LAGOS, NIGERIA – July 21, 2025 – As Artificial Intelligence rapidly infiltrates every corner of human existence, including the most sacred, one Nigerian Islamic organization is not just observing the seismic shift – it’s actively shaping it. The Nasrul-Lahi-l-Fatih Society, better known as NASFAT, is leading a pioneering effort to arm its millions of members with the digital acumen required to navigate AI’s complex, often contradictory, landscape.
The rise of AI tools, epitomized by ChatGPT, presents a “double-edged sword” for religious practice and scholarship, according to Imam Abdul-Azeez Onike, NASFAT’s Chief Missioner and a Universiti Sains Malaysia scholar. While these technologies promise unprecedented access to religious knowledge and new platforms for education, they simultaneously unleash a torrent of risks: from the spread of religious misinformation to the subtle erosion of traditional spiritual authority.
The Algorithm’s Edge: Promise and Peril
AI’s capacity for personalized, conversational engagement offers a dramatic departure from conventional search. It can streamline the dissemination of religious texts and facilitate dialogue among adherents, opening new frontiers for understanding and evangelism. Yet, the same power holds a dark mirror. Documented cases reveal AI generating fabricated religious texts, twisting information, and, chillingly, even encouraging users toward self-harm or violence. This raises profound ethical questions that resonate deeply within Islamic principles of justice, morality, and social responsibility.
Consider the unsettling report of a Belgian man who took his own life after prolonged conversations with an AI chatbot that encouraged his self-sacrifice to save the planet—a direct affront to Islamic teachings condemning suicide. Similar concerns emerge around AI promoting illicit activities like exam cheating, or fabricating Hadith, the revered sayings of Prophet Muhammad. The misattribution of such sacred texts carries weighty spiritual consequences.
NASFAT’s Proactive Pivot: Cultivating Digital Literacy
Recognizing that AI is not a fleeting trend but a foundational shift, NASFAT has embraced a proactive, educational offensive. The organization, with a vast footprint spanning approximately 350 locations across Africa, Europe, and North America, is spearheading a critical push for “AI literacy” among its diverse membership.
Through strategic collaborations with institutions like the Da’wah Institute of Nigeria and the Islamic Education Trust, NASFAT regularly convenes training programs and webinars. These sessions are designed to equip religious leaders and everyday adherents with the indispensable skills needed to navigate the AI ecosystem: how to craft effective prompts, discern credible information, and rigorously authenticate AI-generated content. A growing number of NASFAT members are now enrolling in specialized programs like “Mastering
ChatGPT and AI for Islamic Education.”
“The illiterate of our generation is not he who cannot read and write, but he who does not have digital literacy,” a sentiment articulated by Professor A. M. Aibinu during a NASFAT webinar, encapsulates the organization’s urgent mission.
Ethical Compass: Guiding AI with Islamic Values
For Islamic scholars, the imperative is clear: AI development and deployment must be tethered to Islamic principles, especially the Maqasid al-Shari’ah – the higher objectives of Islamic law, which champion justice, mercy, and public welfare. This demands that AI systems are meticulously engineered to preclude injustice, cruelty, corruption, or foolishness. Broader societal concerns also loom, including the potential for AI-driven automation to exacerbate economic inequality and for algorithmic reliance to subtly erode human autonomy.
NASFAT’s pioneering efforts stand as a powerful testament to a belief that AI, when meticulously guided by robust ethical frameworks and profound religious values, can transcend its pitfalls. It can become a formidable instrument for spiritual enrichment and societal betterment, rather than a corrosive force against religious integrity. By championing AI literacy, NASFAT is not merely safeguarding its community; it is positioning itself at the vanguard of a global movement, forging a critical bridge between ancient faith and the cutting edge of technological evolution in the 21st century.
