What is the ruling on downloading religious books from the internet and reading them for personal benefit, especially if they are marked "copyright reserved" or are available for free while being sold on other sites, given the inability to ascertain the permission of their owners?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is permissible to download and read books published online unless one knows that their owners have prohibited it. However, it is not permissible to download or copy copyrighted books except with the permission of their owners. As for the books of Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, it is permissible to benefit from them if their download and copying are authorized, and purchasing them from his website is preferable if one is able to do so. Some scholars permit downloading and copying books for personal, non-commercial use.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/180110
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 180110
- 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