Reconstructing Islamic Spirituality in The Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Sufistic Spiritual Intelligence Framework
Abstract
This study aims to reconstruct Islamic spirituality from a Sufi perspective in response to AI-driven disruptions. Employing a qualitative library research approach, this study examines classical Sufi literature alongside contemporary scholarship on AI, digital religion, and spirituality. The study collected data from primary Sufi sources and peer-reviewed academic publications and analyzed them using content and thematic analysis. The findings identify four major dimensions of spiritual challenges in the AI era: algorithmic authority, digital dependency, existential crisis, and technological dehumanization. In response, this study proposes the Sufistic Spiritual Intelligence Framework (SSIF), comprising five interconnected dimensions: tazkiyat al-nafs (purification of the self), muraqabah (spiritual vigilance), muhasabah (self-examination), digital zuhd (detachment from excessive technological dependence), and ihsan (spiritual excellence). Together, these dimensions provide a conceptual framework for strengthening ethical awareness, self-regulation, reflective thinking, and human-centered engagement with AI. This study's novelty lies in integrating classical Sufi principles into contemporary AI discourse through digital zuhd and the proposed SSIF. The study contributes theoretically to contemporary Islamic studies by articulating a Sufistic approach to AI-related spiritual challenges and offers a conceptual foundation for spiritually responsible, humanistic engagement with AI.
Downloads
References
Abdelnour, M. G. (2025). Artificial Intelligence and the Islamic Theology of Technology: From “Means” to “Meanings” and from “Minds” to “Hearts”. Religions, 16(6), 796. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060796
Ahmad, H., & Ahmad Ghafar, N. (2026). Who speaks when machines read scripture: Boundary-making and interpretive authority in AI-mediated religious knowledge. AI and Ethics, 6, (1); 463. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-026-01254-5
Ahmad, K. A., Shohibuddin, W. A. J., & Eldeib, A. A. M. (2025). Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Quranic Education: A Systematic Review Of Pedagogical Applications And Challenges. QURANICA - International Journal of Quranic Research, 17(2), 187–213. https://doi.org/10.22452/quranica.vol17no2.8
Ahmad Syahir, A. N., Zainal Abidin, M., & Saari, C. (2025). Harmonizing Artificial Intelligence in Islamic Psychospiritual Approaches to Enhance Bio-Psycho-Socio-Spiritual Well-Being. Journal of Advanced Research in Social and Behavioural Sciences, 39, 190–204. https://doi.org/10.37934/jarasbs.39.1.190204
Al-Ghazali, A.-G. (2013). The Alchemy of happiness (C. Field, Trans). Routledge. https://archive.org/download/alchemyofhappine00algh/alchemyofhappine00algh.pdf (Original work published Islamic Texts Society)
Aisah, S., Bin Jali, H., & Halid, A. (2026). Sufism and sustainable mental well-being: A psychospiritual approach to inner peace. Profetika: Jurnal Studi Islam, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.23917/profetika.v27i01.17163
Akhyar, M., Al Faruq, M. A., & Majasius, D. (2026). Self-efficacy as a mechanism in Sufi psychotherapy for psychological disorders based on the Tazkiyat al-Nafs approach: A Gadamerian hermeneutic analysis. International Journal of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3(2), 102–113. https://doi.org/10.64420/ijcp.v3i2.574
AlMazaedh, I., Tahat, K. M., Alkhalaileh, M., & Tahat, D. N. (2026). Digital religion in platform societies: Authority, mediation, and social cohesion in algorithmic publics (2010–2025). Frontiers in Sociology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2026.1802281
Al-Muhasibi, A.-H. (1996). Al-Ri’ayah li huquq Allah. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’IImiyah.
Am, M. A., Komarudin, E., & Rohmana, J. A. (2025). From Sanad to Algorithm: Digital Qur’anic Interpretation and the Reconfiguration of Religious Authority in Indonesia. Al Furqan: Jurnal Ilmu Al Quran Dan Tafsir, 8(2), 405–419. https://doi.org/10.58518/alfurqan.v8i2.4452
Andhika, F. D., Rahmi, S., & Sari, H. P. (2025). Integrasi Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Dalam Pendidikan Islam: Telaah Filsafat dan Etika Dalam Era Disrupsi Digital. An Najah (Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Dan Sosial Keagamaan), 4(6), 95–104. https://journal.nabest.id/index.php/annajah/article/view/660
Arrozy, J., Zarman, W., & Institut Pemikiran Islam dan Pembangunan Insan (PIMPIN) Bandung, Indonesia. (2024). Philosophical Underpinnings of Artificial Intelligence and the Concept of Human Soul in Islam: Some Issues at the Interface. TAFHIM: IKIM Journal of Islam and the Contemporary World, 17(1), 23–55. https://doi.org/10.56389/tafhim.vol17no1.2
Attas, M. N. al. (1995). Prolegomena to the metaphysics of Islam: An exposition of the fundamental elements of the worldview of Islām. https://ixtheo.de/Record/1605260800
Bayhaqi, H. N., & Masnawati, E. (2024). Pendidikan Akhlak Dalam Konsep Tazkiyatun Nafs Perspektif Imam Al-Ghazali Dan Relevansinya Terhadap Degradasi Moral Generasi Muda. Jurnal Keislaman Dan Ilmu Pendidikan, 4, 434–449. https://doi.org/10.58578/alsys.v4i4.3440
Bender, E. M. (2024). Resisting Dehumanization in the Age of “AI”. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 33(2), 114–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214231217286
Breidbach, C. F. (2024). Responsible algorithmic decision-making. Organizational Dynamics, 53(2), Article 101031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2024.101031
Campbell, H. A., & Bellar, W. (2023). Digital Religion: The Basics. Taylor & Francis.
Campbell, H. A., & Tsuria, R. (2022). Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in Digital Media. Routledge.
Carr, N. (2010). The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember. Atlantic Books Ltd.
Çelik, Y. (2023). Answering Divine Love: Human Distinctiveness in the Light of Islam and Artificial Superintelligence. Sophia, 62(4), 679–696. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11841-023-00977-w
Chittick, W. C. (2013). Science of the cosmos, science of the soul: The pertinence of Islamic cosmology in the modern world. Simon and Schuster.
Coeckelbergh, M. (2020). AI ethics. MIT press.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
Defossé, A., & Mullier, F. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Applied Business Research, 104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Effendi, E., Waliyajati, R. S. R., & Truna, D. S. (2026). Reconfiguring Religion in The Digital Era: A Conceptual Framework for The Mediatization of Religion in Indonesia. Abrahamic Religions: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama, 6(1), 190–208. https://doi.org/10.22373/arj.v6i2.32996
Elias, J. J. (2010). Key themes for the study of Islam. Oneworld Oxford.
Elmahjub, E. (2023). Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Islamic Ethics: Towards Pluralist Ethical Benchmarking for AI. Philosophy & Technology, 36(4), 73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-023-00668-x
Evolvi, G. (2022). Religion and the internet: Digital religion, (hyper)mediated spaces, and materiality. Zeitschrift Für Religion, Gesellschaft Und Politik, 6(1), 9–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41682-021-00087-9
Evolvi, G. (2025). Secular Media, Religious Activists: The Role of Religion in Anti-Gender Mobilizations in Europe. Religions, 16(12), 1525. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121525
Fasoro, A. (2024). Cultivating Dignity in Intelligent Systems. Philosophies, 9(2), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9020046
Fathan, A. A. S., Rohim, F., & Fathan, Z. R. (2025). Sufi Spiritual Values in the Qur’an: A Thematic Exploration of Tazkiyah al-Nafs : Syaikhuna: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Pranata Islam, 16(02), 358–377. https://doi.org/10.62730/syaikhuna.v16i02.7694
Floridi, L., & Chiriatti, M. (2020). GPT-3: Its Nature, Scope, Limits, and Consequences. Minds and Machines, 30(4), 681–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-020-09548-1
Frankl, V. E. (1985). Man’s search for meaning. Simon and Schuster.
Ghaly, M. (2024). What Makes Work “Good” in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Islamic Perspectives on AI-Mediated Work Ethics. The Journal of Ethics, 28(3), 429–453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10892-023-09456-3
Hakim, F., & Zaini, A. (2025). Re-Evaluating Machine Consciousness Through Sufi Epistemology: Ethical and Ontological Implications for The Development of Artificial Intelligence. International Conference on Humanity Education and Society (ICHES), 4(1). https://proceedingsiches.com/index.php/ojs/article/view/359
Halstead, M. (2004). An Islamic concept of education. Comparative Education, 40(4), 517–529. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305006042000284510
Harahap, N. (2025). Studi Filosofis terhadap Konsep Zuhud dan Tazkiyah An-Nafs Dalam Kehidupan Kontemporer. Academic Journal of Islamic Principles and Philosophy, 6(2), 203–230. https://doi.org/10.22515/ajipp.v6i2.12635
Haugan, G., & Dezutter, J. (2021). Meaning-in-life: A vital salutogenic resource for health. Health Promotion in Health Care–Vital Theories and Research, 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63135-2_8
Hidayatullah, R. (2024). Otoritas Keagamaan Digital: Pembentukan Otoritas Islam Baru di Ruang Digital. Ushuluna Jurnal Ilmu Ushuluddin, 10(2), 2024. https://doi.org/10.15408/ushuluna.v10i2.42831
Hjarvard, S. (2016). Mediatization and the changing authority of religion. Media, Culture & Society, 38(1), 8–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443715615412
Ihsan, N. H., Muhammad, A., Kaplan, M. N., & Zarkasyi, A. A. (2025). Spiritual Equilibrium: Syaikh Abdurrauf Singkel’s Concept of Tazkiyat al-Nafs. Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism, 14(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.21580/tos.v14i1.26301
Junaidi, A., Waeno, M., & Amal, M. K. (2024). Transcending Boundaries of Rationality and Spirituality: Ibn ‘Arabi’s Holistic Vision in Islamic Legal Interpretation. Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf Dan Pemikiran Islam, 14(2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2024.14.2.1-24
Jw, C. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design. Choosing among Five Traditions. https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1571980074750071040
Kahfi, R., Aisyah, S. N., Hijriyah, H., & Nasution, D. R. N. (2023). Klasifikasi tasawuf: Amali, falsafi, akhlaki. Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Konseling (JPDK), 5(1), 4073–4079.
Kannike, U. M. M., & Fahm, A. O. (2025). Exploring The Ethical Governance of Artificial Intelligence from An Islamic Ethical Perspective. Jurnal Fiqh, 22(1), 134–161. https://doi.org/10.22452/fiqh.vol22no1.5
Khalil, A. (2018). Repentance and the Return to God: Tawba in Early Sufism. State University of New York Press Albany, NY. https://distantreader.org/stacks/journals/ajiss/ajiss-622.pdf
Khasani, F. (2020). Tasawuf Kontemplatif: Prinsip-Prinsip Jalan Kesufian Al-Muhasibi: [Contemplative Sufism: The Principles of Al-Muhasibi’s Way of Sufism]. Dinamika Penelitian: Media Komunikasi Penelitian Sosial Keagamaan, 20(2), 285–312. https://doi.org/10.21274/dinamika.2020.20.2.285-312
Knysh, A. (2019). Sufism: A new history of Islamic mysticism. Princeton University Press.
Lima das Chagas, F. A., & Muñoz García, A. (2023). Examining the Influence of Meaning in Life and Religion/Spirituality on Student Engagement and Learning Satisfaction: A Comprehensive Analysis.
Lomas, T., & Case, B. (2023). From Angels to Aliens: Humankind’s Ongoing Encounters with, and Evolving Interpretations of, the Genuine Celestial Unknown. Zygon. 58(3), 614–635. https://doi.org/10.1111/zygo.12891
López-Deflory, C., Perron, A., & Miró-Bonet, M. (2023). Social acceleration, alienation, and resonance: Hartmut Rosa’s writings applied to nursing. Nursing Inquiry, 30(2), e12528. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12528
Maclure, J. (2021). AI, Explainability and Public Reason: The Argument from the Limitations of the Human Mind. Minds and Machines, 31(3), 421–438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-021-09570-x
Martin, K., & Waldman, A. (2023). Are algorithmic decisions legitimate? The effect of process and outcomes on perceptions of legitimacy of AI decisions. Journal of Business Ethics, 183, 653–670. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-05032-7
Mat Yusoff, S., Mohamad Marzaini, A. F., Zynuddin, S. N., Mat Jusoh, A. M., Basal, M. H., Alias, N. R., et al. (2026). Ethical integration of generative artificial intelligence in Islamic religious education involves human mediation and source verification. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 6, (1); 1162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44163-026-02251-7
Muhasibi, H. al. (1999). Al-Ri’ayah li-Huquq Allah. Egypt: Dar al-Yaqin.
Nasir, K., Zaman, R. K., Hilmi, A. B. A., Mahadzir, A. H., & Mustaffa, A. M. bin. (2025). Artificial Intelligence Integration in Mobile Applications: Innovation and Challenges in Supporting Quran Memorization and Review. QURANICA - International Journal of Quranic Research, 17(2), 612–645. https://doi.org/10.22452/quranica.vol17no2.24
Nasr, S. (2012). The garden of truth: The vision and promise of Sufism, Islam Mystical Tradition. https://philpapers.org/rec/NASTGO
Newman, D. T., Fast, N. J., & Harmon, D. J. (2020). When eliminating bias isn’t fair: Algorithmic reductionism and procedural justice in human resource decisions. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 160, 149–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.03.008
Rassool, G. H. (2024). The Psychology of the Soul (Part II): The Qalb and the ‘Aql. In G. H. Rassool (Ed.), Exploring the Intersection of Islāmic Spirituality and Psychotherapy: Healing the Soul (pp. 89–101). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72724-5_7
Riches, T. (2021). Heidi Campbell Digital Creatives and the Rethinking of Religious Authority. Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture, 10(2), 350–353. https://doi.org/10.1163/21659214-bja10044
Rosa, H. (2003). Social Acceleration: Ethical and Political Consequences of a Desynchronized High–Speed Society. Constellations, 10(1), 3–33. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8675.00309
Rosa, H. (2013). Social Acceleration: A New Theory of Modernity. Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/rosa14834
Sahin, A. (2018). Critical Issues in Islamic Education Studies: Rethinking Islamic and Western Liberal Secular Values of Education. Religions, 9(11), 335. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9110335
Schimmoeller, E. M., & Rothhaar, T. W. (2021). Searching for Meaning with Victor Frankl and Walker Percy. The Linacre Quarterly, 88(1), 94–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/0024363920948316
Sierocki, R. (2024). Algorithms and Faith: The Meaning, Power, and Causality of Algorithms in Catholic Online Discourse. Religions, 15(4), 431. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040431
Soleh, A. K. (2022). Al-Ghazali’s Concept of Happiness in The Alchemy of Happiness. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 12(2), 196–211. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.122.14
Sternberg, R. J., & Karami, S. (2021). What Is Wisdom? A Unified 6P Framework. Review of General Psychology, 25(2), 134–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/1089268020985509
Syahir, A. N. A., Abidin, M. S. Z., Sa’ari, C. Z., & Rahman, M. Z. A. (2025). Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation in Qur’anic Studies: A Systematic Literature Review. QURANICA - International Journal of Quranic Research, 17(2), 542–585. https://doi.org/10.22452/quranica.vol17no2.22
Tang, M., & Yan, J. (2026). Being recognized as human by AI: Algorithmic disrespect and the crisis of recognition in the digital age. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-09423-x
Tsamados, A., Aggarwal, N., Cowls, J., Morley, J., Roberts, H., Taddeo, M., & Floridi, L. (2022). The ethics of algorithms: Key problems and solutions. AI & Society, 37, 215–230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-021-01154-8
Wahid, A., & Maskhuroh, L. (2024). TASAWUF DALAM ERA DIGITAL: Menjaga Kesadaran Spiritual di Tengah Arus Teknologi. ILJ: Islamic Learning Journal, 2(1), 55–73. https://doi.org/10.54437/iljjislamiclearningjournal.v2i1.1209
Wormley, A. S., Vornlocher, C., Aglozo, E. Y., Jayawickreme, E., Johnson, K. A., Moon, J. W., Van Cappellen, P., Verma, A., & Cohen, A. B. (2025). Religion and human flourishing. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 20(1), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2023.2297208
Yazid, S., & Ihsan, G. (2026). The therapy of the heart: Ibn ʿArabi’s Sufi psychology in addressing modern spiritual and mental crises. Jurnal Usuluddin, 54(1). https://doi.org/10.22452/usuluddin.vol54no1.7
Yudiono, I. R. I., & Permadi, D. P. (2025). Artificial Intelligence and Spirituality: Can AI Understand the Divine in Sufism? SUHU: Journal of Sufism and Humanities, 1(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.69548/suhu.v1i1.28
.png){kind=logo}
