The Ruling on Spying on Drug Dealers and the Like
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The Book of Allah and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade spying. Is it permissible to do so in the case of spying on dealers or sellers in order to catch them?
Answer:
Yes, this is not spying; rather, this is advice to Allah and His servants. If one knows the dealer and the smuggler, there is no harm in spying on him to learn his news, so that his case can be brought to the authorities. This is because his harm is widespread, unlike the one who merely consumes it, and unlike the sinner whose matter is between him and Allah. That is where covering up faults and avoiding spying applies.
As for the one who harms people, spreads his evil, and smuggles corruption, his harm is great and his harm extends to others. He is like a highway robber, or even more harmful—may Allah grant us safety.
The Book of Allah and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade spying. Is it permissible to do so in the case of spying on dealers or sellers in order to catch them?
Answer:
Yes, this is not spying; rather, this is advice to Allah and His servants. If one knows the dealer and the smuggler, there is no harm in spying on him to learn his news, so that his case can be brought to the authorities. This is because his harm is widespread, unlike the one who merely consumes it, and unlike the sinner whose matter is between him and Allah. That is where covering up faults and avoiding spying applies.
As for the one who harms people, spreads his evil, and smuggles corruption, his harm is great and his harm extends to others. He is like a highway robber, or even more harmful—may Allah grant us safety.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.