A Conceptual Analysis of Sustainable Waqf Property Development

The sustainability of waqf property development cannot be assessed solely through physical asset preservation or financial returns. It requires alignment among the objectives of waqf, fiduciary integrity, asset productivity, continuity of benefits, financial resilience, beneficiary well-being and environmental stewardship. This article reconceptualises sustainable waqf property development and proposes an integrative framework suited to contemporary waqf management. It employs conceptual analysis through qualitative document analysis. Mat Hassan and Ayub (2019) serve as the anchor study, while Shariah sources and literature on waqf, maqasid al-Shariah, governance, Islamic social finance and sustainable development are synthesised thematically and comparatively. Six interdependent dimensions emerge: Shariah legitimacy and maqasid, asset preservation, productivity and financial resilience, governance and accountability, social impact and intergenerational justice, and environmental responsibility. The proposed Integrated Sustainable Waqf Property Development Framework links normative foundations, institutional capabilities, development processes, outputs and impacts. Sustainability is defined as the capacity of a waqf institution to preserve the substance and real value of endowed assets, continuously generate lawful benefits, distribute those benefits equitably according to the donor’s intent, manage risk transparently, and produce measurable social and environmental impact across generations. The framework extends prior emphasis on perpetuity, productivity and benefit by adding implementation mechanisms and evaluation indicators. It provides a theoretical foundation and assessment architecture for regulators, State Islamic Religious Councils, mutawallis, developers and waqf researchers. Cross-state empirical validation is recommended to test the relationships between the six dimensions and sustainable waqf asset performance.

Waqf Property; Sustainability; Asset Development; Maqasid Al-Shariah

1. Abdullah, M. (2015). A new framework of corporate governance for waqf: A preliminary proposal. ICR Journal, 6(3), 353–370. https://doi.org/10.52282/icr.v6i3.316 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Abdullah, M. (2018). Waqf, sustainable development goals (SDGs) and maqasid al-Shariah. International Journal of Social Economics, 45(1), 158–172. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-10-2016-0295 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Ahmed, H. (2015). On the sustainable development goals and the role of Islamic finance (Policy Research Working Paper No. 7266). World Bank. https://hdl.handle.net/10986/22000 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Al-Bukhari, M. I. (n.d.). Sahih al-Bukhari 2737: Conditions—Chapter on conditions in waqf. Sunnah.com. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2737 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Bank Negara Malaysia. (2018). Value-based intermediation: Strengthening the roles and impact of Islamic finance. https://www.bnm.gov.my/documents/20124/761688/Strategy%2BPaper%2Bon%2BVBI.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Hassan, M. K., Aliyu, S., Huda, M., & Rashid, M. (2019). A survey on Islamic finance and accounting standards. Borsa Istanbul Review, 19(Supplement 1), S1–S13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2019.07.006 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Jabatan Wakaf, Zakat dan Haji. (n.d.). Dasar wakaf. https://www.jawhar.gov.my/wakaf/dasar-wakaf/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Mat Hassan, S. H., & Ayub, M. N. (2019). Sustainable development of waqf property: Conceptual analysis. Jurnal Intelek, 14(1), 26–35. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Misbah, H., Johari, F., Mat Nor, F., Haron, H., Shahwan, S., & Shafii, Z. (2022). Sustainable development, regional planning, and information management as an evolving theme in waqf research: A bibliometric analysis. Sustainability, 14(21), Article 14126. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114126 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. (n.d.). Sahih Muslim 1632a: The book of wills. Sunnah.com. https://sunnah.com/muslim:1632a [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Ramdani, R., Widiastuti, T., & Mawardi, I. (2024). Implementation of Islamic values in waqf governance: A systematic literature review. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 15(8), 1925–1941. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-03-2023-0079 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Sukmana, R. (2020). Critical assessment of Islamic endowment funds (waqf) literature: Lessons for governments and future directions. Heliyon, 6(10), Article e05074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05074 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Suliaman, I., & Yaakob, M. A. Z. (2019). Analysis on textual hadith of waqf infrastructure in al-Kutub al-Sittah and its applications from the perspective of maqasid al-Sunnah. Al-Bayān: Journal of Qurʾān and Ḥadīth Studies, 17(2), 221–245. https://doi.org/10.1163/22321969-12340077 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Tok, E., Yesuf, A. J., & Mohamed, A. (2022). Sustainable development goals and Islamic social finance: From policy divide to policy coherence and convergence. Sustainability, 14(11), Article 6875. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116875 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our common future. Oxford University Press. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Yaakob, M. A. Z., Suliaman, I., Khalid, M. M., Mohd Sirajuddin, M. D., Bhari, A., Shahruddin, M. S., & Abdullah, M. Y. (2016). The investment of waqf properties through infrastructure development according to al-Hadith and risk management perspective. Advanced Science Letters, 22(9), 2224–2227. https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2016.7573 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Yaakob, M. A. Z., Suliaman, I., & Khalid, M. M. (2017). The growth of waqf properties through infrastructure development according to al-Hadith. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 25(Special issue), 211–218. https://eprints.um.edu.my/22770/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Yaakob, M. A. Z., Saidin, N., Mohamed Yusuf, M. F., Khalid, M. M., Bhari, A., Abdullah, M. Y., Harun, H. M. F., & Suliaman, I. (2022). An analysis of waqf hadiths in Sahih al-Bukhari from the fiqh al-Bukhari perspective. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(11), 1407–1414. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i11/15416 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Yaakob, M. A. Z., & Suliaman, I. (2026). Wakaf infrastruktur: Pelaksanaannya di Malaysia. Penerbit Universiti Malaya. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Impact of Ownership Structure on Dividend Payout Policy of Listed Plantation Companies in Sri Lanka
• Urban Sustainability in North-East India: A Study through the lens of NER-SDG index
• Performance Assessment of Predictive Forecasting Techniques for Enhancing Hospital Supply Chain Efficiency in Healthcare Logistics
• The Fractured Self in Julian Barnes' Postmodern Fiction: Identity Crisis and Deflation in Metroland and the Sense of an Ending
• Impact of Flood on the Employment, Labour Productivity and Migration of Agricultural Labour in North Bihar