Artificial intelligence (AI) is now part of daily life. The map that guides you through traffic, the app that translates a sign, the camera that recognises faces, and the chatbot that answers questions are all forms of AI. Students use it to write assignments, businesses use it to cut costs, and doctors use it to help diagnose disease.
A Muslim naturally asks: is this technology good or bad, and what does Islam say about it? The Qur’an and Hadith do not mention AI by name, but they give clear principles for every major ethical question it raises.
What is AI, really?
Put simply, AI systems are computer programs that learn patterns from very large amounts of data and use those patterns to answer new questions or make decisions. Chatbots learn from billions of sentences which word is most likely to come next.
Two points are essential. First, AI does not “understand” the way a person does; it predicts. Second, those predictions are sometimes completely wrong, and AI states wrong things with full confidence. Specialists call this “hallucination”. This weakness lies at the root of many of the ethical questions below.
Islam’s starting point: a tool is judged by its use
Islam does not oppose knowledge or invention. The Qur’an says the contents of the universe have been made of service to humankind:
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعٗا مِّنۡهُۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّقَوۡمٖ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
“And He has made of service to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, all from Him. Indeed, in that are signs for people who reflect.”
— Surah al-Jathiyah 45:13
A knife can cut fruit or wound a person. In the same way, AI is neither halal nor haram in itself; its ruling depends on how it is used. Islamic jurisprudence describes five higher objectives of the Shari’ah (maqasid al-shari’ah): protecting faith, life, intellect, lineage and wealth. AI that protects these is praiseworthy; AI that harms them is not permitted.
Let us look at six key questions.
1. Truth and fake news
AI can now create fake videos and voices (deepfakes) that show a person saying things they never said, and these spread to thousands of people on WhatsApp within minutes. The Qur’an’s instruction is clear:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِن جَآءَكُمۡ فَاسِقُۢ بِنَبَإٖ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓاْ أَن تُصِيبُواْ قَوۡمَۢا بِجَهَٰلَةٖ فَتُصۡبِحُواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلۡتُمۡ نَٰدِمِينَ
“O you who believe, if a wrongdoer brings you news, verify it, lest you harm people in ignorance and then regret what you have done.”
— Surah al-Hujurat 49:6
Elsewhere: “Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart will all be questioned” (Surah al-Isra 17:36). Today, these verses mean checking a video or a story before forwarding it.
2. Justice and bias
AI learns from the data it is given. If that data carries prejudice against a group, language or class, the AI learns the same prejudice, for example when screening job applications or deciding who gets a loan. The Qur’an commands justice even against oneself:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّـٰمِينَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ شُهَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ
“O you who believe, stand firmly for justice as witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves.”
— Surah an-Nisa 4:135
Those who build or use AI must check its decisions and not allow it to wrong an innocent person.
3. Privacy and surveillance
Many apps collect our photos, messages, location and habits, and AI can draw surprisingly detailed conclusions about people from that data. The Qur’an forbids prying into others’ affairs: wa la tajassasu, “and do not spy” (Surah al-Hujurat 49:12). Collecting, selling or monitoring someone’s personal data without their consent falls within this prohibition. For ordinary users, the lesson is to give apps only the permissions they need, and not to upload other people’s photos or details into AI tools without their consent.
4. Honesty, especially for students
Having AI write an essay or assignment and submitting it as your own work is deception. The Prophet ﷺ once passed a heap of grain, put his hand into it, and found the grain underneath was wet. He asked why the wet grain had not been placed on top so people could see it, and said:
مَنْ غَشَّ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي
“Whoever deceives is not of me.”
— Sahih Muslim 102
Using AI as a tutor or helper, for example to understand a difficult idea or find mistakes in your own writing, and being open about where you had help, is not dishonest. The difference lies in intention and transparency.
5. Who is responsible?
When AI makes a wrong decision, who is to blame? Islam’s answer is clear: not the machine, but people. The Prophet ﷺ said:
كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ، وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ
“Each of you is a guardian, and each of you is responsible for those in his care.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 893
The company that builds an AI system, the organisation that deploys it, and the person who uses it are each accountable within their own sphere. “The computer said so” is no excuse. The same principle is recognised internationally: the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence adopted by UNESCO’s member states in November 2021 makes human oversight and accountability core principles.
6. Can you ask AI a religious question?
This may be the most important question. Chatbots often give wrong verse numbers, invent hadith that exist in no collection, or give incomplete answers on points of fiqh. In matters of religion, such errors are serious. The Qur’an instructs:
فَسۡـَٔلُوٓاْ أَهۡلَ ٱلذِّكۡرِ إِن كُنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
“So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know.”
— Surah an-Nahl 16:43
AI can help gather background information on a topic, but for fatwas and religious guidance, turn to a qualified scholar. And check every verse or hadith an AI gives you against the Qur’an or the original hadith collection.
Work and the future
Many people worry that AI will take their jobs. Some work will change and new work will appear. A Muslim’s response should be preparation, not despair: learning new skills, using AI in permissible ways, and staying on the halal path in earning a living. The honour Allah has given the children of Adam (Surah al-Isra 17:70) cannot be taken by a machine; thinking, making moral choices and caring for others remain human work.
Practical lesson
- Before forwarding any video or news story, pause and ask: have I verified this?
- When you use AI for help, say where, and never let it replace your own thinking.
- Check every verse or hadith an AI gives you yourself on Quran.com or Sunnah.com.
- Review your phone’s app permissions and switch off the ones an app does not need.
Sources
- The Qur’an: 45:13, 49:6, 17:36, 4:135, 49:12, 16:43, 17:70
- Sahih Muslim 102
- Sahih al-Bukhari 893
- UNESCO, Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (November 2021)