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The question

Does the "violate to be known" system—which involves photographing two violations for every single violation to avoid further violations—fall under the ruling of the Prophetic Hadith: "O you who have believed with your tongues but into whose hearts faith has not yet entered, do not backbite Muslims, nor seek out their faults. For indeed, whoever seeks out the faults of his Muslim brother, Allah will seek out his faults, and whoever Allah seeks out his faults, He will expose him even if he is in the privacy of his own home"?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

"Photographing cars that violate traffic laws is not related to prying into the private affairs (ʿawrat) of Muslims, because traffic violations are apparent. Cars are photographed to report them to the authorities without knowing the driver's identity, and this is not a hidden defect. The prohibited spying (tajassus) is to track down a Muslim's hidden faults to spread them, as At-Tibi explained: "Do not spy on what they have concealed from you of actions and words, and what Allah has concealed for them." The heart is not satisfied with mere suspicion and seeks verification, which leads to the unveiling of private matters. However, someone who openly commits a sin, such as the sounds of flutes or drunkards, does not fall under this category. Concealing a Muslim's faults is commendable unless they are known for corruption, in which case their faults should not be concealed; rather, their condition should be revealed to people or reported to the ruler."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

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Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
173225
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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