What is the ruling on duplicating a CD-ROM of Fiqh books that are unavailable, if the duplication is not for commercial purposes?
It is not permissible to copy computer programs whose owners prohibit their copying except with their permission, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Muslims are bound by their conditions," and "The wealth of a Muslim is not lawful except with his willing consent," and "Whoever precedes to something permissible has a greater right to it." This prohibition includes both Muslims and non-belligerent disbelievers. If the program owner specifies a prohibition only on general copying, then it is permissible to copy it for private use. However, if both general and private copying are prohibited, then it is absolutely impermissible to copy it. Some companies include a section before use, which indicates the impermissibility of copying or using a non-original version. If a user swears while knowing that the disk is not original, this falls under the category of a false oath (Yamin Ghamus).
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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