Are funds acquired from selling a duplicated and modified program—taken from a company where the questioner works—considered unlawful in Islamic law, given the existence of a fatwa that permits this on the grounds that there are no intellectual property rights in Islam?

Scholars and reputable fatwa (definition) councils have agreed that copyrights are reserved for their owners, and that infringing upon them without permission is not permissible. They have based this on several Sharia (definition) texts, including: “Muslims are bound by their conditions,” and “The property of a Muslim person is not lawful unless given with his willing consent,” and “Whoever is first to a permissible thing has a greater right to it.” This includes both Muslims and non-hostile disbelievers. The only exception is copying for personal benefit and only to the extent of need, provided that it is not used as a means of earning or trade.