Is Using AI a Sinful Waste of Water, and May I Code With It?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question
Is using AI considered wasting water, and would one be sinful for it? Many search engines use AI; are we obligated to move to ones that do not use AI? Can one use AI to code applications?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.
All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all beings, and may peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad.
AI is a useful and beneficial tool, and a believer uses the gifts of Allah to either obey Allah directly or to enhance life in this world or in the next world with them. AI should be seen in the same way.
Avoid any wasteful use, as it can negatively affect the environment. Just like you would discourage someone from pointlessly burning wood in their garden every day, because of the effect of the smoke on the atmosphere, you can consider wasteful usage of AI to be the same.
Water can also be wasted. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said to Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas (Allah be pleased with him), who was making wudu, “What is this wastefulness, O Sa‘d?” He replied, “Is there wastefulness in wudu?” And the Messenger of Allah said, “Yes, even if you’re at a flowing river.” [Ibn Maja]
Based on the above, I would recommend that you keep your usage of AI to what is useful and beneficial for you in this life, in your religious practice, and in your afterlife. Avoid using it for frivolous matters.
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Related Answers
One. What is the Legal Ruling of Wasting Money? — Ustadh Tabraze Azam: Waste is usage beyond the need.
Two. Is Spending on Lawful Enjoyment Considered Israf If Zakat Is Paid? — Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat: Lawful, reasonable spending is not necessarily israf.
Three. Is It Permissible to Use AI Writing Tools to Generate Articles and Other Such Content? — Mawlana Ilyas Patel: AI tools are permissible for lawful content used within the law.
Four. Can I Use AI Tools Trained on Potentially Unlawful or Copyrighted Content? — Shaykh Faraz Rabbani: Video answer on using AI tools trained on questionable material.
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.
