Ruling on copying programs that bear the notice (Copyright Reserved)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
[Ruling on copying programs that bear the notice (Copyright Reserved)]
Noble Shaykh! Is it permissible to copy computer programs when the companies and the system prohibit it? And is that considered a monopoly, given that they are sold at high prices, and if copied, they are sold at low prices?
The Qur'an?The questioner: Computer programs in general.
The Shaykh: The Qur'an?The questioner: The Qur'an, and other than the Qur'an, such as hadith and many other programs.
The Shaykh: I mean: what is recorded on them?The questioner: What is recorded on the discs.
The Shaykh: As for if the state prohibits it, then it is not permissible; because Allah has commanded obedience to those in authority except in disobedience to Allah, and refraining from recording them is not a disobedience to Allah.
And as for the companies, what I see is that if a person copies them for himself only, there is no harm; but if he copies them for trade, that is not permissible; because it causes harm to others, similar to selling on the sale of a Muslim; because if they sell it for one hundred and you copy it and sell it for fifty, that is selling on your brother's sale.
The questioner: And is it permissible for me to buy them for fifty from the shop owners, and it is copied?
The Shaykh: It is not permissible unless he presents to you that he has been authorized; but if he does not present that, then it is encouraging sin and transgression.
The questioner: If he has not been authorized? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: And if you also do not know, sometimes a person does not know, he stops at this stall and buys it while he does not know, there is no harm in that, the one who does not know owes nothing.
Noble Shaykh! Is it permissible to copy computer programs when the companies and the system prohibit it? And is that considered a monopoly, given that they are sold at high prices, and if copied, they are sold at low prices?
The Qur'an?The questioner: Computer programs in general.
The Shaykh: The Qur'an?The questioner: The Qur'an, and other than the Qur'an, such as hadith and many other programs.
The Shaykh: I mean: what is recorded on them?The questioner: What is recorded on the discs.
The Shaykh: As for if the state prohibits it, then it is not permissible; because Allah has commanded obedience to those in authority except in disobedience to Allah, and refraining from recording them is not a disobedience to Allah.
And as for the companies, what I see is that if a person copies them for himself only, there is no harm; but if he copies them for trade, that is not permissible; because it causes harm to others, similar to selling on the sale of a Muslim; because if they sell it for one hundred and you copy it and sell it for fifty, that is selling on your brother's sale.
The questioner: And is it permissible for me to buy them for fifty from the shop owners, and it is copied?
The Shaykh: It is not permissible unless he presents to you that he has been authorized; but if he does not present that, then it is encouraging sin and transgression.
The questioner: If he has not been authorized? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: And if you also do not know, sometimes a person does not know, he stops at this stall and buys it while he does not know, there is no harm in that, the one who does not know owes nothing.