Is it permissible to spy on the ex-wife and expose her after their divorce to prove her bad behaviors that caused him multiple problems, especially since she falsely accuses him and threatened to deport him from the country, given that the police advised him to do so as a means of defending himself?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Espionage is forbidden, unless there is a strong presumption that a crime is about to occur, in which case it is permissible to spy to prevent it, not merely to prove an accusation. If reprehensible acts are taking place in public areas such as bars, then following a woman there is not considered espionage, but rather observation of a public matter. However, if she conceals her immorality within her home, then it is not permissible to spy on her. The immorality of a wife forfeits her right to custody. Thus, there is no objection to proving a wife's immorality by photographing her or calling the police in these public places.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/7266
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 7266
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy