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Fatwa CenterThis search method has nothing to do with foretelling
Question
Assalaam alaikum wa rahmatullaah wa barakatuh, May Allaah reward you for this service. My question regards the use of internet search engines including Google. Google is a popular search engine where we see many people using it to search for information, however, the company has disclosed that it uses algorithms in its search results to personalize a search, ya3ni, to make a search result specific to a user. It does this by including the user's internet history in its search results, so if I search for food recipes I may get slightly different results than someone else--almost predicting what is the best result for the user. Is this similar to predicting al ghayb and foretelling what each person wants to see? Jazakumullaah khairan.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
We are not aware of the reality of this method that is used by Google or other search engines and which leads to what you mentioned in regard to personalizing the results of the same search, i.e. making them different from one searcher to another.
In any case, what we can say here is that if this method is based on correct scientific principles, then it has nothing to do with foretelling or predicting the unseen. Indeed, Allaah has made the universe run by specific laws and according to a precise system, so whatever corresponds to these laws is sound (and acceptable).
This, indeed, testifies to Allaah’s mighty power, His oneness and that what He has created is perfect.
Allaah Says (what means): {It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allaah has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know.} [Quran 10:5]
Allaah also Says (what means): {And We have made the night and day two signs, and We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day visible that you may seek bounty from your Lord and may know the number of years and the account [of time]. And everything We have set out in detail.} [Quran 17:12]
Allaah Knows best.
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