What is the ruling on reading books downloaded in PDF format from the internet, or books printed from the original edition that are sold at a price cheaper than their original price, knowing that some of these books are not permitted to be circulated electronically or reprinted, and that others are not religious, and that other means of obtaining these books are not available?
The author has the right to usufruct over his book, which is an intangible right protected by . He is permitted to specify what he authorizes and what he does not authorize regarding its use. Therefore, it is impermissible to infringe upon the author's rights. Scholars of the past differed on the ruling concerning looking into books of knowledge without the owners' permission. Some permitted it because knowledge should not be withheld, while others forbade it based on the : "Whoever looks into his brother's book without his permission is only looking into the fire." However, this hadith is weak. Some scholars have permitted personal use of books, provided that it is not a means for commercial gain.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/187083
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 187083
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy