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Purpose This paper aims to explore the level of hibah knowledge among Muslims in Kedah and investigate its determinants, consisting of education level, education stream, religiosity, social influence and social media. Design/methodology/approach This study is quantitative in nature. Questionnaires were distributed to collect data from Muslims in Alor Setar, Kedah. In total, 195 questionnaires were collected and data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Findings The study finds that Muslims in Alor Setar, Kedah have good knowledge of hibah. Further, education stream, religiosity, social influence and social media were identified as significant factors that influence their knowledge of hibah. Research limitations/implications The first limitation is its narrow focus in surveying Muslims only in Alor Setar, Kedah. The second limitation is the limited number of determinants used in investigating hibah knowledge among Muslims and the techniques used in analyzing the data. Despite these limitations, the study’s findings provide invaluable insights into the factors influencing hibah knowledge among Muslims in Alor Setar, Kedah. Practical implications This study provides insights regarding the significant personal factors and environmental factors to increase Muslims’ knowledge of hibah. The link between the Islamic education stream and hibah knowledge provides a clear indication that Islamic education can curb the economic problems caused by the substantial amounts of frozen and unclaimed assets in Malaysia. A significant relationship between the environmental factors (social influence and social media) and hibah knowledge also implies that the government and private agencies related to Islamic estate planning and management may use these significant determinants as part of the marketing strategy to increase the usage of hibah as an alternative tool for estate planning. Originality/value This study contributes to a better understanding of Muslims’ knowledge about hibah. The government and related agencies in Islamic estate planning and management can now gain better insights into Muslims’ level of knowledge about hibah and the factors influencing their knowledge of hibah as an effective tool for Islamic estate planning and management. Hence, more effective strategies can be recommended to enhance the knowledge of Muslims on hibah. The findings of this study should be of value to the government in its effort to address the increasing number of frozen estates in Malaysia.

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of research topics and publications produced by Islamic Finance scholars in Malaysia, focusing on six research domains (Shariah-based, Islamic Finance, Islamic Economics, Islamic Accounting, Islamic Management and Halal Management) in five public universities in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach This study seeks to analyse the research gaps and recommend future research based on publications produced by Islamic Finance scholars from five public universities in Malaysia. Data on talents were collected from the MIFER report 2016 and each universities’ website, while research and publications of the talents were collected from Google Scholar and the Scopus database. The extracted data were analysed using bibliometric analysis in VOSviewer version 1.6.15. Findings The results show that the five selected universities talents have different research strengths according to six research domains highlighted in MIFER 2021 and Beyond Report. All five universities are found to contribute the least research in Halal Management domain. In view of the increasing prominence of this area of research in the national and international levels, these universities and other universities in Malaysia can generate more research in Halal Economy, Halal Management, and other related areas within this domain. The finding indicated that each university tends to have a strength according to the different domains, and 2019 is the most productive year for Islamic Finance publications. Analysis from productive scholars and co-citations shows that the authors collaborate within the same university to create a different topic for each research cluster. Research limitations/implications The bibliometric analysis only captures the general keyword terms, which may be limited to the only generalised sub-research areas. Practical implications This bibliometric study, which is based on the expertise of researchers, complements meta-analysis, and qualitative structured literature reviews aid researchers or talents in developing future research directions such as Green economy, Cryptocurrency, Fintech, Halal Management and others. In addition, this is a case study in nature and can serve to enhance understanding the landscape of Islamic finance education and as a reference for practices in institutions of higher learning from around the world. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is a new research initiative comparing five top programme providers in the field of Islamic finance using a bibliometric approach to enhance talent development and capacity building. With the government’s efforts to further promote Malaysia as the Islamic Financial Hub, this study highlights the research gap in Islamic finance based on scholars’ publications from selected five Malaysian universities and potential topics for future research. This study focuses on the research domain for each university, the trend of publishing, the number of journals published by academics, productive scholars and citations by Malaysian universities, and examines if the publications align with current industry needs.

Purpose This paper aims to develop a meaningful single-source reference for Islamic economics and finance scholars concerning zakat intellectual structure published in journals indexed by the Scopus database. Design/methodology/approach The bibliometric method is used to describe and analyze the evolution of publication structure and its various co-relations such as co-citation, co-authorship and bibliographical coupling. Findings The authors discuss the influential and conceptual aspects of the published literature on zakat. An interesting finding is that few papers have received more than 50 citations. The analysis revealed that the Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research is the most cited source. Nevertheless, the list of the eight most cited papers reflects that research in this field is still dearth. Further, the authors find that zakat is discussed within the context of religion, its institutional framework, its role to eradicate poverty and distribution management of zakat. The authors also identify and present 14 research directions that will further stimulate scholarly work in the zakat field. Research limitations/implications The study confines on English papers and reviews published in journals indexed by the Scopus database only; hence, the study is representative of the moderate and high-quality papers published in this area of knowledge. Practical implications Researchers envision that this bibliometric study will complement meta-analysis and qualitative structured literature reviews as a method of reviewing and evaluating the scientific literature of this study area; thus, this may help researchers for futuristic research directions. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to tackle the zakat area from a bibliometric aspect. The authors believe that this will help scholars and researchers to stand on firm bases regarding the scientific development of this area of study.

Purpose This paper aims to present a conceptual model on service quality of zakat institutions that are responsible for collecting, managing and distributing zakat in Malaysia. Zakat is an Islamic religious “tax” charged on the rich and well-to-do members of the community for distribution to the poor and the needy as well as other beneficiaries based on certain established criteria according to the Qur’an. The main aim of zakat is to protect the socio-economic welfare of the poor and the needy. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews and synthesizes the relevant literature on service quality. The paper then proposed a conceptual model to study the service quality of zakat institutions. Findings The paper identifies the appropriate methods to examine the extent of service quality of zakat institutions. Such evaluations are crucial for organizations like zakat institutions to function effectively to achieve the noble objectives of socio-economic justice through proper distribution of wealth. Originality/value This paper presents a conceptual model of service quality of zakat institutions which would be useful for further empirical research in this area. The findings are not only relevant and applicable to Malaysia but also to other Muslim countries.

PurposeThis paper aims to present a conceptual model on the efficiency and governance of zakat institutions that are responsible in collecting, managing and distributing zakat in Malaysia. Zakat is an Islamic religious “tax” charged on the rich and well‐to‐do members of the community for distribution to the poor and the needy as well as other beneficiaries based on certain established criteria according to the Qur'an. The main aim of zakat is to protect the socio‐economic welfare of the poor and the needy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews and synthesises the relevant literature on efficiency, governance and zakat. The paper then developed and proposed a conceptual model to study the efficiency and governance of zakat institutions.FindingsThe paper identifies the appropriate methods to evaluate efficiency and governance of zakat institutions. Such evaluations are crucial for the Islamic financial system to function effectively in order to achieve the noble objectives of socio‐economic justice through proper distribution of wealth.Originality/valueThis paper presents a conceptual model of efficiency and governance of zakat institutions which would be useful for further empirical research in this area. The findings are not only relevant and applicable to Malaysia but also to other Muslim countries.