The Doctrine of Imam Reza (A.S.) Regarding the Ethical Challenges of Science and Technology in the Digital World

Nabavi Meybodi, Maryam Saadaat

doi:10.22034/ijs.2025.497131.1315

The Doctrine of Imam Reza (A.S.) Regarding the Ethical Challenges of Science and Technology in the Digital World

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Maryam Saadaat Nabavi Meybodi

Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Meybod University, Yazd, Iran.

10.22034/ijs.2025.497131.1315

Abstract

The accelerated advancement of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and social networks, has placed unprecedented ethical challenges before contemporary societies. Issues such as systematic violations of privacy, the spread of misinformation, and the transformation of the nature of human relationships have revealed the necessity of rethinking the ethical foundations governing science and technology. The main question of this research is: What capacities do the teachings of Imam Reza (A.S.), as a coherent Islamic intellectual system, have for analyzing and proposing solutions in confronting these emerging challenges?This research, adopting a descriptive-analytical method and relying on original Islamic sources and contemporary comparative studies, seeks to answer this question. The course of the research is structured as follows: First, the foundational principles of the doctrine of Imam Reza (A.S.) regarding the connection between knowledge, ethics, and action are extracted and explained. Next, the central ethical challenges of the digital age -from privacy violations and algorithmic discrimination to the impacts of technology on the concept of justice and human relationships- are analyzed. In the final step, through a systematic comparison of these two realms, the guiding capacities of Razavi thought for an ethical engagement with technology are demonstrated.The research findings confirm that the doctrine of Imam Reza (A.S.), by simultaneously emphasizing the inherent dignity of human beings, justice as the overarching social criterion, the responsibility of the scientist/scholar, and the connection of knowledge with righteous action, provides a comprehensive and practical framework for critiquing, regulating, and guiding the development of digital technologies. Consequently, this research emphasizes the necessity of discourse formation and the application of this paradigmatic model among scientific elites and technology policymakers.

Keywords

Imam Reza (A.S.)

Ethics

Science and Technology

Relationship between Science and Religion

Digital World

Applied Ethics

20.1001.1.29811341.1404.3.9.5.6

Subjects

Imam Reza (AS) and Contemporary Science

The Holy Qur’an (1389 SH). Translator: Makarem Shirazi, Nasser. Qom: Ali Ibn Abi Talib (A.S.).
Afrouz, Ahmad (1404 SH). The Nature of Ethics in the Behavioral Interactions of New Media. Media Religious Studies, 7(26), 76-95.
Ahmadi Miyanji, Ali (1377 SH). Makatib al-Rasul. Qom: Dar al-Hadith.
Akbari, Marzieh et al. (1400 SH). Predicting Smartphone Addiction Based on Loneliness and Social Anxiety with the Moderating Role of Gender Among Undergraduate Students at Islamic Azad Universities in Tehran. [Journal Name], 11(15), 1-8.
Al-Hurr al-’Amili, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (1416 Q). Wasa’il al-Shi’a. Qom: Al al-Bayt (A.S.).
Ali ibn Musa (A.S.) (1365 SH). Al-Fiqh al-Mansub ila Imam Reza (A.S.) wa al-Mushtahar bi-Fiqh al-Reza (A.S.). Qom: Al al-Bayt.
Al-Irbili, Ali ibn Isa (1392 SH). Kashf al-Ghummah. Translator: Ali ibn al-Husayn Zawareh’i. Tehran: Borhan-e Sadegh.
Al-Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Ya’qub (1392 Q). Al-Kafi. Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah.
Al-Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir (1410 Q). Bihar al-Anwar. Beirut: Al-Tiba’ah wa al-Nashr.
Al-Mufid (1364 SH). Al-Amali. Translator: Hossein Ostadvali. Mashhad: Astan Quds Razavi.
Al-Tusi, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (1414 Q). Al-Amali. Qom: Dar al-Thiqafah.
Anderson, M., & Anderson, S. L.(2011). Machine Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Arasteh Khou, Mohammad (1370 SH). Naqd va Negaresh bar Farhang-e Estelahat-e ‘Elmi-Ejtemai [Critique and Perspective on the Dictionary of Scientific-Social Terms]. Tehran: Gostareh.
Asaro, P.(2019). What Should We Want from Artificial Intelligence?. International Journal of Social Robotics. 11(1). 93-105.
‘Ataradi Quchani, ‘Azizullah (1413 Q). Musnad Imam Reza (A.S.). Lebanon: Dar al-Safwah.
Bostrom, N, & Yudkowsky, E.(2011). The ethics of artificial intelligence. In F. S. Lin(Ed.), Cambridge Handbook of Artificial Intelligence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bouthoul, Gaston (1347 SH). Sociology. Translator: Vakili. Tehran: Safi Ali Shah.Castells, M.(2000). The Rise of the Network Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Celestin, M., Sujatha, S., & Dinesh Kumar, A.(2024). Leveraging digital channels for customer engagement and sales: Evaluating SEO, content marketing, and social media for brand growth.
Chaffey, D., & Smith, P. R.(2022). Digital marketing excellence: Planning, optimizing, and integrating online marketing. Routledge.
Chaparak, Ali et al. (1398 SH). The Nature of Ethics in Science and Technology. Ethics in Science and Technology, 14(3), 1-6.
Dezhbani, Ali (1396 SH). Emerging Harms of Virtual Social Networks and the Iranian Family. (Date Accessed: 1404/09/23). Available at: https://B2n.ir/wd7381
Dutta, M. S.(2024). Chatbot effectiveness in enhancing guest communication: Insights from secondary data. Tuijin Jishu/Journal of Propulsion Technology,.(45)4
Dutta, S., & Bilbao-Osorio, B.(2012). The Global Information
Duverger, Maurice (1378 SH). Political Sociology. Translator: Abolfazl Qazi Sharifat Panahi. Tehran: Dadgostar.
Farhikhteh, Shams al-Din (1377 SH). Farhang-e Farhikhteh. Tehran: Zarrin.
Farid, Morteza (1371 SH). Al-Hadith. Tehran: Farhang-e Eslami.
Farzin, Omid & Samiei, Ruhollah (1402 SH). Ethical and Legal Challenges of Using Artificial Intelligence in Digital Businesses. Technology in Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management, 2(2), 17-27.
Gao, Y., & Liu, H.(2023). Artificial intelligence-enabled personalization in interactive marketing: A customer Interactive Marketing, 17(5), 663-680. journey perspective. Journal of Research in
Hosseinipour, Seyyed Abolfazl (1397 SH). Modeling Seminary (Hawzah) Engagement with Cyberspace Based on the Conduct (Sirah) of Imam Reza (A.S.) in the Imposed Debates of Ma’mun al-’Abbasi. Al-Mustafa International University, 7(21), 91-100.
Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn Ali (1362 SH). Al-Khisal. Qom: Jami’ah Mudarrisin.
Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn Ali (1375 SH). Ma’ani al-Akhbar. Tehran: Armaghan-e Tuba.
Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn Ali (1390 SH). Al-Amali. Tehran: Ketabchi.
Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn Ali (1404 Q). ‘Uyun Akhbar al-Reza (A.S.). Qom: Mu’assasat Nashr Islami.
Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn Ali (1416 Q). Al-Tawhid. Qom: Islamic Publications Office.
Ibn Shu’bah al-Harrani, al-Hasan ibn Ali (1394 SH). Tuhaf al-’Uqul. Researcher: Ali Akbar Ghaffari. Qom: Islamic Publications Office.
Jawadi Amoli, Abdullah (1387 SH). Fitrat dar Qur’an [Human Disposition in the Qur’an]. Qom: Isra’.
Khakpour, Hossein et al. (1393 SH). The Role and Effects of the Cultural Management of Imam Reza (A.S.) on Shi’a Society. Razavi Culture, 2(8), 31-56.
Khoirunnisa, Ana(2023). Islam in the Midst of AI(Artificial Intelligence) Struggles. International Journal of Islamic Studies. 35(1).
Lalande, André (1377 SH). Farhang-e ‘Elmi va Enteqadi-ye Falsafeh [Scientific and Critical Dictionary of Philosophy]. Translator: Gholamreza Vasiq. Tehran: Firdowsi Iran.
Mahfouz, Hosseinali (1392 SH). Sahifat al-Reza (A.S.). Qom: Navid-e Zohur.
Martin, K.(2019). Ethical implications and accountability of algorithms. Journal of Business Ethics. 160(4). 835-850.
Misbah Yazdi, Muhammad Taqi (1389 SH). Aftab-e Motahhar: Zendegi, Andisheh va Khadamat-e ‘Elmi va Farhangi-ye ‘Allameh-ye Shohid, Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari (Written by: Gholamreza Goli Zawareh). Qom: Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute.
Moradi, Amir (1403 SH). Challenges of Digital Media in the Ethical Education of Primary School Students and Proposed Preventive Strategies. Modern Teaching Research, 10(37), 24-36.
Mousavi Khademi, Seyyed Fakhreddin (1404 SH). Educating an Aware Generation in Confronting Media and Cyberspace Challenges. Strategic Research in Education and Training, 3(58), 159-175.
Norouzi, Mojtaba et al. (1396 SH). Strategies for Religious Education in Cyberspace with Emphasis on the Teachings of the Qur’an and the Razavi Sirah. Razavi Culture, 5(19), 177-211.
O’Neil, C.(2016). Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. New York: Crown Publishing Group.
Pearson Education.(2003). Longman Handy Learner’s Dictionary of American English .
Paxton, A., & Dale, R.(2021). Predictions of miscommunication in verbal communication during collaborative joint action. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 64(1), 169–184.
Pourajbari, Monireh & Salami, Maryam (1404 SH). A Review of Ethical Challenges in Using Artificial Intelligence in Library Services. Proceedings of the 13th National Conference on Interdisciplinary Research in Management and Humanities, Tehran, 477-486.
Rossi, Francesca(2016). Artificial Intelligence: Potential Benefits and Ethical Consideration. Policy Department C: Citizens› Rights and Constitutional Affairs European Parliament.
Sa’adati, Musa & Qalich, Morteza (1403 SH). The Relationship Between Cyberspace Addiction and Social Alienation Among Citizens of Qazvin City. Continuity and Social Change, 3(2), 597-620.
Saliba, Jamil (1370 SH). Dictionary of Philosophy and Social Sciences. Translators: Kazem Barg-Neysi & Sadegh Sajjadi. Tehran: Sahami-ye Enteshar Company.
Schermerhorn, J. R.(1996). Management: Theory and Applications. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Tavakoli, Mohammad (1375 SH). Logic Circuits. Shiraz: Shiraz University.
Technology Report )2012(Living in a Hyperconnected World. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
Tolu’i, Mahmoud (1372 SH). Farhang-e Jame’-e Siyasi [Comprehensive Political Dictionary]. Tehran: ‘Elm va Sokhan.
Turkle, S.(2017). Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. New York: Penguin Press.
United Nations(2018). The Global Human Rights Report. Geneva: United Nations.
Zuboff, S.(2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. New York: PublicAffairs.