Is It Permissible to Develop an Emotional Attachment to an AI Character?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Is it permissible in Islam to develop a friendly or romantic emotional attachment to an AI character for companionship, even without explicit conversations?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Allah (Most High) created human beings for companionship and connection, saying,
“O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may get to know one another.” [Quran, 49:13]
While friendly interactions with AI as a tool are not inherently impermissible, developing an emotional or romantic attachment to an AI character can be problematic. Romantic relationships in Islam are restricted to lawful male-female matrimony. Attaching oneself emotionally in this way may lead to detachment from genuine human relationships, which are essential for personal and spiritual well-being.
As a tool, AI can be used for lawful purposes or misused in ways that lead to harm. However, AI can never replace the human companionship Allah (Most High) ordained for people. Maintaining a balanced perspective and ensuring that technology serves rather than “replaces” meaningful human relationships is essential.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
