ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ISLAMIC COUNSELLING IN MALAYSIA: OPPORTUNITIES AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS

Islamic counselling plays a pivotal role in supporting the psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being of Muslims in Malaysia. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduces numerous innovative possibilities, its integration within Islamic counselling presents significant hurdles, particularly in aligning such technologies with Shariah principles. Although AI has shown great potential in enhancing accessibility and efficiency across many sectors, including counselling, its application in Islamic contexts necessitates careful attention to ethical standards, data confidentiality and religious compliance. The absence of standardized frameworks has led to inconsistent implementation and increased doubt among practitioners. Moreover, current AI systems are not yet equipped to grasp the nuanced spiritual and contextual needs of Islamic counselling. This study adopts a qualitative methodology, combining literature reviews and practitioner interviews, to explore the challenges and opportunities in embedding AI within Islamic counselling practices. The research reveals key issues such as the lack of unified guidelines, inadequate AI training for counsellors, and the scarcity of Islamic-oriented datasets. Nevertheless, stakeholders acknowledge AI’s potential to broaden counselling outreach, especially in remote communities. For AI to support rather than replace traditional Islamic counselling, the development of Shariah-compliant systems, targeted training initiatives, and collaborative efforts among technologists and religious scholars are crucial. These measures will ensure the continuity of spiritually grounded, ethically sound counselling services in an increasingly digital world.