Artificial Intelligence and the Islamic Theology of Technology: From “Means” to “Meanings” and from “Minds” to “Hearts”
Muslim responses to Artificial Intellgence (AI) have so far focused mainly on how it challenges the human “mind”. This paper moves from the “mind” to the “heart”, which, in Islam, is not only a vessel of emotion but a cognitive, moral and spiritual centre. Charting a path between cynicism and optimi...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/6/796 |
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| author | Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour |
| author_facet | Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour |
| author_sort | Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Muslim responses to Artificial Intellgence (AI) have so far focused mainly on how it challenges the human “mind”. This paper moves from the “mind” to the “heart”, which, in Islam, is not only a vessel of emotion but a cognitive, moral and spiritual centre. Charting a path between cynicism and optimism, the article proposes a third track: critical, hopeful, and ethically grounded. Utilizing indigenous Islamic concepts (e.g., <i>ijtihād</i> “independent reasoning”, <i>maṣlaḥah mursalah</i> “unrestricted public interest”, and <i>sadd al-dharā’iʿ</i> “blocking the means to harm”), it advocates a bottom-up approach that focuses not just on managing AI, but on shaping “who” we are in the AI age, calling for a moral vision rooted in intentionality (niyyah), moral clarity, and individual-cum-collective responsibility. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ada67a2aa56e4dce837c0dba88ecc970 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-ada67a2aa56e4dce837c0dba88ecc9702025-06-25T14:23:10ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-06-0116679610.3390/rel16060796Artificial Intelligence and the Islamic Theology of Technology: From “Means” to “Meanings” and from “Minds” to “Hearts”Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour0Oxford Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, 109 Iffley Rd, Oxford OX4 1EH, UKMuslim responses to Artificial Intellgence (AI) have so far focused mainly on how it challenges the human “mind”. This paper moves from the “mind” to the “heart”, which, in Islam, is not only a vessel of emotion but a cognitive, moral and spiritual centre. Charting a path between cynicism and optimism, the article proposes a third track: critical, hopeful, and ethically grounded. Utilizing indigenous Islamic concepts (e.g., <i>ijtihād</i> “independent reasoning”, <i>maṣlaḥah mursalah</i> “unrestricted public interest”, and <i>sadd al-dharā’iʿ</i> “blocking the means to harm”), it advocates a bottom-up approach that focuses not just on managing AI, but on shaping “who” we are in the AI age, calling for a moral vision rooted in intentionality (niyyah), moral clarity, and individual-cum-collective responsibility.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/6/796AIMuslim responsesmindheartethically groundedIslamic concepts |
| spellingShingle | Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour Artificial Intelligence and the Islamic Theology of Technology: From “Means” to “Meanings” and from “Minds” to “Hearts” Religions AI Muslim responses mind heart ethically grounded Islamic concepts |
| title | Artificial Intelligence and the Islamic Theology of Technology: From “Means” to “Meanings” and from “Minds” to “Hearts” |
| title_full | Artificial Intelligence and the Islamic Theology of Technology: From “Means” to “Meanings” and from “Minds” to “Hearts” |
| title_fullStr | Artificial Intelligence and the Islamic Theology of Technology: From “Means” to “Meanings” and from “Minds” to “Hearts” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Artificial Intelligence and the Islamic Theology of Technology: From “Means” to “Meanings” and from “Minds” to “Hearts” |
| title_short | Artificial Intelligence and the Islamic Theology of Technology: From “Means” to “Meanings” and from “Minds” to “Hearts” |
| title_sort | artificial intelligence and the islamic theology of technology from means to meanings and from minds to hearts |
| topic | AI Muslim responses mind heart ethically grounded Islamic concepts |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/6/796 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mohammedgamalabdelnour artificialintelligenceandtheislamictheologyoftechnologyfrommeanstomeaningsandfrommindstohearts |