Artificial Intelligence in Qur'anic Interpretation: A Theological and Ethical Analysis

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published: Mar 1, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15642/jitp.2026.5.1.60-79
Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, Tafsīr Epistemology, Qur’anic Interpretation, Islamic Ethics

Main Article Content

Nehru Millat Ahmad
Sekolah Tinggi Islam Kendal

Abstract

The development of Artificial Intelligence in the modern era has significantly transformed various aspects of human life, including Qur'anic studies and interpretation. Although AI enhances accessibility and efficiency in analyzing religious texts, it raises epistemological, theological, and ethical concerns regarding interpretative authority, validity of meaning, and the potential reduction of the spiritual dimension of the Qur'an. This study aims to examine the position of Artificial Intelligence within the epistemology of Qur'anic interpretation and to analyze its theological and ethical implications in Islamic thought. This research employs a qualitative library-based method using a critical hermeneutic approach analyzed through the framework of tafsīr epistemology and maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah. The findings indicate that Artificial Intelligence functions as a complementary epistemic instrument capable of expanding linguistic analysis, intertextual mapping, and systematic processing of tafsīr data. However, Artificial Intelligence lacks historical consciousness, moral reflection, and intentionality of meaning, which are fundamental elements in Islamic interpretative epistemology. Therefore, interpretative authority remains within human agency as the interpreter who integrates revelation, rationality, and socio-cultural context. The utilization of Artificial Intelligence in Qur’anic interpretation must align with the principles of ḥifẓ al-dīn and ḥifẓ al-‘aql to preserve the sanctity of religious teachings and intellectual integrity in Islamic scholarship.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Ahmad, N. M. (2026). Artificial Intelligence in Qur’anic Interpretation: A Theological and Ethical Analysis. Journal of Islamic Thought and Philosophy, 5(1), 60–79. https://doi.org/10.15642/jitp.2026.5.1.60-79
Issue
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): March
Section
Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

© The Authors. Published by the Masters Program in Aqidah and Islamic Philosophy, Faculty of Ushuluddin and Philosophy, Sunan Ampel State Islamic University Surabaya, Indonesia.

References

A., Margaret, Goralski, and Tay Keong Tan. “Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development.” The International Journal of Management Education 18, no. 1 (2020). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.100330.

Abdul Mustaqim. Epistemologi Tafsir Kontemporer. Yogyakarta: LkiS, 2010.

Abdullah Saeed. Interpreting The Qur`an Towards a Contemporary Approach. New York: Routledge, 2006.

Abubakar, and Arif Ridha. “Al-Qur’an Dan Kecerdasan Buatan (Suatu Kajian Tematik).” Al-Wajid: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Quran Dan Tafsir 5, no. 2 (2024): 190–203. https://doi.org/10.30863/alwajid.v5i2.5745.

Ahmad, Hishomudin, and Norfarhana Ahmad Ghafar. “AI as Interpretive Aid in Qur’anic Stylistics: Ethical Foundations for Digital Hermeneutics.” International Journal of Arts and Social Science 8, no. 9 (2025): 9–24.

Ahmad, Nehru Millat. Kritik Sosial Dalam Tafsir Al-Iklil. Kendal: Eksystika, 2023.

Ahmad, Nehru Millat, Saichul Anam, Wan Khairul Aiman Wan Mokhtar, and Muhammad Ali Gunawan. “Deconstruction of Local Culture: Misbah Musthofa’s Critique in Tafsir Al- Iklīl Fī Ma’āni Al- Tanzīl on the Traditions of Javanese Islamic Societies.” Tribakti: Jurnal Pemikiran Keislaman 37, no. 1 (2026): 111–32.

Al-Jabiri, Muhammad ‘Ābid. Bunyah Al-‘Aql Al-‘Arabī: Dirasah Taḥlīlīyah Naqdiyyah Li Nizām Al-Ma‘rifah Fī Al-Ṭaqāfah Al-‘Arabiyyah. Beirut: Markaz Dirāsah al-Waḥdah al-‘Arabiyyah, 1986.

Al-Janabi, Mahdi Kais Abdulkarim. “Artificial Intelligence in Quranic Exegesis: A Critical Analytical Study of ChatGPT Technology.” QURANICA: International Journal of Quranic Research 16, no. 2 (2024): 112–44.

Al-Qardhawi, Yusuf. Al-‘Aql Wa Al-‘Ilm Fī Al-Qur’Ān Al-Karīm. Kairo: Maktabah Wahbah, 1998.

Al-Qurṭubī, Abū Abdillah Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Abi Bakr Samsu al-Dīn. Al-Jāmi’ Al-Aḥkām Al-Qur`an. Kairo: Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣriyah, n.d.

Al-Ṣābūnī, Muḥammad ‘Alī. Ṣafwat Al-Tafsīr. Kairo: Dār al-Ṣābūnī li al-Ṭabā‘ah wa al-Nashr wa al-Tawzī‘, 1997.

Al-Sya‘rāwī, Muhammad Mutawallī. Tafsir Al-Sya‘Rāwī. Kairo: Maṭābi‘ Akhbār al-Yaum, 1997.

Al-Wasim, Arif. “Maqāṣid Syari’ah Menjawab Tantangan Post-Truth Era: Urgensi Ḥifẓal-‘Aql Sebagai Penyaring Informasi.” International Journal Ihya` ’Ulum Al-Din 21, no. 2 (2019): 143–57.

Alamsyah, Mulki Firdaus, and Ahmad Remanda. “Ethics of the Use of Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) in the Paradigm of Islamic Law.” Sicopus: Solo International Collaboration and Publication of Social Sciences and Humanities 4, no. 1 (2026): 91–104.

Andriansyah, Yuli. “The Current Rise of Artificial Intelligence and Religious Studies : Some Reflections Based on ChatGPT.” Millah: Journal of Religious Studies 21, no. 1 (2023). https://doi.org/10.20885/millah.vol21.iss3.editorial.

Az-Zarkashī, Badr al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh. Al-Burhān Fī ʿUlūm Al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1988.

Basid, Abd, Lailatul Qomariyah, M. Fadil Asa Fatahillah Sunandar, and Moh. Asasuddin. “Teks Kitab Suci Dan Mesin : Menakar Kerja Mesin Kecerdasan Buatan Dalam Memfasilitasi Pemahaman Al-Qur’an.” Ta’wiluna: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur’an, Tafsir Dan Pemikiran Islam 5, no. 3 (2024): 641–53.

Bouzenita, Anke Iman. “Transhumanism – Old Challenges in a New Garb?” Journal of Islam in Asia 21, no. 2 (2024): 172–93.

Campbell, Heidi. Exploring Religious Community Online: We Are One in the Network. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2005.

Castro, Gina Paola Barrera, Andres Chiappe, Diego Fernando Becerra Rodríguez, and Felipe Gonzalo Sepulveda. “Harnessing AI for Education 4.0: Drivers of Personalized Learning.” Electronic Journal of E-Learning 22, no. 5 (2024): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.22.5.3467.

Clark, Andy, and David Chalmers. “The Extended Mind.” Analysis 58, no. 1 (1998): 7–19.

El-hady, E Haikcal Firdan, and M. Fauzan Zenrif. “Pandangan Islam Terhadap Etika Kecerdasan Buatan ( Artificial Intelligence ) Dalam Kehidupan Sehari-Hari.” NUANSA: Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu Sosial Dan Keagamaan IslamJurnal Penelitian Ilmu Sosial Dan Kegamaan Islam 21, no. 2 (2024): 84–98. https://doi.org/10.19105/nuansa.v18i1.xxxx.

Farid essack. Qur’an, Liberation, & Pluralism: An Islamic Perspective of Interreligious Solidarity Against Oppression. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 1997.

Fitryansyah, Muhammad Andryan, and Fatimah Nur Fauziah. “BRIDGING TRADITION AND TECHNOLOGY : AI IN THE INTERPRETATION OF NUSANTARA RELIGIOUS MANUSCRIPTS.” Jurnal Lektur Keagamaan 22, no. 2 (2024): 317–46.

Floridi, Luciano. The Fourth Revolution: How the Infosphere Is Reshaping Human Reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.

Hakim, Lukman, and Muhamad Risqil Azizi. “OTORITAS FATWA KEAGAMAAN DALAM KONTEKS ERA KECERDASAN BUATAN (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/AI).” Ar-Risalah: Media Keislaman, Pendidikan Dan Hukum Islam 21, no. 2 (2023): 164–74.

Hans-Georg Gadamer. Truth and Method, Terj. Ahmad Sahidah. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar, 2020.

———. Truth and Method. London: Continuum, 1975.

Iskandar, Samsuddin, Rahendra Maya, and Agusman. “Saluran Ilmu Menurut Ibnu Taimiyah Dan Relevansinya Dengan Pembaharuan Pemikiran Islam Di Era Post-Truth.” Jurnal Kajian Islam Modern 11, no. 2 (2024): 120–40.

Jalāl al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr al-Suyūṭī. Al-Itqān Fī ʿUlūm Al-Qur’ān. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyah, 2014.

Kannike, Uthman Mohammed Mustapha, and Abdulgafar Olawale Fahm. “EXPLORING THE ETHICAL GOVERNANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FROM AN ISLAMIC ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE.” Jurnal Fiqh 22, no. 1 (2025): 134–61.

Lestari, Rosa, Ludfi, and Suhaili. “THE CRISIS OF KNOWLEDGE AUTHORITY IN QURANIC INTERPRETATION : REFLECTIONS ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE ON MISINFORMATION IN THE ERA OF SOCIAL MEDIA.” Almubin: Islamic Scientific Journal 8, no. 1 (2025): 107–18. https://doi.org/10.51192/almubin.v8i1.1694.

Madadizadeh, Farzan, and Sajjad Bahariniya. “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Understanding and Interpreting the Quran.” JCHR: Journal of Community Health Research 12, no. 2 (2024): 310–11.

Maha, Ali Talib, Zainab Abdullah Habtiter, Hazem Adnan Ahmed, and Yassin Khudair Mijbel. “Employing Artificial Intelligence Applications in the Service of Islamic Religion and Belief.” International Conference on Intelligent Systems, 2025, 167–76. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82377-0_15.

Maola, Putri Sofiatul, Indira Syifa Karai Handak, and Yusuf Tri Herlambang. “Penerapan Artificial Intelligence Dalam Pendidikan Di Era Revolusi Industri 4.0.” Educatio: Jurnal Ilmu Kependidikan 19, no. 1 (2024): 61–72. https://doi.org/10.29408/edc.v19i1.24772.

Misbah Musthofa. Al-Iklil Fi Ma’ani Al-Tanzil. Surabaya: Al-Ihsan, 1985.

Misliana, and Komarudin Sassi. “Eksplorasi Dimensi-Dimensi Al-Qur’an Dalam Hifdz Al-Aql (Analisis Tematik Al-Isra’ Ayat 9).” Inspirasi Edukatif: Jurnal Pembelajaran Aktif 6, no. 3 (2025): 755–66.

Moh. Mauluddin. “Kontribusi Artificial Intelligence (AI) Pada Studi Al Quran Di Era Digital; Peluang Dan Tantangan.” Madinah: Jurnal Studi Islam 11, no. 1 (2024): 99–113. https://doi.org/10.58518/madinah.v11i1.2518.

Muhammad bin Jarīr al-Tabarī. Jāmi’ Al-Bayān ‘an Ta`wīl Al-Qur`ān. Mekah: Dar al-Tarbiyah wa al-Turath, n.d.

Muḥammad Sayyid Ḥusain al-Dhahabī. Tafsīr Wa Al-Mufassirūn. Kairo: Maktabah wa Habbah, n.d.

Nadir, Junaid, and Amana Raquel. “Artificial Intelligence and the Qur’an: A Theological Analysis of Machine Learning and Ethical Challenges.” Al-Awan 1, no. 2 (2023): 34–47.

Nasr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd. Mafhūm Al-Naṣṣ: Dirāsah Fī ‘Ulūm Al-Qur’Ān. Kairo: al-Hay’ah al-Miṣriyyah al-‘Āmmah li al-Kitāb, 1990.

Quṭb, Sayyid. Tafsir Fi Dzilal Al-Qur’an. Jakarta: Gema Insani, 2000.

Rahman, Dimas Maulana, and Miftahurrahmat. “Analisis Filsafat Posthumanisme Dalam Konsep Khalifah Menurut Al- Qur’an.” Nihayah: Journal of Islamic Studies 1, no. 1 (2025): 55–67.

Shafiq, Mohd, Mohd Hisyam, Abdul Rahim, Arif Amin, Arwansyah Kirin, and Norazlina Zakaria. “Preserving the Authenticity of Quranic Exegesis Through Artificial Intelligence : A Proposed Framework for Digital Verification.” QURANICA, International Journal of Quranic Research 14, no. September (2025): 325–44.

Sudirman, Sutiah, and Supriyono. “Islamic Law in the Era of Artificial Intelligence : A Systematic Literature Review.” International Journal of Engineering, Science and Information Technology 5, no. 4 (2025): 321–28.

Taghikhah, Firouzeh, Eila Erfani, Ivan Bakhshayeshi, Sara Tayari, Alexandros Karatopouzis, and Bavly Hanna. Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability: Solutions to Social and Environmental Challenges. Artificial Intelligence and Data Science in Environmental Sensing. Elsevier Inc., 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90508-4.00006-X.

Ty, Rey. “Impact of AI-Powered Technology on Religious Practices and Ethics : The Road Ahead.” Asian Research Center For Religion and Social Communication 21, no. 2 (2023): 339–74.

Wilhelm Dilthey. The Formation of the Historical World in the Human Sciences. Edited by Rudolf A. Makkreel. 3rd ed. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2002.

Yao, Dedo Williams Johannes. “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Religion and Social Studies.” Convergence Chronicles 5, no. 1 (2024): 334–42. https://globalweb1.com/index.php/ojs/article/view/1%0Ahttps://globalweb1.com/index.php/ojs/article/download/1/151.

Yensi, Opi, Dina Istiqomah, and Laksamana Naufal Hadi. “Penggunaan Artifical Intellegance ( AI ) Dalam Kajian Al-Qur`an : Analisis Atas Potensi Dan Keterbatasannya.” Istinarah: Riset Keagamaan, Sosial Dan Budaya 7, no. 1 (2025): 87–99.

Zuhaily, Wahbah. Tafsir Al Munir. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 2003.