The Algorithmic Mujtahid: Artificial Intelligence, Ijtihād, and the Question of Interpretive Authority in Contemporary Islamic Ethics

The rise of artificial intelligence, particularly large language models, poses a unique epistemic challenge to Islamic interpretive authority. This paper explores the notion of the “Algorithmic Mujtahid,” an AI system capable of engaging with foundational texts in ways resembling legal reasoning.Footnote1 We argue that AI forces a reconsideration of core concepts such as qasd, taqwā, and ḥikmah. By contrasting classical ijtihād's spiritual, teleological reasoning with machine learning's statistical logic, the study reveals both promise and limitation. Case studies in finance and bioethics show risks to scholarly hierarchy, concluding that AI must remain a subordinate, assistive tool rather than a replacement.