Umar patrolling in the nights and spying on people

 Umar bin Khattab roamed through the streets and spied on activities of people. He passed by a house, from which he heard some voices. He became suspicious and climbed over the wall into the house. He saw a man, drinking liquor in company of a woman.

Umar said: “O enemy of God, you thought that if you sinned in secret, God will keep your sin concealed?” That man said: “Chief of believers, don’t make haste in punishing me! If I committed one error, you committed three!

Allah says in Quran:

"And do not spy.”   (Surah Hujurat 49:12)

 And you spied. And He says:
“And go into the houses by their doors.”  (Surah Baqarah 2:189)

You climbed over the wall. And He says:
 
“So when you enter houses, greet your people with a salutation from Allah.” (Surah Nur 24:61)

And you did not greet?”

Umar asked: “Have you performed some other good deed, so that I may overlook this mistake?”

He replied: “Yes, by God and I will not repeat this act.”  “Go, I have forgiven you,” said Umar.


Umar bin Khattab came to some people, who were drinking liquor and had lighted a fire in a hut, and said: “I forbade you to drink liquor and you drank it; and I forbade you to make a fire in a hut and you made it.”

He decided to penalize them. They said: “Chief of believers, Almighty Allah has forbidden you from spying and you spied and forbidden you from entering, without taking permission and you entered.”

Umar said: “Your two offences against my two offenses!” He returned from there saying to himself: “O Umar, all the people are more knowledgeable than you.”

(Iqdul Fareed, 3:416 [6/278])