What is the meaning of "copyright reserved," is it present in Islam, and does it imply monopolizing knowledge?
Copyrights, reserved for the author, include moral and financial rights. Moral rights establish the author's paternity of their work, granting them the right to publish, correct, and modify it. These are considered legally protected [in Islamic law]. As for financial rights, they are the financial privileges accruing to the author as a result of their work. Scholars have differed regarding the permissibility of receiving financial compensation for authorship. Some prohibited it, considering authorship an act of worship for which compensation is not permissible, and that withholding a book for compensation is a concealment of knowledge. Others permitted it, citing the permissibility of receiving payment for teaching the Qur'an, and arguing that authorship is a work of hand and mind, and also to prevent harm and advance scientific research. The Islamic Fiqh Academy has decided that authorship and invention rights are legally protected [in Islamic law] and may not be infringed upon.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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