Adopting the appearance of kafirs for intelligence-gathering

Question

For gathering intelligence on a secret organisation of rioters and for repelling their attack, if one keeps a tuft of hair on the crown of the head, as Hindus do, ties on a zunnar (the ritual cord), puts a ritual mark on the head and wears a dhoti (loincloth), and all of this is done only for as long as the need lasts — is it permissible or not? Defence is impossible without the above-mentioned things, since intelligence-gathering is, as it were, indispensable for defence. May Hazrat Wala also write the basis (asl)

Answer

For gathering intelligence on a secret organisation of rioters, tying on a zunnar, keeping a tuft of hair on the crown of the head and wearing a dhoti and the like are permitted for that length of time: [ar]يكفر بوضع قلنسوة المجوس على رأسه على الصحيح إلا لضرورة دفع الحر والبرد، وبشد الزنار في وسطه إلا إذا فعل ذلك خديعة في الحرب وطليعته للمسلمين[/ar] “He becomes a kafir by…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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