Working with Intelligence Services?!?

Question

What is the Islamic verdict on those Muslims who are working with intelligence services such as the ISI, MI5, CIA, FBI and so on?

Answer

Praise be to Almighty Allah, and may the peace of Allah and His Mercy be upon the Messenger Muhammad (SAW), his family and his Companions and those who ally with them.

Using intelligence services against Muslims or working for or co-operating with such organisations is prohibited (haram) according to the Sharia.

One of the calamities faced by Muslims world-wide in their own countries nowadays is having kufr (un-Islamic) dictatorships ruling over them which control Muslim resources without their consent. These regimes rule by oppression and aggression as opposed to ruling 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 tyrannical regimes. Consequently, the government departments are solely made up of corrupt people, to the extent that Muslims detest and curse them the way the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) prophesized: 

“The worst leaders are the ones who you detest and who detest you and who you curse and who curse you in return.” [Muslim]

The duty of the intelligence services is monitoring, following and tracing people – all of which involve 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 Qur’an is general. Allah (SWT) says:

“Oh you who Believe avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicion is a sin. And spy not on one another, nor backbite one another.” [49:12]

In this ayah (verse), 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 reported in Al-Bukhari and Muslim and narrated upon the authority of Abu Hurayrah 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 (bidding 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. Oh Allah’s worshippers, be brothers!”

The above verse and hadeeth are sufficient and clear evidence that all forms of spying on Muslims are prohibited. In addition, it is reported by Muslim upon the authority of Abu Hurayrah and in Ahmad upon the authority of Abu Barzah Al-Aslami that the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) said:

“Oh you who believe from your tongues but whose Imaan has never settled in their hearts! Do not backbite Muslims, do not follow up their ‘awraat (i.e. spying on them or following 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 Dawud and Imam Ahmad upon the authority of Al-Miswar 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 (Hell), and whoever earns and clothes himself from exposing any secret of a Muslim, Allah will clothe him with clothes of fire in Jahannam.”

Moreover, Islam has forbidden spying or looking into people’s homes, and it has violated the sanctity of the spy while he/she is looking into people’s homes without their permission. It is reported by Muslim upon the authority of Abu Hurayrah 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 for him.”

And it is further reported in Al-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 have stabbed you in your eye through the hole; verily, requesting permission to enter people’s houses has been legislated for the sake of looking into people’s 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 Daawud that the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) also said:

“Whoever oppresses a person who has a covenant with the State or designates responsibility to him beyond his limit, I will stand against him on the Day of Judgement.”

Consequently, Islam has made working with such intelligence services one of the greatest sins. When these services become the iron fist with which the tyrannical 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 (of the Islamic state). However, despite the fact that the verses and ahadeeth (sayings of the Prophet) 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 Al-Bukhari upon the authority of Ali bin Abee Talib that the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) sent Abdullah ibn Jahsh with eight men from the Muhajireen to an area called Nakhlah, located between Makkah and At-Ta’if, to spy for him upon Quraysh, the enemy at that time.

Finally, a Muslim is forbidden to spy, whether out of individual curiosity or as a job for Muslims or non-Muslims and it is prohibited for Muslims to work for intelligence services such as the ISI, CIA, FBI, MI5, MI6 or in the intelligence services of any country today (which does not rule by Sharia). This type of Muslim (who works as a spy on Muslims) is untrustworthy and Muslims should keep away from 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]

[Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Shami]