Malay Islamic Knowledge in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Maqāṣid-Based Civilizational Reading for Renewing Thought and Developing Practice - المعارف الإسلامية الملاوية في عصر الذكاء الاصطناعي: قراءة مقاصدية حضارية لتجديد الفكر وتطوير الممارسة

Abstract

This study examines Malay Islamic knowledge traditions in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei as active political entities and deeply rooted civilizational reservoirs shaped through a long historical interaction between Islam and the societies of the Malay world. This interaction began with the early arrival of Islam through Yemeni merchants and preachers who carried the scholarly legacy of Shāfiʿī jurisprudence and Sunni Sufism. The research explores the concept of Malay Islamic knowledge and investigates how it responds to the profound transformations brought about by artificial intelligence, as an intellectual product reflecting the unique experience of Islamic communities in the Malay world. The study aims to define Malay Islamic knowledge and analyze the challenges and opportunities imposed by the rise of artificial intelligence on its structure and functions. It proposes a Maqāṣid-based framework for renewing this knowledge and ensuring its continuity by integrating research induction with linguistic and historical analysis, grounded in scriptural texts and the principles of Islamic law. Artificial intelligence is viewed not as a threat, but as a tool that can be harnessed to serve Islamic knowledge in a manner compatible with contemporary needs while preserving Islamic foundations and values. The research presents a Maqāṣid-oriented approach capable of accommodating digital transformations, relying on higher objectives of Sharia and legal maxims to guide renewal and regulate engagement with modern technologies. It concludes that Malay Islamic knowledge—with its civilizational uniqueness, historical depth, and well-established Sharīʿah objectives—is well-positioned to provide a knowledge model capable of contributing to the renewal and development of Islamic thought, and guiding the interaction with technological changes. This is achieved through a civilizational renewal project that safeguards foundational constants, directs evolving variables, and employs artificial intelligence in a conscious, Maqāṣid-based manner, enabling this knowledge to play an effective role in shaping Islamic civilization, preserving identity, and confronting cultural alienation.