What is the ruling on personal use of non-free programs, such as file-downloading programs, knowing that some of these files may be given to others, such as audio and software files?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
As long as the owners of the files prevent their free download and copying, it is not permissible to infringe upon them without their permission, because these are rights protected by Islamic law. The Islamic Fiqh Academy has resolved that copyrights and intellectual property rights are protected by Islamic law and it is not permissible to infringe upon them. The most cautious and absolving approach is not to copy or download them. If personal use is prohibited, then it is even more so prohibited to give them to others.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/137050
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 137050
- 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