‘Quran Is the Spring of Knowledge’: Shia Marja Urges Faith-Based Use of AI Tools
Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi made the remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with the president, researchers and Quranic scholars of the Noor Computer Research Center for Islamic Sciences.
The gathering was held to introduce an AI-powered platform called Chat with Tafasir, designed to help users search and engage with classical Quranic interpretations.
Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi praised the center’s achievements and said the seminary “has not fallen behind in science and technology,” adding that it is also “a pioneer in using artificial intelligence in the service of the Quran and the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS).”
He said he was unaware of how active the seminary had become in the field and added, “I am happy and honored by your visit and your detailed report.”
Citing a passage from Nahj al-Balagha, he said: “Indeed God has not admonished anyone with anything like the Quran … In it is the spring of the heart and the fountains of knowledge, and nothing polishes the heart except it.”
He described the Quran as “a fountain of knowledge” and “the criterion between truth and falsehood.” Every time a believer returns to it, he said, their understanding increases and their ignorance decreases.
He praised the center’s work as an example of “referring back to the fountains of Quranic knowledge.”
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The Marja also referred to verse 16:89 of the Quran — “We sent down to you the Book as an explanation for all things, and as guidance, mercy and good news for the Muslims”.
He said the verse means that the Quran contains everything necessary for human guidance. “If we do not find something in the Quran, the deficiency is in our understanding, not in God’s book,” he added.
He said that Quranic exegesis was once considered unscientific, but is now recognized as a rigorous field requiring linguistic analysis, research into context and detailed study of meanings. AI, he said, can make this work “more precise, faster and better documented.”
The scholar urged greater public communication about such technological achievements. Many valuable projects, he said, “are not publicized,” and media outlets should show how Islamic seminaries are advancing in science and technology. Raising awareness, he argued, helps strengthen motivation for further research.
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Referring to the Quranic command in verse 8:60 — “Prepare against them whatever force you can” — he said the concept today applies not only to military readiness but also to cultural and intellectual fields. “Today the battle is cultural, and we must equip ourselves with scientific tools and artificial intelligence,” he said.
Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi highlighted AI’s potential in translation and analysis of tafasir and expressed hope that similar tools would expand into jurisprudence, principles of Islamic law, biography and Islamic history.
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