The manuscript of the Uthmanic Mushaf preserved at the Library of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan is currently undergoing codicological examination.
This research involves a team of scholars including Shaykh Alijon Qori Fayzullah, Head of the “Qur’an and Tajwid Education” Department; Kamoliddin Mahkamov, Head of the Library Department; and Jahongir Qori Nematov, Head of the “Qur’anic Studies” Department at Tashkent Islamic Institute.
Shaykh Alijon Qori Fayzullah emphasized the importance of observing accuracy and trustworthiness when studying and reproducing the script of the Mushaf. He highlighted significant rules of orthography and recitation (qira’at) related to the original handwriting of the Uthmanic Mushaf currently kept at the “Muhi Muborak” Madrasa Museum.
The digital copy of the original Uthmanic Mushaf serves as the main object of the study. In preparing the critical text, researchers also refer to other ancient copies of the Mushaf preserved in Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Each line of the manuscript is being carefully rewritten, with verse and line numbers marked in red. Any textual discrepancies found in the 19th-century copied version are noted in the margins and explained through scholarly commentary.
With the support of the Fund for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan, both local and international experts — including Dr. Christine Rose from the University of Cambridge, French restorers Achel Delaeau and Coralie Barbe, and Nil Baydar, Head of the Istanbul Manuscripts Workshop and Archive Department — have developed a phased restoration plan to ensure the long-term preservation of the sacred manuscript.
Press Service of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan
The world is currently witnessing rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies, to the extent that these tools have become integral to various aspects of life—particularly in economics, education, culture, media, and public services.
In the face of this profound transformation, there is an urgent need to examine the dimensions of AI from an ethical and religious perspective that balances leveraging modern achievements with preserving human values and Shari’a (Islamic law) regulations.
In this context, scholars and specialists affirm that AI is a product of human intellect and creativity, falling under the divine indication: "And He creates that which you do not know" (Surah An-Nahl: 8). This verse alludes to emerging scientific and technical innovations that were previously unknown.
Today, AI has become the foundation for many modern applications, such as e-government, smart cities, autonomous vehicles, drones, and other technologies that contribute to facilitating human life.
However, regardless of its significant benefits, this evolution is not without difficulties and potential risks. Therefore, there is a necessity to regulate, control, and monitor the use of AI, taking the required measures to mitigate its negative impacts—especially in sensitive fields related to religion and Fatwa (legal rulings), where this issue must be given special attention.
Artificial Intelligence and Shari’a Fatwa
Scholars and researchers in jurisprudence academies and scientific conferences have reached a consensus that AI can serve as a supportive tool for gathering, analyzing, and classifying Shari’a information, as well as facilitating access to it. However, it is impermissible to rely on it independently to derive Shari’a rulings or issue Fatwas.
Fatwa issuance requires the direct presence of a qualified jurist (faqih), as rulings vary based on the seeker’s circumstances, time, place, customs, and socio-economic conditions. These nuanced human considerations cannot be independently comprehended by AI. Furthermore, a prerequisite for a Mufti in Islamic Shari’a is to be a legally accountable person (mukallaf), a condition that cannot be fulfilled by technical systems.
Consequently, the role of AI in the field of Ifta (issuing rulings) remains supportive rather than substitutive, in application of the verse: "So ask the people of the message if you do not know" (Surah An-Nahl: 43). Trustworthy scholars remain the ultimate reference in issuing rulings and bearing Shari’a responsibility.
Areas of Practical Application for AI
Practical experience, including that of the Fatwa Center under the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, has proven that AI can be employed in several fields, most notably:
• Analyzing and Classifying Inquiries: Categorizing incoming Shari’a questions by topic and region and identifying the most frequent ones.
• Speech-to-Text Conversion: Transforming audio questions and answers into written text and storing them in organized databases.
• Supporting Fatwa Experts: Suggesting previously archived answers to experts, which are only sent to the inquirer after review and approval by specialists.
• Enhancing Community Security: Through smart, digital, and safe city projects.
• Combating Corruption: By reducing human intervention in administrative procedures.
• Operating in Hazardous Environments: Utilizing smart technologies in environments that are dangerous or harmful to human health.
• Dawah and Education: Facilitating access to Islamic knowledge, lessons, and sermons, and developing educational content that serves the Muslim Ummah.
• Humanity at the Center of Technical Evolution
Specialists emphasize that humans must remain at the heart of the AI development process, and that these technologies must be managed based on a solid ethical and value-based foundation. Technology is not an end in itself, but a means to serve humanity and facilitate its affairs; it should not become a substitute for man or a tool that controls his destiny.
In this framework, the real challenge lies in reconciling AI with religious requirements, legal standards, and national values, ensuring the achievement of cognitive and technical development without compromising Shari’a and human responsibility.
In conclusion, AI, if used with wisdom and clear regulations, can be a great aid to humanity across various fields. Religious and scientific institutions in the Islamic world—including the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan—affirm their permanent readiness to actively participate in employing these modern technologies to spread Islamic knowledge, foster dialogue between religion and science, and contribute to finding solutions for contemporary global challenges.
The ultimate goal remains to harness the blessings of science and technology for the betterment of humanity, in a manner that pleases Allah the Almighty and reinforces the moral values that are the foundation of stability and progress.
Sheikh Nuriddin Khaliqnazar