take it as his path and guiding method, building his life upon it, for it encompasses many ethical principles; whoever steers clear of the matters it forbids will obtain immense good. Allah alone grants success.

1571 – Muʿāwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “If you pursue the ʿawrat (hidden faults) of the Muslims, you will corrupt them—or come very close to corrupting them.” A sound hadith, reported by Abū Dāwūd with an authentic chain.

1572 – Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) was once presented with a man about whom it was said, “This is so-and-so; his beard is dripping with wine.” He replied, “We have been forbidden to spy. But if something becomes manifest to us, we will act upon it.” A good, sound hadith, recorded by Abū Dāwūd with a chain that meets the conditions of al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

[Commentary]
These narrations make it clear that a person must not spy on his fellow Muslims or hunt for their shortcomings. What is openly displayed is dealt with according to what is fitting, but whatever remains concealed may not be investigated through spying or eavesdropping. As stated in the hadith of Muʿāwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), when someone goes searching for the hidden faults of the Muslims he destroys them, or very nearly does so.