Islam and sustainability issues, how far has the relationship progressed? A bibliometric analysis

Islam, as the second-largest religion in the world, has a crucial relationship with sustainability issues that warrants further research. Publications linking Islam to sustainability over the past few decades are essential to study as a foundation for future research. This study aimed to analyze articles published on Scopus to obtain research trends around the themes of Islam and sustainability. This study used a bibliometric analysis method that adapts the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) model. Quantitative data collection was employed, followed by thematic analysis for data interpretation. This bibliometric analysis obtained several interesting findings. The publication trend in the Scopus database has increased significantly since 2008 and peaked in 2023. The theme covers a wide range of disciplines, with dominance in social sciences, arts and humanities, and business management. The most cited articles globally and locally are by Dusuki (2008) and Zagonari (2019). Publications are concentrated in major journals such as Humanomics, Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies (IJIMS), and Sustainability. Although Malaysian and Indonesian scientists contribute significantly, only Malaysia stands out in terms of explicit funding support. Keyword and thematic mapping show that while core values like sustainability and Islam are central, there is limited integration of deeper theological principles and empirical environmental practices. Existing publications are driven by the themes of sustainability and sustainable development, while the concept of next generations and philosophical aspects remain niche themes. • First bibliometric study on Islam and sustainability using Scopus (1991–2025). • Eight research questions mapped trends, authors, institutions, and keywords. • Analyzed 170 articles with PRISMA method, visualized via VOSviewer and Bibliometrix. • Islamic finance themes strong; weak links to theology concepts like tawhid, khalifah. • Malaysia and Indonesia lead publications; only Malaysia shows clear funding support.