Downloading torrented material from online

[guest050817]

Is it permissible to download PDF's of books which other people have scanned and copied to online? There are many Islamic Books, Tarikhs (tabari's), and books of many authors which spread useful knowledge which have been downloaded online and scanned by other people. 

Would i be allowed to download islamic PDF's, as well as translated works of islamic authors [such as Tabari] from online, if someone else did the copying of it onto the net ? Or am i only allowed to view them online without copying them onto my PC view downloading them?  I'm quite lost. 

I'm a little bit confused about Ayatullah Sistani(rh)'s fatwa: http://www.sistani.org/english/qa/01153/

1Question: What is the ruling on copying computer software, movies, audio CDs and other such things, which bear the wording “All Rights Reserved” or “Copyright”? Does this rule apply equally to Muslim made products and those made by non-Muslim individuals or companies?

Answer: Copyrights must be respected; it is not permissible to copy a software product, if it is against the law.

 

2Question: A lot of Islamic books and software have copyrights on them. What is the Islamic view of copyrights? If I photocopy a book or duplicate a CD with a copyright am I doing a sin?

Answer: It is permissible, per se, to make personal use of such copyrighted books and software.

 

3Question: Can I use cracked CD software?

Answer: If someone else has cracked the software, you can use it.

 

4Question: Is it permissible to sell CDs and pirated software?

Answer: If it is against the law, it is not permissible but you can use them.

 

Edited July 28, 2016 by Tawheed313

[guest050817]

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Edited July 28, 2016 by Tawheed313

[sidnaq]

1 hour ago, Tawheed313 said:

Is it permissible to download PDF's of books which other people have scanned and copied to online? There are many Islamic Books, Tarikhs (tabari's), and books of many authors which spread useful knowledge which have been downloaded online and scanned by other people. 

Would i be allowed to download islamic PDF's, as well as translated works of islamic authors [such as Tabari] from online, if someone else did the copying of it onto the net ? Or am i only allowed to view them online without copying them onto my PC view downloading them?  I'm quite lost. 

I'm a little bit confused about Ayatullah Sistani(rh)'s fatwa: http://www.sistani.org/english/qa/01153/

1Question: What is the ruling on copying computer software, movies, audio CDs and other such things, which bear the wording “All Rights Reserved” or “Copyright”? Does this rule apply equally to Muslim made products and those made by non-Muslim individuals or companies?

Answer: Copyrights must be respected; it is not permissible to copy a software product, if it is against the law.

 

2Question: A lot of Islamic books and software have copyrights on them. What is the Islamic view of copyrights? If I photocopy a book or duplicate a CD with a copyright am I doing a sin?

Answer: It is permissible, per se, to make personal use of such copyrighted books and software.

 

3Question: Can I use cracked CD software?

Answer: If someone else has cracked the software, you can use it.

 

4Question: Is it permissible to sell CDs and pirated software?

Answer: If it is against the law, it is not permissible but you can use them.

 

 

 

hmm have they fully understood the question, or thought it meant something else, for example it is illegal to sell our stuff or maybe our personal CDs but its alright to use them ,meaning we use the CD that we have just not sell it if its against the law. maybe they thought it was your CD and not a stolen one.

Also the part about copyrights. One should ask them if they fully know what the question meant.Meaning now i know the islamic book i personally gothas a copyright on it but it is my book and i can use it, maybe that is once again how it could be understood. The fact that you already legally own the thing, and you may be asking them how to use it.

TO be honest they need to properly understand the question because if in any case they dont and they give answers such as these they will mislead the ummah  which is not okay.

(As a side note since this topic got me thinking)* I believe scholars should always improve themselves and be on the top to give intricate answers immedicately to questions such as salah not only in terms of islamic law but the beauty of it what it means etc etc the same way one would imagine if such or more complex questions could have been asked to Ayatollah Tabatabai or other Very bright ulema they would give quick beautiful answers which would make you think.Alhumdulillah For ayatollah Khorasani and Hojjatul Islam Qaraati.However this doesnt need to be a huge requirement but it just would be an added bonus.

Edited July 28, 2016 by sidnaq

[alirex]

1 hour ago, sidnaq said:

 

TO be honest they need to properly understand the question because if in any case they dont and they give answers such as these they will mislead the ummah  which is not okay.

 

What make you think that a Mujtahid will answer without understanding the concept ? They know islam or not or you are doubting there understanding of Islam too ?

[Khadim uz Zahra]

Yes, the issue of copyright is rather confusing. I've read these answers before and they leave a lot unexplained but, I believe, that the gist of his answer (I could be wrong since, as you have pointed out, they are ambiguous and with apparent contradictions) is that while you can use a cracked software, you cannot crack it yourself. That is to say that you can't actually manipulate the code yourself to circumvent the DRM protections and so on but you can use it if someone else has done it. That is what the last two answers seem to suggest. As for the second question, I believe he might be referring to the fact that Islamic books and media - such as latmiyyahs and so on - and the people who make them do not often enforce copyrights to the extent we see, say, American companies doing it. They will often have no problems with people downloading a PDF version of a book or a copy of the latmiyyah, for example, off YouTube without paying, as long as, of course, you are using them for personal use and not reselling them.

The first answer seems to be the most confusing as it is an outright no, and contradicts the other answers, which makes me wonder if there was an error of some sort. Since the Ayatollah doesn't answer the questions himself, it's possible that the different answers were given by different aides who have differing views on the question or something. Or, perhaps, there was just a clerical error or an error in understanding the question.

[sidnaq]

49 minutes ago, alirex said:

What make you think that a Mujtahid will answer without understanding the concept ? They know islam or not or you are doubting there understanding of Islam too ?

 

 

listen to me they are based in iran, i am not saying their english is bad but i have a feeling that one should be careful with how they word their questions and not make it too complex, for sometimes their answers habve seemed different to me too so i am at lest careful no i am not trying to insult them, im not trying to say bad about them but i feel at times one should be careful with their wording so these scholars can understnad them better.I dont feel its could be wise to use the way write our english because some times we dont write directly and it could be confusing like mine.And yes if there happens to be a chance they didnt properly understand the question then they should take responsibility. im not saying in the previous post they didnt understand i asked whether they did.and before you tell me i am wrong, look at the previous post someone else also suggested that there may have been a clerical error in understanding. this is what i mean when people put me down and i feel like i said something until someone else feels the same way or i realise i wasnt wrong to suggest what i suggested.

Edited July 28, 2016 by sidnaq

[Shabbar-E-Shabbir]

If it's illegal where you live, then you need to follow the law of that land.