🚦Give me Eyeball 👀

Should Muslims be wary of Worldcoin aka Eyeball scanner?

Author

Deen Road
July 31, 2023

News for the Modern Muslim Entrepreneur

Read time: 5 minutes

Assalaam o alaikum!

Entrepreneurs in the US are trying to create a new world order with eyeballs and crypto while Africa is plunging further into ruins. The great divide continues to grow.

THE BIG SCARE

👀 Eyeballs instead of passports

Image credits: Tools for Humanity

Have you heard of Worldcoin? It's a new project started by Sam Altman, the guy behind ChatGPT.

The idea is to make a big database of people's eyeball scans. That way when you scan your eyes with their camera, it proves you're human. Everyone who gets scanned gets free crypto money in return.

ChatGPT and other AI are getting crazy good at pretending to be real people online. So the thinking is we need new ways to tell who is human and who is a clever bot. That's where Worldcoin comes in - they want to be the main system for checking who's human on the internet.

But privacy watchers are worried. Giving your eyeball data to a private company raises red flags. People are asking:

  • Will they keep the sensitive data safe long-term?

  • Can people really agree freely when offered crypto?

  • Who's accountable given how complex it is?

  • Could users ever get their data deleted?

While it sounds exciting, the risks make you think twice. As Muslims, we know privacy and ethics matter. Rushing into eyeball scans may open the door to abuse.

But there are also chances to guide this tech for good. Muslims have a lot to offer here - our thoughts on crypto, privacy, ethics and AI could help steer Worldcoin in a positive way.

Maybe we could build an ethical alternative that truly respects privacy. Or share ideas to make sure human dignity stays protected as technology moves forward.

However it goes, wisdom and principle are key to steering innovations like Worldcoin toward benefit, not harm. As people of faith, we can provide that guidance.

What do you think about all this? I'm eager to hear your views on this fascinating issue.

ISLAMIC WEALTH

Increase your Rizq (wealth) according to Quran & Sunnah

The concept of rizq in Islam refers to the provisions and resources that Allah provides for our worldly needs as well as spiritual nourishment. While rizq is divinely ordained, there are actions we can take to invite barakah (blessings) from Allah into our wealth and prosperity. Here are 7 powerful ways you can increase your rizq according to Islamic guidance:

  1. Have taqwa (God-consciousness) - Having taqwa means fulfilling Allah's commands and avoiding sin. When communities have taqwa, Allah promises to open His unlimited blessings for them. (Quran 7:96)

  2. Make dua (supplication) - Ask Allah alone to provide for you as He is Al-Razzaq, the Ever-Providing Sustainer. The Prophet (SAW) made dua for beneficial knowledge, halal rizq and good deeds.

  3. Seek forgiveness and repent - Sincere tawbah (repentance) leads to abundance in rizq according to Surah Hud. Astighfar (seeking forgiveness) aligns us to Allah's mercy.

  4. Have tawakkul (reliance on Allah) - Completely relying on Allah provides contentment and allows His rizq to reach us beyond our expectations.

  5. Be consistent in worship - The more we busy ourselves with pleasing Allah through ibadaat (acts of worship), the more Allah facilitates our needs.

  6. Express gratitude and praise - Thanklessness and complaining lead to decrease in rizq, while shukr (gratitude) and hamd (praise) invite Allah's blessings.

  7. Give charity - Sadaqah and infaq do not decrease wealth, rather they purify it and Allah replaces it with better provision. Even a little given sincerely brings abundance.

Implementing these sunnahs of increasing rizq ensures that while we strive to earn halal, we rely on Allah's promise to provide through unimaginable sources when we align our actions with His pleasure.

AFRICA

A 3,500 mile long coup belt

By The New York Times

From the shores of the Atlantic to the Nile, a wave of military coups has swept across Africa like a row of dominoes toppling. Now an unprecedented "coup belt" spans 6 countries and 3,500 miles, threatening stability in an already turbulent region.

  • The coups range from Guinea in the west to Sudan in the east, creating the longest corridor of military rule on Earth.

  • They risk destabilizing countries battling poverty.

  • The US has security interests but coup leaders are wavering allies, while Russia exploits anti-Western sentiment.

  • Drivers include weak states, surging youth populations lacking opportunities, and military leaders eyeing power grabs.

  • After progress, Africa has suffered democratic setbacks, even in places like Niger that seemed on a better path.

Read more here: The New York Times

QURANLE 273

لَّن يَسْتَنكِفَ ٱلْمَسِيحُ أَن يَكُونَ عَبْدًۭا لِّلَّهِ وَلَا ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ ٱلْمُقَرَّبُونَ ۚ وَمَن يَسْتَنكِفْ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِۦ وَيَسْتَكْبِرْ فَسَيَحْشُرُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ جَمِيعًۭا

The Messiah would never be too proud to be a servant of Allah, nor would the angels nearest to Allah. Those who are too proud and arrogant to worship Him will be brought before Him all together.

— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran 

Word-by-word translation:

lan         never 
yastankifa  will disdain
l-masīḥu    the Messiah
an          to
yakūna      be

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