Malaysia’s Zetrix AI launches first Shariah-aligned large language model

Malaysia's Zetrix AI Bhd has unveiled a Shariah-aligned large language model to offer Shariah-compliant guidance and support across several domains, including finance, law, healthcare, education, and daily lifestyle. 

The NurAI platform aims to provide culturally relevant, faith-compliant assistance for Muslim-majority markets, starting with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei, which has a combined population of 340 million. The service is available in Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic, and English.

The model is built on China’s open-source DeepSeek model with technical input from Chinese researchers under the ASEAN–China AI Lab initiative.

“This is a prime example of how we can harmonise religion and technology for the benefit of the ummah and the advancement of the nation,” deputy premier Dr Ahmed Zahid Hamidi said at the launch.

NurAI will offer AI Avatar channels which will simulate interactions with Islamic scholars and subject experts. These avatars, trained on exclusive datasets, will provide personalised advice on topics ranging from inheritance law and Islamic finance to medical bioethics.

Zetrix AI has partnered with institutions including INCEIF University, an affiliate of Bank Negara Malaysia, to ensure financial services channels meet scholarly standards.

The system is guided by a formal Shariah Supervisory Board and works with religious bodies such as JAKIM in Malaysia, the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, and Egypt’s Al-Azhar University.

Future updates will expand coverage across different religious schools of thought.

Fadzli Shah, co-founder and head of AI development at Zetrix AI, said the project addresses a critical gap in global AI development.

“Current models are shaped by Western and Chinese contexts. With two billion Muslims and a $3 trillion Islamic economy, there is clear demand for AI tools aligned with Islamic perspectives and Global South priorities."

NurAI is rolling out as a freemium consumer app during its launch phase, with premium tools such as inheritance calculators to follow.

In its second phase, Zetrix AI plans to integrate the platform into financial institutions, halal certification bodies, and government agencies.