The Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) in Dubai is working hard to boost its Sharia fatwa system by bringing artificial intelligence (AI) into its digital platforms. The goal is to offer reliable religious knowledge and solid fatwa services, keeping pace with the fast-changing smart digital world.
The department is focusing on developing many ways for people to connect and get correct Sharia fatwas based on strong academic standards. They're doing this by offering various platforms for fatwas, whether they are proactive, interactive, or personal. These personal fatwa platforms include the department's official website, its smart app, the "DubaiNow" platform from the Dubai government, and a fatwa service via WhatsApp at 8003336. This makes it super easy and convenient for people to get the religious advice they need.
Proactive fatwas are like pre-emptive advice, published through media and social platforms, especially during religious seasons like Ramadan, Hajj, and Eid. The idea is to educate the public about religious rulings before common questions even come up, helping everyone understand worship and daily dealings correctly.
Dubai's fatwa system is committed to a precise, multi-stage process to ensure the accuracy of religious rulings, especially with so many random and unregulated fatwas circulating on social media. Dr. Ahmed Abdulaziz Al Haddad, Director of the Fatwa Department at IACAD, explained that the first stage uses internal, closed AI systems. These systems analyze past fatwas and approved jurisprudential sources from different schools of thought and comparative jurisprudence, without relying on unreliable external sources. This is especially useful for frequently asked questions.
Moving to the second stage, a team of trained muftis reviews the AI-generated answers or draft fatwas to ensure their jurisprudential accuracy. They also prepare new fatwas for issues that haven't been addressed before. This is followed by a third auditing stage, overseen by specialists, to guarantee the final answer is correct.
For complex issues or those needing extra foundational research, they are sent to the official fatwa service. Here, muftis discuss them collectively, reviewing religious evidence and jurisprudential texts to reach the most accurate ruling according to the approved scientific methodology.
Dr. Al Haddad stressed the importance of keeping users' information confidential and private. He noted that all data remains private and is only seen by the fatwa team. People can even submit questions without logging in if they want to maintain their privacy, which really builds trust in the digital system.
It's worth mentioning that the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department launched its AI and Data Strategy for 2025-2027 last year. This initiative aims to improve the department's institutional work system and boost the efficiency of its religious and charitable services through smart digital solutions, showing Dubai's commitment to adopting the latest technologies in this field.
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