Question: The Hadith: “He who sees the letter of his brother without his permission, sees Hell-fire” does looking at the book of another student when studying enter into that?
Answer: “This Hadith mentioned is weak. So it is allowed for a student to look at the book and there is no prohibition in that. What is forbidden is make it tight upon him or crowd him. As for a student looking or the owner of the book coming near and he is conscious of the other’s desire to share with him, then this is permission”.
[Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood no. 185]
Translated by
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan