Sam Altman wants to create a ‘Digital God,’ but we’re just trying to get students to think for themselves.

Is generative AI the end of critical thinking? This week on Rising in the West, Haroon reports from the “English trenches,” where the “Death of the Essay” looms as students trade deep analysis for polished AI outputs. Omar explains the technical reality—why AI doesn’t “think,” but instead makes connections of human knowledge with an authoritative and lots of times “hallucinatory,” tone.

Nadir raises a vital concern for the Ummah: the danger of youth seeking fatwas and spiritual guidance from biased algorithms. We explore a provocative “power play”—applying the rigorous standards of Hadith science to verify the reliability of AI information.

From strategic chip wars in Taiwan to “Dead Internet Theory,” we discuss how these machines are re-wiring our world. In an era where liars are viewed as truth-tellers, how do we protect our spiritual foundations?

Readings and more...

Yaqeen Institute on AI

Muslims and AI

CFR - Ai and 2026

CNBC - MIT Job Study

TIME - Jobs and AI

The Guardian - Novelists’ Concern with AI

NPR - AI in Schools

Business Insider - Professors Assigns ChatGPT

Decoder - AI and the Education Crisis

“If you can get someone to believe in absurdities, they will commit atrocities.”

Is the chaos we are witnessing a bug in the system, or is it a feature? This week on Rising in the West, Haroon and Omar are joined by Nadir, unpacking a heavy news cycle, starting with the escalation of immigration enforcement. Haroon argues that the “lethality and harshness” aren’t accidental byproducts—they are the mandate. Nadir calls out the “hired goon” mentality of officers hiding behind masks and sunglasses , while Omar poses the ultimate philosophical dilemma: Do the ends ever justify the means when the entire “forest is on fire”?

We then zoom out to the global stage to analyze Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum and what it signals about the rupture of the US-led global order. Are we watching America isolate itself in real-time through tariffs and protectionism while the rest of the world moves on?

Finally, we explore “intrusive thoughts”—is history repeating itself, or is it scripted? And in a world of Machiavellian power plays and elite maneuvering , we remember that while they plan, Allah is the best of planners.

Notes:

* Fareed Zakaria's article.

* Omar's Bluesky conversation

How do we push back against a world of "pure excess"? In this episode, Haroon and Omar are rejoined by Nadir and Abu Hamza and dive into the "Knowledge of the Self" to find freedom in an age of AI and surveillance. We explore the necessity of a "Third Space"—a social environment that isn't quite home and isn't quite the mosque—and why most third space projects "fizzle out".