Creative Contradiction in Artificial Intelligence: An Islamic Ethical Framework for Multi-Objective Value Alignment

Abstract The alignment of artificial intelligence (AI) systems with human values remains one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary AI ethics. Existing frameworks, predominantly rooted in Western philosophical traditions, struggle to accommodate value pluralism and often fail to provide actionable guidance for resolving ethical dilemmas characterized by incommensurable trade-offs. This paper introduces Creative Contradiction AI (CC-AI), a novel computational framework grounded in the principle of al-Taḍād al-Khallāq (Creative Contradiction), a concept articulated in the teachings of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him, d. 765 CE) and formalized in recent Islamic philosophical scholarship [1]. CC-AI operationalizes seven foundational Islamic legal maxims (qawā'id fiqhiyyah) as mathematical constraints within a multi-objective optimization architecture, enabling AI systems to navigate ethical contradictions through dialectical synthesis rather than utilitarian reduction. We validate the framework through a case study on informal settlement upgrading in Baghdad, Iraq, demonstrating that CC-AI outperforms baseline methods (utilitarian, egalitarian, and standard NSGA-II) in generating ethically robust solutions that balance resident welfare, legal compliance, and economic efficiency. Statistical analysis reveals large effect sizes (Hedges' g = 3.21, p < 0.001), indicating substantial practical significance. This work contributes to the emerging discourse on non-Western AI ethics and offers a replicable methodology for integrating religious and cultural values into computational decision-making systems.