Cairo-based Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, Egypt’s official Islamic advisory and judicial authority, has issued a fatwa prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence applications, including ChatGPT, for interpreting the Holy Quran.
The ruling, published on the institution’s website last month, states that relying independently or entirely on AI-generated interpretations is impermissible in Islam because it risks subjecting the Quran to conjecture, inaccuracies and misrepresentation.
Established in 1895, Dar al-Ifta serves as Egypt’s premier institution for Islamic legal research and the issuance of fatwas. In its statement, the body emphasized that Muslims seeking to understand the Quran should refer to authoritative tafsir works, qualified scholars and trusted religious institutions rather than AI systems.
According to the ruling, AI models lack true comprehension of Quranic text and may produce outputs containing factual errors, unverified material or interpretations that conflict with established Islamic teachings. Dar al-Ifta warned that such systems rely on automated processing of information drawn from multiple sources, languages and methodologies, some of which may be contradictory, distorted or produced by unqualified entities.
The fatwa cited what it described as serious legal and methodological shortcomings in AI-based interpretation, including the absence of scholarly oversight, the inability to verify accuracy and the lack of a scientifically established interpretive framework consistent with Islamic jurisprudence.
Dar al-Ifta stressed that proper Quranic interpretation must be grounded in recognized scholarly traditions and governed by established rules used by exegetes and jurists. Abandoning these standards, it said, could lead to confusion, doctrinal errors and unreliable religious guidance.
The ruling is expected to carry influence beyond Egypt, given Dar al-Ifta’s standing in the Islamic world. It addresses broader concerns over preserving religious authority and preventing unqualified tools from issuing misleading guidance on matters of faith.
Despite the ban on AI-generated Quranic interpretation, Dar al-Ifta and other Islamic institutions continue to adopt digital technologies to expand access to religious services. In 2022, Dar al-Ifta launched FatwaPro, a mobile application designed to respond to religious inquiries from Muslims worldwide, particularly those living in Western countries. The platform handled more than 6,700 inquiries, with nearly 3,500 fatwas issued in 2024 alone, primarily in English and French.
Elsewhere in the region, Saudi Arabia has also integrated technology into religious services. During Ramadan last year, authorities introduced the Manara Robot at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The AI-powered device answers religious questions in multiple languages and connects users with senior clerics via live video for complex inquiries.
The developments highlight a growing tension between expanding technological access and safeguarding religious authenticity, as well as ongoing debates about the role of artificial intelligence in interpreting sacred texts.
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