Islamic Ethical Principles for the Use of Artificial Intelligence: A Study of Pakistani Universities

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of teaching, learning, assessment, research, and administration in higher education. Pakistani universities are also experiencing increasing use of generative AI tools for academic writing, information retrieval, translation, data analysis, and research support. While these technologies offer significant educational benefits, their unregulated use raises concerns about academic dishonesty, inaccurate information, plagiarism, privacy, bias, intellectual responsibility, and the weakening of independent reasoning. This article examines the use of AI in Pakistani universities from the perspective of Islamic ethical principles. It argues that Islam neither requires the rejection of beneficial technology nor permits its unrestricted use. Instead, Islamic teachings provide a balanced ethical framework based on truthfulness (ṣidq), trust and responsibility (amānah), justice (ʿadl), human dignity (karāmah), prevention of harm (dafʿ al-ḍarar), legitimate benefit (maṣlaḥah), and preservation of human intellect. These principles provide meaningful guidance for the use of AI in academic writing, examinations, research, data handling, and institutional decision-making. The article further examines the relevance of maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah to AI governance and considers Pakistan’s emerging higher education policies, particularly the Higher Education Commission’s framework for the use of generative AI and the National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025. It proposes an Islamic ethical framework in which AI may assist human learning and research but cannot replace human responsibility, academic honesty, critical judgment, or scholarly accountability. The article concludes that Pakistani universities should move beyond both unrestricted adoption and complete prohibition by establishing clear, ethically grounded policies that combine technological literacy with Islamic moral responsibility.