One of the authors sold his work twice at the same time; for he handed his book to a publishing house and received the full price.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Abu Malik: The question we started with is that the brother who came from Riyadh saw this with his own eyes, and he showed me some of it when this book was sold twice! The first time it was sold by one of them or by the author, and he received the price; he received the price, and he received the full price from the owner of the publishing house, then he allowed another publishing house before the book was fully distributed, and the contract stipulates that the book is not to be sold to any other house, so he received the price again from another publisher.
The Shaykh : Strange!
Abu Malik: Yes, from another publisher, he received the price twice for the book, and without the permission of the owner of the first publishing house, and it is strange—Shaykh—may Allah bless you, that the introduction, the book's introduction, meaning the author's introduction, which was printed for the second time to receive the full price as he received it the first time, is still the introduction of the edition that was printed the first time by the first publishing house; it is still written on a specific page exactly as in the second edition by the second publishing house; so what do you say—Shaykh—about this?
...
Another questioner: ... If he changed it a little, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : How?
Another questioner: If he changed the introduction a little.
The Shaykh: But it does not change before Allah!
Allah is the Helper.
Abu Malik: So what do you say—Shaykh—first about this?
The Shaykh: This matter, as far as the second printer is concerned, this is as far as him, the so-called author sold what he did not own! Truly, I mean, he sold what he did not own.
As for the first one, as I said just now, he sold what he owns, but it should not be in this form, and I notice another thing; that it should not be that he sets a price, but rather he makes the matter a gift from that publisher.
Abu Malik: You have spoken well—Shaykh—may Allah bless you, this is very important.
The Shaykh: Yes, by Allah.
Abu Malik: But the agreement stipulates the price first.
Then—Shaykh—here comes to mind the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq 18:784; meaning, even if we count this as a sale and say: this is a sale, and the printer or the second publisher comes knowing this, of course the seller, the owner of the book, the author, knows; meaning, because he is the one concerned in this case; does this matter not resemble this hadith?
The Shaykh: This is even more so, even more so; because which has not yet been sold, whereas here it has been sold!!
Allah is the Helper, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah.
Abu Malik: All right, Shaykh, a word about... meaning, two or three minutes of advice to these authors, a short piece of advice, what should they do? And you have fulfilled it!
The Shaykh: More than what has passed?!
We ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to inspire us and our brothers, these who have been tested like me in authorship and publishing, but we ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to make all our actions pure for the face of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He); and especially the publishing of these books which may cause the author, even if he is sincere to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), to stumble, even if only sometimes; so we ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to keep us firm upon His obedience and upon sincerity to Him (Mighty and Majestic) in everything we do and everything we leave, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Abu Malik: I say—Shaykh—may Allah reward you with good for these answers which we were happy to hear, and our hearts were pleased with their recording, authenticated from you; perhaps our Muslim brothers, and especially the young authors among them, will benefit from these words which we rarely hear the like of, and we do not know that such a saying was said in the past as you have presented to them, so may Allah reward you with good for what you have offered and what you have said, and we ask Allah to write for us success in the whole matter, and to make us among the guided in our states, our actions, and our words, and may Allah reward you for us and for the Muslims with good, and may Allah send prayers and peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his companions.
The Shaykh: And you, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Strange!
Abu Malik: Yes, from another publisher, he received the price twice for the book, and without the permission of the owner of the first publishing house, and it is strange—Shaykh—may Allah bless you, that the introduction, the book's introduction, meaning the author's introduction, which was printed for the second time to receive the full price as he received it the first time, is still the introduction of the edition that was printed the first time by the first publishing house; it is still written on a specific page exactly as in the second edition by the second publishing house; so what do you say—Shaykh—about this?
...
Another questioner: ... If he changed it a little, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : How?
Another questioner: If he changed the introduction a little.
The Shaykh: But it does not change before Allah!
Allah is the Helper.
Abu Malik: So what do you say—Shaykh—first about this?
The Shaykh: This matter, as far as the second printer is concerned, this is as far as him, the so-called author sold what he did not own! Truly, I mean, he sold what he did not own.
As for the first one, as I said just now, he sold what he owns, but it should not be in this form, and I notice another thing; that it should not be that he sets a price, but rather he makes the matter a gift from that publisher.
Abu Malik: You have spoken well—Shaykh—may Allah bless you, this is very important.
The Shaykh: Yes, by Allah.
Abu Malik: But the agreement stipulates the price first.
Then—Shaykh—here comes to mind the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Let none of you sell over the sale of his brother, and let none of you propose over the proposal of his brother
لا يبِعْ أحدكم على بيع أخيه ، ولا يخطِبْ على خطبتهThe Shaykh: This is even more so, even more so; because
Do not sell over the sale of your brother
لا تبِعْ على بيع أخيكAllah is the Helper, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah.
Abu Malik: All right, Shaykh, a word about... meaning, two or three minutes of advice to these authors, a short piece of advice, what should they do? And you have fulfilled it!
The Shaykh: More than what has passed?!
We ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to inspire us and our brothers, these who have been tested like me in authorship and publishing, but we ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to make all our actions pure for the face of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He); and especially the publishing of these books which may cause the author, even if he is sincere to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), to stumble, even if only sometimes; so we ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to keep us firm upon His obedience and upon sincerity to Him (Mighty and Majestic) in everything we do and everything we leave, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Abu Malik: I say—Shaykh—may Allah reward you with good for these answers which we were happy to hear, and our hearts were pleased with their recording, authenticated from you; perhaps our Muslim brothers, and especially the young authors among them, will benefit from these words which we rarely hear the like of, and we do not know that such a saying was said in the past as you have presented to them, so may Allah reward you with good for what you have offered and what you have said, and we ask Allah to write for us success in the whole matter, and to make us among the guided in our states, our actions, and our words, and may Allah reward you for us and for the Muslims with good, and may Allah send prayers and peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his companions.
The Shaykh: And you, may Allah reward you with good.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.