Artificial Intelligence and Islamic Thought: Two Distinctive Challenges

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has presented novel questions across various intellectual and theological landscapes. This article seeks to explore two distinctive challenges that AI poses to Islamic thought. First, it examines the potential role of AI in Islamic knowledge production and scholarship, questioning the feasibility of an AI-powered religious authority, the concept of the iMufti and techno- madhhabs , along with capabilities to contribute to the chains of transmission and issue religious edicts ( fatāwā ). The second challenge delves into the implications of AI on the Qur'ān's claim of linguistic inimitability ( i'jāz ), investigating whether an AI, when taught the complexities of Arabic and literary composition, could potentially meet the Qur'ān's challenge to produce a text of comparable stature, thus probing the foundational assertions of the Islamic worldview. The article provides preliminary reflections aimed at spurring further scholarly inquiry into the intersection of AI and Islamic thought.