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FATWA REGARDING BEING PART OF THE INTELLIGENCE
Fatwa Released - 6th June 2001
BEING PART OF THE Intelligence IS A SIN & CRIME
Question:
What is The Islamic Verdict for those Muslims who are working with
Intelligence services such as: the ISI MI5, CIA, FBI etc.?
Praise
be to the almighty Allah and may the peace of Allah and his Mercy be
upon the Messenger Muhammad, his family and his companions and those
who ally with them.
Using
intelligence services against Muslims or working for or co-operating
with such bodies 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
and collected in 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 Zimmah 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." [EMQ49 :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
forbbidden 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 Zimmi 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 ISI, CIA, FBI, MI5, MI 6or 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…" [EMQ5 :2]
Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad
Judge of The Shari'ah Court of the UK
Posted by: A l - M u h a j i r o u n - The Voice the Eyes the Ears of the Muslims - U K
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