Stealing is clearly forbidden in Islamic law as well as other laws that were reveled before the final message of Islam. Likewise, it’s the same ruling in every secular laws. It is one of the verdicts of Islamic law that every Muslim must understand in his/her religion. It is expected that all Muslims should be aware of this ruling about the prohibition of theft. All means, whether they are primitive methods or advanced scientific methods that are used to steal money or any other rights that belong to others, are prohibited by Sharia. As for the theft of prohibited materials such as pornographic programs, its prohibition comes from obtaining a material that helps to corrupt morals.
As for the prohibited material, it is considered valueless, because any forbidden item in Sheria does not have value. An example is the case of the one who steals alcohol; if he drinks it, the prohibition comes from the consumption of alcohol. Having established the prohibition of stealing forbidden materials, it is incumbent upon the one who steals for the purpose of indulging in such immorality to destroy the forbidden materials.
If the stolen items are good, then they have to be returned to their rightful owners if he is able to do so by every possible and available means. Every time that passes by him while these stolen goods are in his possession without getting rid of them, he is committing a sin. However, if he is unable to return the goods to their owners – even through advertisement – then he must channel them into charity, on behalf of the owner of the stolen goods.