Impersonation From An Islamic Sharia Perspective And Its Impacts On Health And Sustainable Development

The research aimed to define the crime of impersonation from an Islamic Sharia perspective, its ruling according to Islamic jurisprudence, its penalties, and to articulate its impacts from both the Sharia and legal perspectives. The study employed a descriptive methodology, relying on an analytical approach, and yielded several significant findings, including: Impersonation involves using someone else's identity for fraudulent purposes, such as accessing confidential information or acquiring properties that do not belong to the perpetrator. The manifestations of impersonation include using false names or titles to usurp others' rights. The Saudi law specifies conditions unique from other systems, including that the impersonated identity must belong to individuals in positions of authority, such as security personnel, military personnel, politicians, or well-known public figures. Under Islamic Sharia, impersonation is strictly forbidden as it can cause harm to the impersonated individual and might allow the perpetrator to gain undeserved benefits. The penalties for impersonating an ordinary person differ from those for impersonating a military figure in Saudi law, with penalties varying based on the severity of the crime and its negative consequences. Causes for exemption from penalties for the crime of impersonation under Islamic Sharia include death, repentance, pardon, and statute of limitations. The crime of impersonation has a detrimental impact on the economy and sustainable development. RESEARCHERS RECOMMEND Exercise caution in dealing with individuals due to the prevalence of impersonation cases. Impose stricter penalties on those impersonating others.