Is a person considered a thief if they browse a book to find a specific fatwa without buying it, knowing that browsing before buying is a common practice, and would this entail a discretionary punishment (ta'zeer)?
Scholars have differed regarding the permissibility of browsing scientific books that one does not own, without permission. Some have cited a weak stating that whoever looks into his brother’s book without his permission is looking into the Fire. It has been said: It is permissible to look into scientific books without the owner's permission, because knowledge is not allowed to be concealed. And it has been said: It is not permissible, due to the apparent meaning of the hadith, and because the owner of a thing has more right to his property. It is better for a Muslim not to look into another's book except with his permission, to avoid disagreement, unless the viewing is of books displayed for sale in libraries, in which case there is no harm, as their owners generally do not object.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/93080
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 93080
- 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