Islamic ruling on lying, repentance, and privacy violation: Is a person who repented from a lie considered an oppressor if hackers expose it?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

You have asked a very important and nuanced question that touches on the rights of Allah (Huquq Allah) and the rights of people (Huquq al-‘Ibad). Let us break down the situation step by step according to the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the principles of the Hanafi school.

1. Your Action: Lying About the Exam Result

• Ruling: Lying is a sin (ḥarām) in Islam. Allah says:
  “Indeed, Allah does not guide one who is a transgressor and a liar.” (Surah Ghafir 40:28)
  The Prophet ﷺ said: “Beware of lying, for lying leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Fire.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6094; Sahih Muslim, 2607)

• Your Repentance: You immediately regretted, repented, and changed your action. This is praiseworthy. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The one who repents from sin is like the one who has no sin.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, 4250)
  Note: Your repentance is accepted in shā’ Allāh, provided you do not repeat it and you fulfill the conditions:

  1. Cease the sin.
  2. Feel remorse.
  3. Resolve not to return to it.
     (Radd al-Muhtar, 6/422; Imdad al-Fatawa, 4/376)

• No oppression (ẓulm) on your part toward others by this lie, unless the lie caused actual harm to someone (e.g., someone else lost an opportunity because of it). If your lie only affected your own reputation and was purely personal, then it was a sin against Allah, not against another person. The person who hacked you cannot claim that your lie hurt them in any tangible, blameworthy way. So you are not an oppressor.

2. The Action of the Hackers: Violating Your Privacy

• Hacking is a major sin. It involves:

  • Spying (tajassus): Allah says:
    “Do not spy on one another.” (Surah al-Hujurat 49:12)
    The Prophet ﷺ said: “Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most false of speech. Do not spy, do not envy one another…” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6064; Sahih Muslim, 2563)
  • Breach of trust and privacy: The sanctity of a Muslim’s private matters is inviolable. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever looks into a Muslim’s private matters without his permission, it is as if he has entered his home without permission.” (Sunan al-Kubra, al-Bayhaqi, 6/288; graded ḥasan by al-Albani)
  • Cyber theft and unauthorized access: Even if no financial loss occurs, the act of hacking is ḥarām because it violates the command of Allah to protect the honor and secrets of believers. (See: Fatawa Usmani, 3/205; Ma’ariful Qur’an, 7/228-229)

• Causing public harm and defamation: By exposing your past sin (which you had already repented from), they have committed backbiting (ghībah) and slander (iftirā’) in a sense, because they are publicizing a mistake that Allah had veiled. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever covers (the fault of) a Muslim, Allah will cover his fault in this world and the Hereafter.” (Sahih Muslim, 2699)
  By exposing you, they have done the opposite.

3. Who Are the Oppressors?

• The hackers are the oppressors (ẓālimūn) in this situation.

  • They violated your privacy, which is a clear act of oppression (ẓulm).
  • They used your past sin (which you had repented from) to label you a criminal, which is an additional injustice.
  • They harmed you without cause.

• Allah says: “And whoever does injustice (ẓulm) [to others], We will make him taste a painful punishment.” (Surah al-Furqān 25:19)

• In the Hanafi school, the one who spies and then publicizes a person’s fault – especially after repentance – is considered a fāsiq (sinner) and an oppressor. (Radd al-Muhtar, 6/380; Fatawa Alamgiri, 5/374)

4. Important Distinction: You Were Not the Oppressor

• You did not harm anyone by your lie (assuming no direct harm).
• You repented before they discovered it.
• They only discovered it through an impermissible act (hacking).
• Therefore, you are not the oppressor; you are the victim of oppression.

5. What Should You Do Now?

1. Be patient and trust Allah. Allah says:
   “Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds – We will surely assign them a place in Paradise, but the oppressors will have no helpers.” (Surah Ibrāhīm 14:22-23)

2. Do not despair. The fact that you immediately repented shows sincerity. Allah may use this trial to expiate your sins and raise your rank. The Prophet ﷺ said: “No fatigue, illness, worry, sorrow, harm, or distress befalls a Muslim – even a thorn that pricks him – except that Allah expiates some of his sins thereby.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 5641)

3. Seek legal recourse if possible. If the hackers can be identified, you may report them to the authorities for cybercrime. In Islamic law, such violations can be taken to a Qadi (judge) for justice. (Al-Hidayah, 2/234; Fatawa Usmani, 3/205)

4. Do not retaliate by sinning. Do not try to hack back or expose their faults in return. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Do not be people who say, ‘If people do good to us, we do good to them; and if they oppress us, we oppress them.’ Rather, accustom yourselves that if people do good to you, you do good to them; and if they oppress you, do not oppress them.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2057, classified ḥasan)

5. Make du’ā’ for Allah to protect you from further harm and to expose the truth. You can say:
   “Rabbi innī maghlūbun fantasir” (Surah al-Qamar 54:10) – “My Lord, indeed I am overpowered, so help [me].”

Summary

• You did not commit oppression by lying about your exam result after repenting, provided the lie did not harm anyone else. Your repentance was accepted.
• The hackers are oppressors because they violated your privacy, spied on you, and exposed your past fault after you had repented. This is a major sin.
• You are the victim, not the perpetrator. Do not let their sin make you feel guilty. Turn to Allah, seek justice through lawful means, and remain patient.

May Allah reward your repentance, protect you from the evil of oppressors, and grant you peace and honor in this world and the Hereafter.

And Allah knows best.