A week after launching ‘Virtual Ifta’, the world’s first service using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to issue fatwas, the first AI fatwa was issued on Thursday. The first AI fatwa has declared that the direct competitor of the AI firm that launched Virtual Ifta is kafir.

Instead of an Islamic scholar doing the honours in person, the AI-powered Virtual Ifta gave the declaration on internet chat against the competitor, whose identity cannot be revealed given that the firm is now wajib-ul-qatl in its entirety.

“Kafir kafir, **** [AI firm] kafir,” said Virtual Ifta while targeting its competitor whose name has been censored from the original quote.

“Jo na maanay who bhi kafir,” added Virtual Ifta in Arabic, the closest translation of which has been reproduced here.

At the moment, it has only declared one AI competitor kafir, but is hoping to issue many more, Ahmed Al Emadi, the Head of Fatwa Section, told The Dependent.

His comments came during the official launch of the first wajib-ul-qatl fatwa by Virtual Ifta at The Boulevard, Emirates Towers.

A video is also being played at the exhibition, narrating the evolution of issuing wajib-ul-qatl fatwas – from face-to-face meetings, to writings, phone, video conferencing, email, website, and now AI.