A maqasid-based framework for AI governance in Islamic higher education

A peer-reviewed paper published in Frontiers in Education this month proposes a governance framework for artificial intelligence in Islamic higher education built on maqasid al-shariah — the classical framework of the objectives of Islamic law — rather than importing Western AI-ethics checklists wholesale. The authors argue that university AI policy needs criteria beyond bias and privacy: preservation of intellect, protection of lineage and dignity, and safeguarding of religion as categories that map onto real questions universities already face, such as how AI-generated fatwa summaries should be labeled or how automated grading interacts with a student's right to be examined fairly. The paper ties this explicitly to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 AI ambitions, positioning it as a bridge between global AI-governance standards and institutions with a religious mission. Frameworks like this matter because most Muslim-majority universities are currently choosing between adopting a secular AI policy wholesale or having none at all; a maqasid-based model gives administrators a third option they can defend on the university's own terms.

This is a QeRN summary by Ahmed Qerni. Read the original at Frontiers in Education: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1887316/full.