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A Quranic Analysis of the Foundations of the "Right to Be Forgotten" in the Digital Age

Document Type : Original

Authors

1 PhD Student, Department of Private Law, Faculty of Fiqh and Law, Shahid Motahari University and Higher School, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Theology, Women's Campus, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explain and analyze the theoretical foundations derived from the Holy Quran for the modern legal concept of the "right to be forgotten." This research seeks to answer whether Quranic teachings have the necessary capacity to support individuals' right to control and delete their past personal information in the digital space. The study employs a descriptive-analytical method with an interdisciplinary approach (fiqh, law, and Quranic studies). The primary sources are the Holy Quran and authoritative exegeses; for analyzing legal dimensions, relevant legal documents and articles, jurisprudential rules, and narrative sources have been used. The findings indicate that core Quranic concepts such as satr (concealment of faults), tawbah (repentance), ʿafw (forgiveness), iṣlāḥ (reform), and ṣafḥ al-jamīl (gracious forbearance) form a coherent ethical-legal framework. Based on this framework, individuals have the right to be protected from permanent labeling due to past mistakes, and their human dignity is preserved by providing an opportunity for a fresh start. The article concludes that the teachings of the Holy Quran and Islamic tradition possess a high capacity for theoretical support and derivation of necessary principles for legislation concerning the "right to be forgotten" in the digital age. These foundations can serve as a strong jurisprudential-ethical backing for Iran's legal system in facing this new challenge and offer an alternative model based on human dignity in contrast to Western approaches.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References
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Quranic Doctrines
Volume 23, Issue 43 - Serial Number 43
June 2026
Pages 7-38
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History
  • Receive Date: 08 September 2025
  • Revise Date: 27 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 29 October 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 June 2026
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