Solving Critical Issues in the Islamic World with AI
Okay, this will be an interesting post. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about this topic for a long time, and I finally decided to write it down, either to spark a discussion or to inspire those who share the same vision. Let’s begin.
The Golden of Islam: The Muslim world once led the golden age of knowledge
Okay, this will be an interesting post. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about this topic for a long time, and I finally decided to write it down, either to spark a discussion or to inspire those who share the same vision. Let’s begin.
When I was a child, I came across a book about Muslim scientists. It amazed me. But also made me sad.
I had never heard most of those names in school. Nobody told us we once led the world in science, math, and medicine.
For centuries, the Islamic world was full of thinkers and inventors. Algebra. Astronomy. Medicine. Philosophy.
We didn’t just follow the world — we led it. Our knowledge helped all of humanity.
But things have changed. Today, many Muslim countries are struggling with poverty, weak education, broken systems. We lost our rhythm.
Until this century :)
The Promise of AI for the Islamic World
Thankfully, things are changing. Artificial Intelligence is growing faster than any tech before. It’s already changing the world around us. And I believe that this could be a huge chance for the Islamic world.
AI can help countries in so many areas:
- It can personalize education.
- It can make healthcare smarter and faster.
- It can improve how we govern.
- It can boost our economies.
Most importantly, it can help us skip years of struggle and catch up.
But for the Islamic world, the opportunity is not just technological — it is also civilizational.
“For him are angels ranged before him and behind him who guard him by Allah’s command. Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts; and if Allah willeth misfortune for a folk there is none that can repel it, nor have they a defender beside Him.”
— Ar-Ra’d, 11
How to make governance and justice better
I think the real reason of the problems in Islam World is produced by INJUSTICE. Corruption, slow systems, lack of accountability really make our lives unsustainable. Courts take years. Documents get lost. Bribery is so obvious. Trust in the community is broken.
These are —normally— easy problems that can be solved by Islamic rules because Islam puts the innocent people above everything.
Unfortunately, we made a big mistake. We had problems with the quality of the Muslims in the 1700s, then “some illuminated people” said that the reason of these problems were Islamic rules. Then Ottomans decided to change Islamic rules in the 1800s and tried to look like “Westerns”. That did not solve the problems, even they became bigger and unsolvable.
After all of these wrong decisions, during 2 centuries, Muslim countries went on going apart from their biggest union, the Ottoman Empire. Even the heart of the Caliphate was not a part of Ottoman land.
“So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith.”
— The Family of Imran, 139
Don’t get upset. I’m just giving you a brief history of Islam. The events which became real are the ones that we had to see. Because all the events we have seen are like machine learning reinforcement steps.
We got our prizes when we were successful as ummah, and whenever we failed we had many bad side effects in Gaza, Iraq, Bosnia. So that we, as the latest generation, learnt what to do.
AI can help rebuild that civilization again and this time more powerful. It can help us to make systems more transparent. We can reduce human error and human bias with AI.
Imagine a justice system where cases are tracked, organized, and prioritized by AI. No more “lost files”, no more waiting years for a fair trial. AI can help us build systems where both Muslims and non-Muslims feel safe where their rights are protected with the same level of care and justice that the Qur’an teaches us to uphold.
With the help of AI, we can assure both Muslims and non-Muslims that their rights will be protected & safeguarded with the highest level of justice and guarantees described in the Al-Qur’an.
AI can also help governments serve better. Chatbots can answer citizen questions 24/7 and classify them based on their priority. Data analysis can show where poverty is rising before it’s too late. Budgets can be optimized, fraud can be detected early.
For ummah AI doesn’t mean replacing humans. It’s about helping our honest leaders serve faster, smarter, and fairer. We can also increase the career quality of the Islamic population.
This improvement will also affect all humanity in a positive way without any doubt.
“And argue not with the People of the Scripture unless it be in (a way) that is better, save with such of them as do wrong; and say: We believe in that which hath been revealed unto us and revealed unto you; our God and your God is One, and unto Him we surrender.”
— Ankebût (Spider), 69
Personalized Islamic and Scientific Learning at Scale
Education is the key to revival. But in some parts of the Muslim world, good education is still a luxury.
We again have to educate Muslims to be real Muslims who have to stay away from any crime as we already did in the times of Nizam-ul-Mulk. 1000 years ago, he built many universities, called Nizamiye Madrasa, in the biggest cities. These universities gave us many scientists and imams. They educated both of them in the same place. These people taught Muslims how to be a good person, kind and patient.
And humanity gained an enormous human resource who thought “serving humanity” was nearly the most important good deed to be rewarded by Allah.
Nowadays, our population is huge and hard to organize such a Nizamiya Madrasa project. But AI can change that.
It can give every student a personalized learning path. From Qur’anic studies to math and science.
AI can adjust to each child’s pace, style, and needs. It doesn’t get tired. It doesn’t give up.
Imagine a boy in a remote village learning Arabic grammar from an AI tutor. Or a girl in the city mastering physics and Fiqh both, on the same platform.
No bias. No pressure. Just pure access to knowledge. We can be sure about the quality of the education even in the most far village.
And it’s not just for kids.
Adults can learn too — skills, languages, coding, morality (how to be good Muslim).
Learning becomes a lifelong journey, not a childhood privilege.
Most importantly, AI can help us reconnect with our roots.
It can bring the books that were written in Nizamiya Universities to life. They can be translated, explained, and made relevant for today’s world.
Knowledge once made the Ummah rise.
And with AI, it can happen again.
“Are those who know equal with those who know not? But only men of understanding will pay heed.”
— Az-Zumar, 9
Yes, There are Some Dangers but We Have Data
AI systems are only as fair as the data they are trained on.
Unfortunately, much of today’s data is shaped by global inequalities and historical prejudice.
From facial recognition systems that misidentify darker skin tones, to language models that reflect orientalist views, bias is real and measurable.
For Muslim communities, this means there is a serious risk of being misrepresented, marginalized, or even criminalized by default.
Building fair and representative AI requires Muslim scholars, scientists, and engineers to actively shape these systems — not just use them.
These are possible dangers in global systems. And now let’s dive in Islamic AI vision:
We can use our ancient, pure and clear resources to educate. It will have standard rules for justice and kind approach to the innocent people. For example, in Islam, it is forbidden to discriminate the people and it will help us to obtain this.
Our ethics are not a weakness, they are compass given by Allah as a gift.
As we move forward, we must ask:
- Is this technology empowering Muslims or controlling them?
- Is it aligned with justice, or just efficiency?
Okay, What to do now? For Humanity?
We can’t afford to just be users of AI. We must become builders.
Not tomorrow. Now.
For the Ummah to rise again through technology, we need to plant seeds today: in education, in collaboration, in vision.
This isn’t just about catching up.
It’s about leading with values.
It’s about proving that you can be ethical and advanced at the same time.
Muslims Need to Train a Generation of Muslim AI Builders
We must invest in AI education for our youth — not just coding bootcamps, but full ecosystems of knowledge.
- Islamic universities should offer AI degrees.
- Masjids and community centers should host workshops for teens and kids.
- Online platforms in Arabic, Turkish, Urdu, Malay and beyond must teach AI from a culturally relevant lens.
Not just “how to build.” But why to build.
So that when our young developers write code, they write it with intention, not just ambition.
We need thousands of AI-literate minds who carry both technical skill and spiritual insight.
Muslims Must Learn to Fund AI Projects
The Muslim world needs its own AI infrastructure to be ready for AI governance! Without doubt, our countries will be managed and ruled by AI. We must be ready for this transformation.
Not everything has to be imported from Silicon Valley.
We should create open-source libraries, datasets, and models tailored to our needs.
But these things won’t appear magically.
We need shared funds, pan-Islamic innovation grants, and crowdfunded tech projects.
These are some main things to do. I’ll try to do this by producing YouTube videos and blog posts in this vision.
If you’re a non-Muslim reader, you might wonder why I keep saying “we” — especially when there are wealthy Muslim countries in the world. But when I say “we,” I’m referring to the entire Muslim Ummah, including underrepresented communities like African Muslim tribes. That’s why some parts of this article may feel inconsistent to you, but they reflect a broader, shared identity.
Thanks a lot for spending your time to read this article.
I hope, inshaAllah, it triggers some good movements.
Salaam and blessings to everyone who walks the path of serving Allah by uplifting humanity.