COMPUTATIONAL HERMENEUTICS IN ISLAM: OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITS OF AI-DRIVEN SCRIPTURAL ANALYSIS

Abstrak

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and natural language processing has introduced computational methods into the field of religious textual studies, including Islamic scriptural analysis. Digital corpora of the Qur’an and classical tafs?r literature have enabled large-scale textual processing, yet the epistemological implications of AI-driven interpretation remain insufficiently examined. This study aims to evaluate the opportunities and structural limits of computational hermeneutics within Islamic epistemology. The research employs a qualitative interdisciplinary design combining bibliometric review, computational text analysis of selected Qur’anic passages, and comparative hermeneutical evaluation against classical exegetical works. Findings indicate that AI systems demonstrate high effectiveness in lexical mapping, thematic clustering, and intertextual detection, with strong semantic overlap at the descriptive level. Contextual depth and doctrinal sensitivity, however, remain limited due to the absence of intentional reasoning and normative prioritization within algorithmic models. The study concludes that computational hermeneutics can function as a powerful analytical assistant but cannot substitute for authoritative human interpretation grounded in Islamic hermeneutical principles. Responsible integration requires clear epistemological boundaries and structured scholarly oversight.

Identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.70177/ijonis.v3i2.3419
• OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W7169797275