AI Hermeneutic Competence in Qur’anic Exegesis

A Critical Review Based on Mufassir Qualifications in ‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān Tradition

Abstract

The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed various fields of knowledge, including Qur’anic exegesis. AI can rapidly process Islamic data, analyze language, connect classical and contemporary tafsir sources, and present interpretive information systematically. These advances have raised scholarly debates concerning whether AI possesses the hermeneutic competence required to interpret the Qur’an. This study examines AI’s hermeneutic competence by evaluating it against the qualifications of a mufassir within the tradition of ‘ulūm al-Qur’ān. It employs a qualitative library research approach. The findings reveal that AI demonstrates considerable strengths in processing large datasets, retrieving references, recognizing linguistic patterns, and organizing interpretive information efficiently. Nevertheless, these capabilities remain technical and computational rather than epistemological. AI cannot fulfill the essential qualifications of a mufassir, including spiritual maturity, religious experience, scholarly intuition, contextual understanding of socio-religious realities, and ethical responsibility in interpreting divine revelation. Consequently, AI should not be regarded as a replacement for human mufassirs, but as a complementary tool that supports research, documentation, and access to tafsir sources. This study argues that the integration of AI into Qur’anic exegesis must remain grounded in the epistemological principles of ‘ulūm al-Qur’ān. Maintaining a balance between technological innovation and authoritative interpretive methodology is essential to ensure that Qur’anic interpretation remains academically rigorous, contextually sound, ethically responsible, and faithful to the intellectual tradition of Islamic scholarship.

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