Ruling on Taking Books from School Libraries

Q: The sister who used the initials F-S-Z, from Unaizah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, says in her question: In my previous years of study, our school had a library containing a number of books and magazines. It received no attention from the students. I loved reading and collecting books, and I was pleased with some of the religious books in it, as well as the medical and story books. There were about four books, and I took them from the school library to read and return them. In the rush of studies, I forgot to return them to the library. After I graduated from school by about three years, one of the sisters told me that taking these books and not returning them is forbidden (haram) and that we will be held accountable for it on the Day of Resurrection. I know that when I took them, I did not know the ruling on taking them, and the library received no attention from the teachers or the students. I benefited from them, especially the religious ones, and I do not want to return them because they contain rulings that benefited me. What is the ruling in this matter? May Allah reward you with good.

A: It is obligatory (wajib) for you to return them to the library, because they are in the status of an endowment (waqf) for the library. It is not permissible (la yajuz) for anyone to take anything from public libraries or school libraries without the permission of the person in charge, on the basis of a loan for a limited period. In addition, you must repent to Allah for what you did. We ask Allah to accept your repentance and forgive you, for He is the best of those asked.