What if assuming the best leads to criminals escaping punishment

The concern that drives many to suspect others and accuse them "for caution" is their fear that perpetrators of forbidden acts will escape punishment. We tell them: Among Allah's wisdom in legislation is that He commanded taking people at face value. Even if many escape punishment in this world as a result, its benefits to society are far greater. This concept is extremely important, and it is among the meanings of Allah's saying: ((O you who have believed, avoid much assumption)) why? ((For indeed, some assumption is sin)). Notice that Allah commanded avoiding much for the sake of some. There are many examples of this concept, including: First: The hadith narrated by Muslim: (The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade a man from knocking on his family's door at night. He suspects them or seeks their mistakes) (Muslim). A man returning from a trip may think to confirm that his wife has not betrayed him, so he does not tell her his return time to surprise her at night and confirm whether she betrayed him or not, or confirm whether she let into the house someone he dislikes from her relatives or neglected caring for their children, i.e., he seeks her mistakes. All of this despite nothing suspicious appearing from his wife, but he wants to do it "for caution." It is not permissible for him to do that! Is it not possible - even if in a small percentage - that his wife betrays him? Yes, and yet preserving the feelings of wives and showing good assumptions about them and trust in their morals should be widespread in society to raise their status in reality, even if it leads to the betrayal of a small percentage of them not being exposed. Its benefits are greater than its harms. Second: In a hadith of Bukhari, when Usamah bin Zayd intended to kill the fighting polytheist who said: (There is no god but Allah), but Usamah killed him. This reached the Prophet, peace be upon him, who said to Usamah: ((O Usamah, did you kill him after he said there is no god but Allah?)) Usamah said: (O Messenger of Allah, he was only seeking refuge) meaning he said it so that I would not kill him, not out of conviction. The Prophet kept repeating: ((Did you kill him after he said there is no god but Allah?)). This man was a polytheist fighting the Muslims. It is more likely that he said it seeking refuge, and if Usamah had not killed him, he might have infiltrated the Muslim community and corrupted it. Despite all of this, taking him and those who uttered the testimony like him at face value is of greater benefit to the Muslim community and humanity. How much more so with your Muslim brother who prays and fasts for years! The third evidence: The hypocrites used to speak ill of the Messenger and his companions, then they feared that it would reach the Prophet, so one of them would say: (If it reaches him, we will come to him and swear that we did not say it, for he is an ear that accepts what it hears). So Allah revealed: ((And among them are those who harm the Prophet and say, "He is an ear." Say, "An ear for good for you. He has believed in Allah and believed for the believers and is a mercy to those who have believed among you.")) meaning only the one who accepts from people is blamed if his acceptance leads to injustice being inflicted on someone who does not deserve it based on the testimony of others against him. As for the Prophet, he bound himself to goodness, so he hears about you what displeases him and overlooks it, and you come to him showing goodness, so he accepts the apparent from you, and he does that because ((He has believed in Allah)) who commanded him with this, not out of belief in you, but rather his belief and reassurance of the believers, so he ((has believed for the believers)), and from you, O hypocrites, who will believe later, so the Prophet's patience with him is mercy: ((And a mercy to those who have believed among you)). And those who ((harm the Messenger for them is a painful punishment)). Did these hypocrites escape punishment when the Prophet, peace be upon him, took them at face value? How much more so with your Muslim brothers who did not harm the Prophet as these did! The fourth evidence: Notice the threshold that Islam set for testimony that removes Muslims from their apparent purity. So if three pious people see a man and a woman committing adultery, it is forbidden for them to spread it, as four are required. The adulterers will escape punishment. But protecting society from slander against the pure is of greater benefit than punishing these two adulterers. So we say to the one who suspects others for caution: What are you afraid of? That some who commit forbidden acts will escape? The benefit of taking things at face value and assuming the best is greater, as it spreads comfort, love, and reassurance among Muslims, and it blocks the doors of the whispers of the devils. It may be said: But our time is a time of corruption in which evil has increased. Yes, and therefore these Islamic laws come within a comprehensive system that reduces this evil, and yet notice that in the examples we mentioned, there was taking at face value of hypocrites and those who were just polytheists fighting. And Allah knows best.