Dear Brothers and Sisters!  

One of the issues of modern people is that the culture of disclosure has almost become a lifestyle. Humanity has descended from the notion of “I think and believe, therefore I am” to the level of “I appear, therefore I am”. However, privacy is a moral value emphasised by all prophets from Prophet Adam (a.s.) to Prophet Muhammad (saw). While privacy generally means “confidentiality”, it specifically means “personal confidentiality”. We can describe all the matters that should remain private as privacy.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Privacy is one of the most important principles of our religion, Islam, in regards to morals. Our Prophet (saw) explained the value of shame as “Haya is from faith.”[1]. Disclosure of private circumstances to the public is, to say the least, disrespectful to both the society and Allah (swt). But unfortunately, many of our private behaviours and times are revealed, especially through social media. This goes as far as revealing family privacy. Our personal circumstances should remain with us, and our family matters should remain in our family.

Dear Jama’ah!

The necessity of respecting the privacy of others in Islam is shown in this ayah, “And do not spy or backbite each other”[2]. The Prophet (saw) said, “If a person looks around while talking to another person, that conversation is considered confidential.”

Communications and personal belongings of people that they do not want others to know are also confidential. No one can learn about them without the person’s permission. We cannot violate people’s private boundaries. Because every person has a private and sacred area of ​​their own.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The most private area of ​​human beings is undoubtedly the houses where they live alone or with their families. We must keep in mind that houses are private spaces, both by the command of our religion and by civil relations.

Allah (swt) mentions in the Quran, “O believers! Do not enter any house other than your own until you have asked for permission and greeted its occupants. This is best for you, so perhaps you will be mindful.”[3]When entering houses, we should enter with proper manners and greetings. The Prophet (saw) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to look inside any house until he has been given permission…”[4] In other words, we should protect even our eyes from the privacy of the houses. We must keep in mind that all these are Islamic principles that we must abide by.

May Allah (swt) make us one of his servants who preserve their privacy. Ameen!

[1] Buhârî, İman, 16

[2] Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:12

[3] Surah An-Nur, 24:27

[4] Tirmizî, Salât, 148

Khutba: The Importance of Privacy