Islam and the Simulation Hypothesis by Mr Rizwan Virk

Mr Rizwan Virk (Arizona State University)

In the twenty-first century, a new idea has arisen, The Simulation Hypothesis, about the nature of the universe as a computer simulation or a video game, which both challenges and extends existing popular belief systems, (i.e. atheism/materialism and the worldviews of various world religions). The Simulation Hypothesis also provides a bridge between an increasingly scientific and technological society which takes a materialistic view of the world, and those of faith, which tend to believe that the physical world is not all there is. Some have even called The Simulation Hypothesis a new kind of religion, though for many younger people, the simulation hypothesis is a technological and relatable path into theology using video games as the metaphor. In this paper, my goal is to provide a comparison with and parallels between, the Simulation Hypothesis, its various flavours and conclusions, and the Abrahamic religions in general, and Islam in particular. This includes passages from the Qurʾan (and the Bible), and various aspects of popular, orthodox, and Sufi Islamic theology, cosmology and metaphors used therein, including unseen entities like jinn, angels (in particular the recording angels, the kiramin kitabin), the Scroll of Deeds, the purpose and nature of the temporary world, duniya in comparison to the hereafter, the akhirah, the existence of a soul, and the final reckoning (or ḥisāb) during the Day of Judgement (Yawm al-qiyāmah).