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Fatwa CenterActions towards overt and covert wrongdoing
Question
A man travels often due to his work and leaves his wife at home. More than once their neighbors saw a stranger entering the house during his absence. They say that his wife is betraying him. Is it permissible for them to tell her husband?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
A person should not follow people’s private lives and should not harbor any bad thoughts that have no basis. A person who does so should repent to Allaah The Almighty and ask for His forgiveness by giving up the sin and intending not to do it again.
On the other hand, if he is sure that someone is committing a sin, then there are two scenarios: If this person commits the sin overtly, it would be acceptable to tell people about it so that they can avoid him. However, if the person is committing the sin covertly, no one should expose him. There are many Hadeeths that urge us to shield Muslims and not to spread corruption. Still, this sinful person should be advised and threatened if that would lead to guiding him to the right path.
Accordingly, it is not permissible for you to tell the husband what you have seen unless the wife commits the sin openly. However, you can alert him in a way that would not lead him to accuse his wife of adultery or cause a dispute between them. The way of alerting him is up to you as you are more aware of the circumstances.
We ask Allaah The Almighty to shield all Muslims and protect them from harm.
Allaah Knows best.
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