Is it considered a sin to collect beneficial and useful books at home without reading all of them, while sometimes benefiting from them by lending them to others?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
There is no harm in collecting beneficial books and storing them in a library for reference and benefit, and presenting them to people of knowledge. There is no harm even if many of them are not reviewed. Lending books to trustworthy individuals who will benefit from them is permissible and an act of devotion to Allah, as it aids in the acquisition of knowledge. This falls under Allah's saying: (And cooperate in righteousness and piety) [Al-Ma'idah: 2], and the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: (Allah is in the aid of His servant as long as the servant is in the aid of his brother).
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/22041
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 22041
- 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