The 21st century is witnessing a profound shift in how human beings interact with knowledge. What was once stored in books, passed through teachers, and contemplated in solitude is now increasingly mediated by machines. Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are becoming gatekeepers of information, creators of content, and decision-makers in fields as diverse as education, medicine, law, and even religion. For the Muslim Ummah, a global community built on the sacred centrality of ilm, this development presents a deeply urgent question: who owns the future of knowledge? And, more importantly, what role should Muslims play in shaping that future?
This question is not only technical or economic, it is spiritual, ethical, and civilizational. At its heart lies a tension between automation and intention, data and wisdom, and machines that process and humans who reflect. As a faith that began with the divine command iqra, Islam compels its followers not to merely seek knowledge but to preserve its sanctity, embody its ethics, and ensure its benefit for all creation.
This article aims to offer a critical Islamic reflection on the rise of artificial intelligence and what it means for the future of knowledge. It draws on The Quran, Sunnah, classical Islamic scholarship, and contemporary academic thought to provide a framework for understanding both the risks and the responsibilities we face. This is not a call to fear technology, but to engage with it consciously, ethically, and spiritually.
Islamic epistemology declares knowledge as a sacred trust
In Islamic tradition, knowledge is not a commodity. It is a divine trust, a light given by Allah (SWT) to guide human beings. The Quran repeatedly emphasizes the value of knowledge, distinguishing those who possess it from those who do not. Allah (SWT) says in The Quran, “Are they better or those who worship their Lord devoutly in the hours of the night, prostrating and standing, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of their Lord? Say, O Prophet, ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ None will be mindful of this except people of reason.” (The Clear Quran®, 39:9)
The story of Prophet Adam (AS), the first human being, illustrates this foundational principle. When Allah (SWT) created Him, He (SWT) taught him the names of all things; this is a symbolic gesture marking the human capacity for abstract thought, categorization, and understanding. The Quran says, “He taught Adam the names of all things, then He presented them to the angels and said, ‘Tell Me the names of these, if what you say is true?’” (The Clear Quran®, 2:31)
This divine act of teaching was not a passive transmission of labels, but a sacred initiation into the moral responsibility that comes with knowing. In contrast to the angels, who submitted without knowledge of creation’s details, Prophet Adam’s (AS) unique status as a knower earned him the role of caretaker of the earth.
Scholars like Imam al-Ghazali and Ibn Taymiyyah further developed Islamic epistemology, emphasizing that sound knowledge is that which leads to beneficial action and nearness to Allah (SWT). Imam al-Ghazali, in his magnum opus Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din, famously warned that knowledge divorced from action becomes a form of hypocrisy, while action without knowledge is misguidance. For knowledge to be valid in the Islamic framework, it must be guided by sincerity and ethical purpose. This holistic conception of knowledge contrasts sharply with the mechanistic and utilitarian model that underpins much of modern AI.
Artificial intelligence is the new engine of knowledge
Artificial intelligence, in simple terms, refers to the ability of machines to mimic human cognitive functions, learning, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Through complex algorithms, AI systems are trained on massive datasets, allowing them to recognize patterns, make predictions, and generate content. From AI-powered language models and automated legal assistants to facial recognition and surveillance systems, these technologies are reshaping the way knowledge is created, accessed, and applied. On the one hand, AI offers tremendous potential. It can help us translate languages, diagnose diseases, detect fraud, optimize systems, and even answer religious queries.
On the other hand, though, AI does not understand the knowledge it processes. It does not possess consciousness, morality, or accountability. It has no soul, no intention, and no sense of ultimate purpose. As Muslims, this presents a profound theological question: can tools devoid of taqwa be trusted to mediate knowledge? And if knowledge is a trust from Allah (SWT), are we fulfilling our responsibility by allowing machines to act as arbiters of truth without human ethical oversight?
Risks of AI: Epistemic and ethical concerns
While AI promises to revolutionize human life, it also introduces serious risks, many of which go unrecognized or are dismissed as mere technicalities. From an Islamic perspective, these risks must be understood not only in terms of functionality but in light of justice, accountability, and the protection of human dignity. One of the primary concerns is epistemic bias. Most AI systems are built using data collected in secular, Western contexts. This creates an inherent skew in how information is classified, ranked, and retrieved. For example, online search engines and content filters may deprioritize Islamic perspectives or misrepresent them entirely. This is a form of epistemic injustice, where certain worldviews are systematically excluded or marginalized.
Moreover, the lack of ethical intent in AI creates a dangerous form of moral outsourcing. When people turn to AI to make judgments, whether in hiring, policing, education, or even issuing fatwa, we risk delegating moral responsibility to systems that cannot bear it. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock.” (Sahih Bukhari)
Responsibility is a moral burden that cannot be shifted to machines. Human beings, not algorithms, will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment for the decisions we make, or allow to be made in our name. Lastly, there is a danger of spiritual complacency. The automation of knowledge, particularly in religious spaces, can reduce Islam to a set of searchable facts or machine-generated rulings. But Islam is not only about answers, it is about the journey of seeking, the discipline of learning, and the purification of the heart. Machines may provide information, but only human beings can experience tazkiyah, the spiritual refinement that turns knowledge into wisdom.
A call to action
The Muslim Ummah is not unfamiliar with moments of intellectual awakening. The Islamic Golden Age was marked by a fearless embrace of knowledge from all sources, Greek, Persian, and Indian, filtered through the lens of tawheed. Scholars like al-Khwarizmi, ibn Sina, and al-Razi did not merely import knowledge, they Islamized it, humanized it, and used it to serve the common good. Today, we must do the same with AI. This means moving from passive consumers of AI technologies to active contributors and ethical architects. It requires a new generation of scholars who are bilingual, not only in Arabic and English, but in fiqh and programming, in tafsir and data science.
We also need institutional support. Islamic universities, madrasahs, and think tanks must invest in the study of AI ethics from an Islamic perspective. This includes developing a jurisprudence of technology, rooted in maqasid al-shari’ah which encompasses preservation of religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property. In parallel, Muslim governments, philanthropists, and civil society must support open-source projects that promote Islamic knowledge in the AI era, tools that reflect our languages, values, and traditions without compromising our ethics.
The Quran tells us, “With Him are the keys of the unseen, no one knows them except Him. And He knows what is in the land and sea. Not even a leaf falls without His knowledge, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth or anything, green or dry, but is written in a perfect Record.” (The Clear Quran®, 6:59)
Ultimate knowledge belongs to Allah (SWT) alone. Yet He (SWT) has honored humanity with the ability, and the responsibility, to seek, transmit, and safeguard knowledge for the betterment of all. The rise of artificial intelligence does not change that responsibility, it magnifies it.
To answer the question, “who owns the future of knowledge?”, we must reply: those who are ethically grounded, spiritually aware, and intellectually prepared to steward knowledge in accordance with divine guidance. Let the Ummah rise to this challenge, not out of fear, but out of faith.
Dua
Oh Allah (SWT)!
To You belongs all praise. We ask You for knowledge that benefits, sustenance that is pure, deeds that are accepted, a clear opening, and guidance after which we shall never go astray.
Let this effort be a building block in the revival of a nation that reads to reflect, learns to fear You, understands to act, and innovates to serve Your deen and manifest Your light upon the earth.
Make us trustworthy stewards of knowledge, loyal to the truth, callers to goodness, not seeking reputation or recognition through it, but seeking only Your Countenance, Your pleasure, and Paradise.
Make us rightly guided and guiding others, neither astray nor leading others astray. Support the truth through us, establish justice with us, and benefit Your Ummah through us as You did with our righteous predecessors.
Ameen!