Recontextualizing hadith on image prohibition to assess AI-generated images through Fazlur Rahman’s double movement

M. Yu. Pratama

M. Yu. Pratama Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9800-0584

Ключевые слова: ислам, изображения, созданные искусственным интеллектом, хадисы, исламское право, герменевтика, визуальная этика

Аннотация

Стремительное развитие технологии создания изображений с помощью искусственного интеллекта привело к появлению более 60 % цифрового визуального контента, циркулирующего в Интернете, однако исламская юриспруденция не дала контекстуальных правовых ответов на это явление. Традиционные запреты на изображение живых существ, основанные на хадисах, сталкиваются с концептуальными проблемами при применении к изображениям, сгенерированным искусственным интеллектом, которые не созданы человеком намеренно, свободно и поэтому не могут быть оценены с точки зрения морального действия. В статье исследуется правовой статус изображений, созданных искусственным интеллектом, с использованием герменевтики «двойного движения» Фазлура Рахмана, применительно к корпусу хадисов, касающихся создания изображений. Используя нормативно-качественный метод и интертекстуальный анализ, автор исследования пришёл к выводу, что искусственный интеллект не может быть классифицирован как субъект права (мукаллаф) в исламской религиозной юриспруденции. Таким образом, юридическая ответственность полностью лежит на пользователе-человеке (инженере-проектировщике), оцениваемом через призму намерений, содержания и социальных последствий. Исследование предлагает концептуальную основу для исламского правового суждения, которая согласуется с макасид аль-шариатом и этической интеграцией, а также с онтологическим сдвигом в репрезентативных средствах массовой информации.

Биография автора

M. Yu. Pratama , Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34680/vistheo-2026-8-1-133-146

Muhammad Yusuf Pratama
Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo, Semarang, Indonesia
yusufutama1@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9800-0584

Abstract
The rapid development of AI image generation technology has produced more than 60 % of digital visual content circulating online, yet Islamic jurisprudence has not provided contextual legal responses to this phenomenon. Traditional hadith-based prohibitions on depicting sentient beings face conceptual challenges when applied to AI-generated images, which are not created by human hands and lack intentionality, agency, or moral capacity. This article explores the legal status of AI-generated images using Fazlur Rahman’s double movement hermeneutics to re-read the hadith corpus concerning image-making. Employing a normative-qualitative method and intertextual analysis, the study finds that AI cannot be classified as a legal subject (mukallaf) in Islamic law. Thus, legal responsibility lies entirely with the human user (prompt engineer), evaluated through the lenses of intention (niyyah), content, and social implications. The study offers a conceptual framework for Islamic legal judgment that aligns with the maqāṣid al-sharī’ah and ethical integrity while addressing the ontological shifts in representational media.

Keywords: Islam, AI-generated images, Hadith, Islamic law, hermeneutics, visual ethics

References

Akbar 2020 ‒ Akbar A. Fazlur Rahman’s Influence on Contemporary Islamic Thought. The Muslim World. 2020. 110 (2). Pp. 129–153.

Al-Bukhari 1990 a ‒ Al-Bukhari Muhammad bin Ismail. Bāb Al-Muṣawwirīn Yaum Al-Qiyāmat. Ṣaḥiḥ Al-Bukhari Juz 7, Sulṭaniyya, 167. Egypt, 1990.

Al-Bukhari 1990 b ‒ Al-Bukhari Muhammad bin Ismail. Bāb Bay’ Al-Taṣāwir. Ṣaḥiḥ Al-Bukhari Juz 3, Sulṭaniyya, 82. Egypt, 1990.

Al-Bukhari 1990 c ‒ Al-Bukhari Muhammad bin Ismail. Bāb Tafsīr Sūrat Al-Nuḥ. Ṣaḥiḥ Al-Bukhari Juz 6, Sulṭaniyya, 160. Egypt, 1990.

Al-Hasani 1992 ‒ Al-Hasani Sayyid Muhammad bin ‘Alawi Al-Maliki. Bāb Khulāṣah Fi Ahkām Al-Taṣāwur. Majmu’ Fatāwā Wa Rasā’il. Madinah, 1992. Pp. 213–214.

Al-Kubaisi 2024 ‒ Al-Kubaisi Abdel Aziz Shaker Hamdan. Ethics of Artificial Intelligence a Purposeful and Foundational Study in Light of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. Religions. 2024. 15 (11). P. 1300.

An-Nasā’i 2007 – An-Nasā’i Imām Hāfiz Abu Abdur Rahmān Ahmad bin Shu’aib bin Ali. Bāb Al-Taṣāwir. Al-Sunān Al-Kubra An-Nasā’i Juz 6. Riyadh, 2007.

An-Nawawi 1930 ‒ An-Nawawi Yahya bin Syaraf. Bāb Taḥrīm Taṣwīr Ṣūrat Al-Ḥayawān. Al-Minhāj Syarḥ Ṣaḥiḥ Muslīm Bin Al-Hajjāj Juz 14. 81. Egypt, 1930.

Arman 2024 ‒ Arman A. S. The Discourse of Renewal: Assessing Fazlur Rahman’s Hermeneutics and Its Contemporary Relevance. Al-Shajarah: Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC). 2024. December. Pp. 319–335.

Azisi et al. 2023 ‒ Azisi A. M., Najah N. A., Eva P. H., Mevy E. N. Initiating Interfaith Fiqh in the Modern Era: An Effort to Contextualize Rahmah and Humanist Islam in Digital Space. Religió Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama. 2023. 13 (2). Pp. 188–208.

Buiten et al. 2023 ‒ Buiten M., de Streel A., Peitz M. The Law and Economics of AI Liability. Computer Law & Security Review. 2023. 48 (April). 105794.

Chen et al. 2022 ‒ Chen A., Liu R., Xie L., Chen Zh., Su H., Yu J. SofGAN: A Portrait Image Generator with Dynamic Styling. ACM Transactions on Graphics. 2022. 41 (1). Pp. 1–26.

Elmahjub 2023 ‒ Elmahjub E. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Islamic Ethics: Towards Pluralist Ethical Benchmarking for AI. Philosophy & Technology. 2023. 36 (4). P. 73.

Faizin et al. 2025 ‒ Faizin N. A., Maarif S., Hanafi Yu. Considering Religious Moderation in Islamic Law through AI ChatGPT and Bahsul Masail of Nahdlatul Ulama. Law, Innovation and Technology. 2025. 17 (1). Pp. 271–288.

Fenlon 2017 ‒ Fenlon K. Thematic Research Collections: Libraries and the Evolution of Alternative Digital Publishing in the Humanities. Library Trends. 2017. 65 (4). Pp. 523–539.

Gorian, Osman 2024 ‒ Gorian E., Osman N. Dz. Digital Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law. 2024. 12 (3). Pp. 583–597.

Hipple 2020 ‒ Hipple D. Encounters with Emergent Deities: Artificial Intelligence in Science Fiction Narrative. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science. 2020. 55 (2). Pp. 382‒408.

Kimura 2017 ‒ Kimura T. Robotics and AI in the Sociology of Religion: A Human in Imago Roboticae. Social Compass. 2017. 64 (1). Pp. 6–22.

Korzynski et al. 2023 ‒ Korzynski P., Mazurek G., Krzypkowska P., Kurasinski A. Artificial Intelligence Prompt Engineering as a New Digital Competence: Analysis of Generative AI Technologies Such as ChatGPT. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review. 2023. 11 (3). Pp. 25–37.

Madjid, Basalamah 2024 ‒ Madjid M. N., Basalamah S. Development Of Artistic Digital Quranic Interpretation Toward Innovative Foreign Language Learning. SHS Web of Conferences. 2024. 202 (November). 06008.

Mahdavi et al. 2024 ‒ Mahdavi G., Atefeh A. S, Magerko B. Is It AI or Is It Me? Understanding Users’ Prompt Journey with Text-to-Image Generative AI Tools. Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New York, 2024. Pp. 1–13.

Mghdesyan 2024 ‒ Mghdesyan V. V. Որքանո՞վ է Ընդունելի Արհեստական Բանականության Միջոցով Ստեղծված Նկարը Իսլամի Կողմից / How Acceptable is a Picture Created by Artificial Intelligence by Islam? Регион и Мир / Region and the World. 2024. February. Pp. 74–77.

Nawi et al. 2023 ‒ Nawi A., Yazi Kh. N., Mohd Ya. F., Samuri M. A., Nasir Z. G. A. Exploring Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence Research for Islamic Ethical Guidelines. Jurnal Akidah & Pemikiran Islam. 2023. 25 (2). Pp. 1–34.

O’Meara, Murphy 2023 ‒ O’Meara J., Murphy C. Aberrant AI Creations: Co-Creating Surrealist Body Horror Using the DALL-E Mini Text-to-Image Generator. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies. 2023. 29 (4). Pp. 1070–1096.

Oppenlaender et al. 2024 ‒ Oppenlaender J., Linder R., Silvennoinen J. Prompting AI Art: An Investigation into the Creative Skill of Prompt Engineering. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. 2024. November. Pp. 1–23.

Oyasor 2024 ‒ Oyasor E. I. The Emergence of AI and ChatGPT: Implication for Religion Sustainability in Africa. International Journal of Social Science and Religion (IJSSR). 2024. December. Pp. 507–528.

Raquib et al. 2022 ‒ Raquib A., Bilal Ch., Talat Z., Qadir J. Islamic Virtue-Based Ethics for Artificial Intelligence. Discover Artificial Intelligence. 2022. 2 (1). P. 11.

Reed 2021 ‒ Reed R. A.I. in Religion, A.I. for Religion, A.I. and Religion: Towards a Theory of Religious Studies and Artificial Intelligence. Religions. 2021. 12 (6). P. 401.

Ridwan et al. 2022 ‒ Ridwan A. H., Rahman M. T., Budiana Yu., Safrudin I., Septiadi M. A. Implementing and Interpreting Fazlur Rahman’s Islamic Moderation Concept in the Indonesian Context. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization. 2022. 12 (2). Pp. 58–73.

Singler 2020 ‒ Singler B. The AI Creation Meme: A Case Study of the New Visibility of Religion in Artificial Intelligence Discourse. Religions. 2020. 11 (5). P. 253.

Sitiris, Busari 2024 ‒ Sitiris M., Busari S. A. The Legal Capacity (Al-Ahliyyah) of Artificial Intelligence from an Islamic Jurisprudential Perspective. Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law. 2024. 12 (1). Pp. 31–42.

Wazin et al. 2025 ‒ Wazin W., Patimah S., Ansori A., Wasehudin. Optimizing AI Technology in Assessing Islamic Financing Risks: A SWOT Analysis of Challenges and Opportunities from an Islamic Legal Perspective (Fiqh). Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam. 2025. 10 (1). Pp. 172–193.

Zuhri et al. 2024 ‒ Zuhri M. T., Sahlani L., Munawaroh N. The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Utilization in Qur’anic Studies: An Islamic Philosophical Perspective. Asyahid Journal of Islamic and Quranic Studies (AJIQS). 2024. 6 (2).

About author

Muhammad Yusuf Pratama
Researcher, Postgraduate Student
Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo
3-5, Jalan Walisongo, Tambakaji, Semarang, 50185, Indonesia
e-mail: yusufutama1@gmail.com

For citation:
Pratama M. Yu. Recontextualizing hadith on image prohibition to assess AI-generated images through Fazlur Rahman’s double movement. Journal of Visual Theology. 2026. Vol. 8. 1. Pp. 133–146. https://doi.org/10.34680/vistheo-2026-8-1-133-146