Yunus Emre InstituteIn a compelling seminar held at the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) in London, the rapidly evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and Islamic studies took centre stage. The event, which brought together researchers, students, and digital humanities enthusiasts, explored the transformative potential of AI-powered tools—such as large language models (LLMs) and natural language processing (NLP)—for the study of classical Islamic texts.
The session was led by Dr. Tuba Nur Saraçoğlu, Assistant Professor of Islamic History at Mardin Artuklu University and a TÜBİTAK-funded Visiting Researcher at AKU-ISMC. Her work sits at the intersection of book history, knowledge transmission, and Islamicate digital humanities—fields she has long engaged with through both scholarly inquiry and practical training initiatives in Türkiye.
Drawing from her own research, Dr. Saraçoğlu introduced participants to key projects that demonstrate how digital methods can open new pathways in the study of Islamic history and textual traditions. Among them were her investigations into the Fenerî family of the Ottoman era, a network analysis of classical sīra texts, and an in-depth look at the Ottoman book collections of the Carullah Efendi Collection in Istanbul’s Süleymaniye Library.
As part of her current research at AKU-ISMC—supported by TÜBİTAK—Dr. Saraçoğlu is conducting a comparative digital study of early sīra literature, using AI-based tools to examine the transmission and evolution of prophetic biographies. The seminar highlighted how these tools, when thoughtfully applied, can enrich traditional methods of historical inquiry while raising important questions about authorship, meaning, and methodology in the digital age.
The discussion went beyond technical demonstrations to engage with broader reflections on the ethical and epistemological implications of AI in humanities research. In doing so, the seminar underscored the need for critical engagement with digital tools, especially when working with texts that hold deep religious and cultural significance.
By bridging artificial intelligence with Islamic scholarship, Dr. Saraçoğlu’s work not only pioneers new methodological approaches but also invites a rethinking of how knowledge is preserved, processed, and passed on in the 21st century.