Aqqal.com

It’s not about 'Deen vs. Dunya', but a journey of bringing every intention, action, and ambition into harmony with Allah’s will.

Assalamu Alaikum. While these guidelines have been available on our website for quite some time, we would like to remind everyone of the recommended standards and expectations of using Aqqal's GPT. We are grateful to Allah for the exponential growth, but we also know this is a heavy responsibility upon us. We cannot emphasize further that AI is not a substitute for scholarly guidance. Anyone who claims otherwise is unfortunately misled. Aqqal's GPT can be a good starting point for those who wish to understand a deeper layer of Islamic concepts - but if one is serious about their intentions, then those intentions should always lead to a regimented program of study under a qualified scholar, as you would with any other science. Thus, we are putting more emphasis on our guidelines to ensure the proper use of our platforms. The data sources of the GPT, our methodology of prompting, and more information have been published here. JazakumAllahu Khair. Full guidelines and Limitations: https://lnkd.in/g4yR3VZf

AI will never replace scholars. No matter how sophisticated AI systems grow, AI is just a tool, and should be treated as such. Why? Because knowledge is not merely data. All knowledge is ultimately from Allah, and thus comprises of spiritual and metaphysical aspects. Only those who have attained closeness to Allah can make sense of reality. AI can aid in learning, but it cannot guide the soul.

Alhamdulillah, a new milestone yesterday as Aqqal’s GPT reached 25,000 conversations, and maintaining the #1 spot of Islamic chatbots on the GPT store. This is an amanah that Allah has given to us and that He holds all power. This is a gentle reminder that the GPT should not be a comprehensive research tool, and instead should be seen as an introduction to academic topics in Islam. JazakumAllahu Khair.

A Chain of Trust: The Ilm Al-Rijal as a Proto-Blockchain Think of the isnad (chain of narrators) of a Hadith as a chain of blocks in a blockchain. Each narrator in the isnad is like a block, containing information about the individual and their trustworthiness. Just as a blockchain relies on a distributed network to validate transactions, the isnad relies on a network of scholars to scrutinize the character and reliability of each narrator. Hadith are transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Companion A, then to Companion B, and so on until it reaches the scholar who records it. Each transmission is like adding a new block to the chain, and the integrity of the entire chain depends on the trustworthiness of each link. This method was developed to fulfill the commandment by Allah. 'وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ' Quran 59:7 “And what the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.” The meticulous process of ‘ilm al-rijāl ensures that we can trust the authenticity of these Hadiths. Just as blockchain technology is decentralized, meaning that no single entity controls it, the system of ‘ilm al-rijāl is also decentralized. It relies on the collective wisdom and scrutiny of numerous scholars across different regions and generations. This decentralized approach prevents any single individual or group from manipulating the transmission of Hadith. And, just as a blockchain transaction is validated when a majority of nodes in the network agree on its validity, a Hadith is considered authentic when there is a consensus among scholars regarding the trustworthiness of its isnad. An Example: Imam Bukhari's Rigorous Methodology. He traveled extensively, interviewing thousands of narrators and meticulously scrutinizing their character and reliability. Imam Bukhari was a node in a vast network of scholars, each contributing to the validation of the Hadith. His meticulous approach, combined with the efforts of countless other scholars, ensured the preservation of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) sayings. The system of ‘ilm al-rijāl is a testament to the intellectual prowess and foresight of the early Muslim scholars. They developed a sophisticated system for verifying information centuries ago. The Islamic tradition has always been a source of innovation and intellectual inquiry. It is our responsibility to continue this legacy by exploring the rich heritage of Islamic knowledge and applying its principles to the challenges of our time.

Feeling confused when faced with different interpretations in Islam is a natural part of the learning process. Focus on the fundamentals, prioritize the purification of your heart, seek guidance from qualified scholars, engage in continuous learning, and practice patience and humility. Remember, the pursuit of knowledge is a journey, and Allah (SWT) guides those who sincerely seek Him.

There is no such thing as Deen vs Dunia. It has always been Dunia for the Deen.

The Qur'an visualized as an LLM-derived knowledge graph.

Tawakkul doesn't mean inaction. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ exemplified balanced tawakkul: 'A man said, "O Messenger of Allah, should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I leave her untied and trust in Allah?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "Tie her and trust in Allah."' (Tirmidhi 2517) This hadith illustrates: 1. Taking practical precautions 2. Simultaneously trusting in Allah's decree For example, seeking employment: 1. Update resume (action) 2. Apply to jobs (effort) 3. Trust Allah for the outcome (tawakkul) Make sincere dua before decisions, take practical steps, and accept outcomes as Allah's decree.

Muslim founders and halal startups have a strong focus on doing good, which is great. But there is often a lack of commercial strength. Doing good must come together with growing aggressively and doing well for the business. When you become a unicorn, you will be able to do a lot more good. - HASAN.VC