Is it permissible to secretly take rare and beneficial books of scientific value from a stingy grandfather who prevents others from benefiting from them, and to keep them?
It is not permissible to transgress against the property of others through theft, plunder, usurpation, or taking it without the owner's permission, and this includes books. The majority of scholars have mandated cutting off the hand of the thief if the value of what was stolen reaches the prescribed threshold. The Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis, and Abu Yusuf from the Hanafis have held that the prescribed punishment should be applied to those who steal beneficial books such as those on exegesis (), , and jurisprudence (Fiqh). The property of a person is not permissible unless it is given with a good heart from him. Therefore, permission must be sought before taking books, and if you are not given permission, you have no right to take them. Knowledge can be sought through other means, such as reading in the owner's house or in public libraries.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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