QUESTION:

As Salaamu Alaikum,

Can you rent books from schools? Schools take rental fees

ANSWER:


Wa Alaikum As Salaam Wa Rahmatullah,

With respect to renting books, whether it is from schools or other places, our Fuqaha (Jurist experts) have written that it is not permissible. The great Jurist Imam As Saraksi has written ‘If one rents a book to read, whether it is poetry or Fiqh, or any other content, it will not be permissible’. (Kitab Al Mabsoot- Imam As Saraksi vol 16 pg 40 Dar Ihya At Turath).

It must however be noted that today, in a number of countries, the Government has introduced a program named ‘Textbook Rental Program’ in order to help students who cannot afford to purchase textbooks.
It must be understood that this program does not entail the actual rental of books by parents or students, but it is system where the Government purchases books from suppliers and delivers them to their schools. They then ask the Management of the Schools to lend the relevant books to students who must return them to the school at the end of the year. This takes place without the school or Government charging a fee/rental, and without the parents/students being asked to pay a fee/rental.

Taking books from the school in this manner (under this textbook rental program) will be permissible since it does not involve the actual renting of books. It is simply a name that is used for this program since students are asked to return the textbooks to the school.
The prohibition which the Jurists have mentioned regarding this, is where one takes a book on rent for a fixed period of time and pays a fee (rent) for doing so. At the end of that period, he returns the book. Owners of bookstores at times, make this their profession and earn a wage from this. They continue to rent books in this manner, and people continue to take books from them for fixed periods and pay a rent. Regarding this, the Fuqaha have stated that it is not permissible, and the act/work of renting books is Batil (null and void).

And Allah knows best
Mufti Waseem Khan
19/11/2024