The Islamic Perspective on Protecting Secrets and Avoiding Harmful Exposure
The Benefits of Concealing Secrets and the Harm of Revealing Them
It is a religious and moral responsibility of a Muslim not to expose the secrets of others, not to seek out hidden matters, and to cover the faults of others. This is a great responsibility on our shoulders. It is said that it is easier to hide wealth than to hide a secret. Therefore, this is a monumental responsibility. Sadly, there is a great negligence in fulfilling this responsibility among us. To remedy this negligence and to instill in our hearts the fear of Allah concerning this sin, I am writing this article, asking Allah to place His fear within us.
None of us is innocent; everyone commits sins, and all people have faults and shortcomings. Only Allah is free from every kind of flaw and possesses all qualities in perfection. When no human is free from error, why then would someone try to expose the faults of others? There is severe punishment for those who, knowing their own flaws, seek to reveal the flaws of others, whether it is to show false superiority, to humiliate others, or to gain worldly benefits. Remember, when we disgrace someone today, tomorrow on the Day of Judgment, Allah will disgrace us before others.
In the light of the Quran and Hadith, the following are a few points concerning the secrets of human beings:
(1) Do not reveal your own secrets:
The first step is that we must protect our own secrets, i.e., any matters that are meant to be kept private should not be shared unless there is a specific reason or wisdom behind doing so with a trusted individual. If we protect our secrets, we will avoid many problems. The valuable saying of Ali (RA) is:
سرُّك أسيرك، فإن تكلمت به، صرت أسيره
(ادب الدنیا والدین للماوردی)
Translation: Your secret is your prisoner, and as long as you do not speak it, it remains your prisoner. But when you speak of it, you become its prisoner.
If Allah has granted a special blessing or favor, and mentioning it may lead to jealousy or envy, it is better not to specifically highlight that blessing but to mention it in a general manner so that the envious do not become aware of it, as Allah says in the Quran:
قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تَقْصُصْ رُؤْيَاكَ عَلَى إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا لَكَ كَيْدًا (یوسف:5)
Translation: Jacob (AS) said, “O my son, do not relate your vision to your brothers, lest they devise against you a plan.”
This verse refers to hiding the blessing and good news of a dream from envious brothers. Additionally, the Prophet (PBUH) said:
استعينوا على إنجاحِ الحوائِجِ بالكتمانِ؛ فإنَّ كلَّ ذي نعمةٍ محسودٌ (صحيح الجامع:943)
Translation: Seek help in accomplishing your goals by keeping them secret because every person who has been blessed is envied.
(2) Concealing the faults of others:
The next point concerns the secrets of others. If you are privy to any secret about a Muslim brother, do not expose it to others, even if it concerns his household, personal faults, or shortcomings. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
مَن سترَ مُسلِمًا سترَهُ اللَّهُ في الدُّنيا والآخِرةِ (صحيح ابن ماجه:2078)
Translation: Whoever conceals the fault of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar said that concealment means not disclosing someone’s evil or shortcomings before others. The clarification of this is further explained by another Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH), where those who do not conceal faults are warned of a severe punishment:
مَن سترَ عورةَ أخيهِ المسلمِ سترَ اللَّهُ عورتَهُ يومَ القيامةِ ومن كشفَ عورةَ أخيهِ المسلمِ كشفَ اللَّهُ عورتَهُ حتَّى يفضحَهُ بِها في بيتِهِ (صحيح ابن ماجه:2079)
Translation: Whoever conceals the nakedness of his Muslim brother, Allah will conceal his nakedness on the Day of Judgment. But whoever exposes the nakedness of his Muslim brother, Allah will expose his nakedness, even in his own home.
Al-Mundhiri stated that the term “conceal the nakedness of a Muslim” refers to hiding the faults and mistakes of a person. Allah Himself is the One who conceals and protects, so why should we not emulate this quality? When we turn away from this, not only do we bring problems to ourselves, but we also cause distress to others. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
إنَّ اللهَ عزَّ وجلَّ حيِيٌّ سِتِّيرٌ يُحبُّ الحياءَ والسِّترَ فإذا اغتسل أحدُكم فلْيستترْ (صحيح أبي داود:4011)
Translation: Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is shy and He is the Concealer; He loves modesty and concealment. So when any of you bathes, let him conceal himself.
These Hadiths show that if we see any moral, transactional, or familial faults in others, we should not expose them out of a desire to humiliate but rather advise the person to refrain from wrongdoing, encourage them to fear Allah, and urge them to repent.
(3) Intentionally Seeking to Know Someone’s Secret:
Some people intentionally try to discover the faults of others, spying and eavesdropping on their conversations. These individuals are headed for destruction. Allah has forbidden spying and prying into others’ affairs. Look at the severe warning for those who eavesdrop on others’ conversations. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
من استمع إلى حديثِ قومٍ، وهم له كارهون، أو يفرُّون منه، صُبَّ في أذنِه الآنكُ يومَ القيامةِ (صحيح البخاري:7042)
Translation: Whoever listens to the conversation of a people, even though they dislike it or try to avoid him, molten lead will be poured into his ears on the Day of Judgment.
This behavior is especially common among women. We seek refuge in Allah from this vile trait and wicked act. People eavesdrop on others to spread their conversations and disgrace them. Such people will themselves be disgraced on the Day when all the worlds will be gathered.
(4) Speaking Ill of Someone Without Evidence:
Allah and His Messenger have encouraged concealing the faults of others. However, those who defame other Muslims, publicly insult them, and falsely accuse them without any proof, are committing slander, and they will drink the pus of Hell. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
مَن قالَ في مؤمنٍ ما ليسَ فيهِ أسكنَهُ اللَّهُ رَدغةَ الخبالِ حتَّى يخرجَ مِمَّا قالَ (صحيح أبي داود:3597)
Translation: Whoever says something about a believer that is not true, Allah will place him in the pus of Hell until he recants his statement.
Punishments for Exposing Secrets:
The Prophet (PBUH) once confided a secret to Aisha (RA) and Hafsa (RA), and entrusted them with it. However, they revealed it. Allah rebuked both of the Mothers of the Believers and commanded them to repent, as mentioned in the Quran:
إِن تَتُوبَا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا ۖ وَإِن تَظَاهَرَا عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ مَوْلَاهُ وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَالِحُ الْمؤمنِينَ ۖ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ (التحریم:4)
Translation: (O wives of the Prophet!) If you repent to Allah, your hearts have certainly deviated. But if you support one another against him, then indeed, Allah is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous believers, and the angels, are his helpers.
A secret is a trust, and the one who reveals it is a traitor. The punishment for such a traitor will be the same for those who reveal secrets. Hassan al-Basri (RA) narrated:
إِنَّ مِنَ الْخِيَانَةِ أَنْ تُحَدِّثَ بِسِرِّ أَخِيكَ (الصمت وآداب اللسان لابن ابي الدنيا:404)
Translation: Among the forms of betrayal is to disclose your brother’s secret.
The Prophet (PBUH) also said:
إذا حدَّثَ الرَّجلُ الحديثَ ثمَّ التفتَ فَهيَ أمانةٌ (صحيح الترمذي:1959)
Translation: When a person tells you something and then looks around to see if anyone else is listening, that information is an trust upon you.
Betraying this trust could lead to punishment in Hell. Imam Bukhari (RA) quoted the Prophet (PBUH) as saying:
الخديعة في الناری
Translation: Deceit leads to Hell. Shaykh Al-Albani also confirmed this saying: المكرُ والخديعةُ في النارِ (السلسلة الصحيحة:1057).
Translation: Deceit and trickery lead to Hell.
A secret is a trust, and revealing it is like backbiting. The punishment for backbiting is Hell. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
لا يدخل الجنة قتات (صحيح البخاري:6056)
Translation: A backbiter will not enter Paradise.
Revealing secrets related to marriage, whether by the husband or anyone else, is a grave offense. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
إِنَّ مِنْ أَشَرِّ النَّاسِ عِنْدَ اللهِ مَنْزِلَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، الرَّجُلَ يُفْضِي إِلَى امْرَأَتِهِ، وَتُفْضِي إِلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ يَنْشُرُ سِرَّهَا (صحيح مسلم:1437)
Translation: The worst of people in Allah’s sight on the Day of Judgment will be the man who goes to his wife, and she goes to him, and then he exposes her secrets.
There are many texts on this topic, but we only need to understand the core message. To preserve others’ secrets, the simplest way is to guard our tongues and remain silent about the affairs of others. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
مَن صَمت نَجا (صحيح الترمذي:2501)
Translation: Whoever remains silent, has achieved salvation.
Silence is an excellent remedy for the problems and difficulties caused by the tongue. For this reason, guarding the tongue is guaranteed to lead to Paradise, as the Prophet (PBUH) said:
من توكَّل لي ما بين رجليه وما بين لحييه توكَّلْتُ له بالجنةِ (صحيح البخاري:6807)
Translation: Whoever guarantees for me what is between his legs (private parts) and what is between his lips (tongue), I guarantee him Paradise.
Umar ibn Abdulaziz (RA) beautifully said:
القلوب أوعية الأسرار، والشفاه أقفالها، والألسن مفاتيحها، فليحفظ كلُّ امرئ مفتاح سرِّه (ادب الدنیا والدین للماوردی)
Translation: The hearts are containers of secrets, the lips are their locks, and the tongues are their keys. Therefore, everyone should guard the key to his secret—his tongue.
The ruling for revealing someone’s secret:
We have understood that secrets are a trust, and revealing them is a betrayal and a major sin. Anyone who has committed such an act should sincerely repent to Allah, and if the person whose secret was exposed becomes aware, they should seek forgiveness from them. Additionally, if necessary, the person should be made to retract the statement and settle any disputes regarding rights.
Matters That Must Be Revealed:
Among the issues mentioned above, exposing someone’s hidden secret, wrongdoing, or anything they wish to keep private, is considered revealing a secret. However, there are situations where revealing the truth is obligatory. These include several circumstances:
(1) Public Wrongdoing:
If someone openly commits a sin and proudly speaks about it, such a person will be deprived of Allah’s forgiveness. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
كلُّ أمَّتي مُعافًى إلَّا المُجاهِرينَ ، وإنَّ منَ المُجاهرةِ أن يعمَلَ الرَّجلُ باللَّيلِ عملًا ، ثُمَّ يصبِحَ وقد سترَه اللَّهُ ، فيقولَ : يا فلانُ ، عمِلتُ البارحةَ كذا وَكذا ، وقد باتَ يسترُه ربُّهُ ، ويصبِحُ يَكشِفُ سترَ اللَّهِ عنهُ (صحيح البخاري:6069)
Translation: All of my Ummah will be forgiven except for those who openly commit sins. One example of openly committing a sin is when a person does something wrong at night, and Allah conceals it, but in the morning, he openly speaks about it, revealing what Allah had hidden.
Such a person cannot be concealed because they have openly admitted to their sin, for example, drinking alcohol or committing adultery and bragging about it.
(2) Giving Testimony:
Similarly, when someone is asked to give testimony in someone’s favor, they must speak the truth about what they witnessed. Concealing the truth in such a case is not allowed. Allah says:
وَلَا تَكْتُمُوا الشَّهَادَةَ وَمَنْ يَكْتُمهَا فَإِنَّهُ آثِمٌ قَلْبُهُ (البقرۃ:283)
Translation: Do not conceal testimony, and whoever conceals it, his heart is sinful.
Is it permissible to reveal a secret for the sake of public interest?
Revealing someone’s secret, which could cause harm or humiliation, is not permissible. However, if revealing the truth serves a valid purpose, it can be done, such as when Prophet Yusuf (AS) was falsely accused by the wife of the Aziz of Egypt. He revealed her lies by saying:
هِيَ رَاوَدتْنِي عَنْ نَفْسِي (يوسف:26)
Translation: Yusuf said, “She was the one who tried to seduce me.”
If an individual is a threat to society or an individual’s safety, and their harmful actions could cause damage to others, revealing their identity is permissible to protect others from their harm.
May Allah grant us the ability to protect the secrets of others, to conceal their faults, and to instill in our hearts the fear of Allah, leading us to righteous deeds and a disdain for evil. Ameen.
Maqbool Ahmad Salafi
Islamic Dawah Center, Northern Taif (Misrah)