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“And he who turns away from the
remembrance of the Most Merciful, We appoint for him a devil, and he becomes
his companion.” The
Qur’an, 43:36
What is an algorithm?
In the modern digital world, an
algorithm can be understood, in a sense, as a reflection of our behaviour. When
I watch Instagram Reels, YouTube videos, or TikTok content, the platform
observes what I watch, what I engage with, and what holds my attention. Based
on this behaviour, it begins presenting me with more of the same.
If I repeatedly watch a particular
kind of material, similar material starts appearing before me. My behaviour
influences what the algorithm brings into my field of vision.
That is the familiar algorithm of
the digital world. But I would
like to place before you another algorithm—the algorithm of God. The Divine Algorithm. The Qur’an says:
“And he who turns away from the
remembrance of the Most Merciful, We appoint for him a devil, and he becomes
his companion.” The
Qur’an, 43:36
The verse presents a profound
principle. A person’s direction begins with his relationship with the
remembrance of Allah. When a person turns away from Allah, a consequence
follows: a devil becomes his companion.
But what does this companion do? The very next verse explains:
“And they prevent them from the
way of Allah, while they think that they are rightly guided.” The
Qur’an, 43:37
There can hardly be a greater form
of confusion than this: a person is moving in a particular direction while
sincerely believing that he is moving in the right direction—when, in reality,
he is moving away from guidance. He
may think: “This is wonderful. I
am doing the right thing.”
Yet the Qur’an tells us that Satan
can become his companion and prevent him from the way of Allah while he remains
convinced that he is rightly guided.
That is the real danger. The greatest danger is not necessarily
knowing that one is on the wrong path. The greater danger is being on the wrong
path and believing that it is the right one.
The Tragedy of Realisation
The Qur’an then takes us to the
Day of Judgment. When such a person finally confronts the reality of his
companion, he will say:
“Would that the distance of
both borders of the East was between you and me! So, what an evil companion
would he be!” The
Qur’an, 43:38
What a tragic realisation. Throughout his life, the person
believed that he was moving in the right direction. He trusted the influences
surrounding him. He followed what appeared attractive, convincing, or even
religiously meaningful. But
ultimately, he discovers that the very companion who appeared to be guiding him
had actually been preventing him from the path of Allah.
There Is Another Side to the
Algorithm
But there is a converse to this. What happens if I turn towards Allah? What happens if I genuinely want to
know the truth? What happens if I
make the Qur’an the central object of my search?
Then the direction of my life can
change.
If I genuinely seek Allah and
truth, I begin to encounter different influences. I seek different people. I
listen to different voices. I ask different questions. I become receptive to
different kinds of knowledge.
In today’s world, there are no
prophets among us. Where
does a person seeking truth turn? There
are righteous and sincere people among whom one can sit, listen, learn and
reflect. But there is one essential point:
The foundation has to be the Qur’an.
If you want to reach Allah, the Qur’an must remain central to that
journey.
Other sources may be studied, but
they should not be allowed to replace the Qur’an as the ultimate criterion by
which truth is examined.
The Qur’an as the Criterion
We have inherited a vast body of
religious literature. We have the
Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, and—after the Qur’an—the books of Hadith. We can
read and study all of them. Indeed, there is value in understanding the
religious history and literature that surrounds the Qur’anic message.
But the Qur’an must remain the
criterion. It provides the
standard by which claims are examined and understood. It helps us distinguish
what accords with divine guidance from what does not.
Therefore, become a student of the
Qur’an. Do not merely read it
occasionally. Engage with it. Reflect upon it. Ask what it is saying, why it is
saying it, and how its message applies to the direction of your own life.
What Happens When We Close the
Qur’an?
Consider the opposite situation. I close the Qur’an and begin searching
everywhere else for Allah. I look
here. I look there. I search through personalities, traditions, cultural
practices, inherited ideas and countless other sources, hoping to discover the
path to God.
Even if I encounter something
valuable, I have to ask: What is the criterion by which I determine that it is
true? If I have abandoned the
Qur’an as my criterion, I have already placed myself in a vulnerable position.
The danger is that, while
believing I am searching for Allah, I may actually be moving away from Him. That is precisely the warning contained
in these verses: a person can be prevented from the way of Allah while
believing that he is rightly guided.
Which Algorithm Are You
Feeding?
Every day, our choices are shaping
the direction of our lives. What
do we watch?
What do we listen to? Whose voices do we repeatedly hear? What ideas do we allow to occupy our
minds? What do we regard as truth? What do we seek when we are looking for
guidance?
The digital algorithms respond to
our behaviour by giving us more of what we have chosen to consume. The Qur’an presents a far more
consequential reality: our orientation towards or away from Allah has
consequences for the influences that shape our journey.
So let us consciously seek God’s
positive algorithm. Let the Qur’an
influence what we seek. Let it
influence what we listen to. Let
it influence what we believe. Let
it become the criterion through which we examine the world around us. And, ultimately, let it help determine
the direction in which our lives are going.
The question, therefore, is not
merely: “What am I watching?” It is: “Which direction is my life taking?”
_________________________________________________________________________________
Aamir Yazdani
MPhil (Islamic Thought &
Civilization), Pakistan
MSc (Irrigation Engineering), UK
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