ﴿٨٩﴾
And do not disgrace me on the Day they are [all] resurrected - (87) The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children (88) But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart." (89) [Quran, Ash-Shu'ara 26:87-89]
Aameen.
And Allah knows best.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wasahbihi wasallam
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