Systematic literature review of sustainable islamic finance using bibliometric and topic modeling approaches

Purpose This study aims to systematically review the emerging literature on sustainable Islamic finance, examining its theoretical foundations, governance structures, ethical frameworks and applications in social, environmental and financial domains. It seeks to identify key research themes, gaps and future directions to better align Islamic finance practices with global sustainability agendas. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a systematic literature review combined with bibliometric analysis and topic modeling techniques. Bibliometric mapping was used to identify publication trends, influential authors and collaborative networks. Topic modeling helped uncover hidden thematic structures across the literature. A rigorous inclusion-exclusion protocol ensured a comprehensive and unbiased review of peer-reviewed articles indexed in Scopus, providing both qualitative and quantitative insights into the evolution of sustainable Islamic finance research. Findings The review highlights five dominant themes: Islamic social finance and humanitarian funding, governance and corporate social responsibility, green and sustainable finance, legal frameworks and Shari’ah compliance and the link between Shari’ah governance and financial performance. While Islamic finance demonstrates strong ethical underpinnings, challenges persist in implementing standardized sustainability metrics, regulatory harmonization and the integration of Islamic finance tools in climate action and humanitarian initiatives. Research limitations/implications This study highlights the need for standardized sustainability frameworks, greater innovation in Islamic financial products and enhanced alignment between Shari'ah compliance and performance outcomes. It provides a roadmap for future research to strengthen the sector’s contribution to global sustainability challenges. Originality/value This paper is among the first to apply bibliometric and topic modeling approaches to sustainable Islamic finance. It offers theoretical contributions grounded in Maqasid al-Shari’ah and provides actionable insights for policymakers, regulators and financial institutions seeking to enhance the sector’s role in fostering inclusive and sustainable economic development.