AI Tools Are Transforming Muslim Worship. Religious Scholars Are Conflicted

Tarique Kazi used to recite the Quran to his mother. Kazi is a 32-year-old Houston-based Muslim and teacher of hifdh—the Islamic practice of memorizing the Quran in order to deepen faith. For Kazi, the hours he spent with his mother studying the sacred text were among his most cherished. "It was the most beautiful thing that I always looked forward to… my mom giving me feedback, telling me how I did," he tells TIME.

But in 2022, his mother died of stomach cancer. The following Ramadan, Kazi found himself without someone reliable to check his recitation during taraweeh—the special voluntary nighttime prayers performed during that month—for mistakes. So he turned to AI...