Volume III: Education and Ecological Literacy

Cash Waqf and Cultural Resilience in a Multipolar Era: A Systematic Review

  • Aris Hasama Faculty of Islamic Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, Thailand
  • Sufiana Sarisae Halal Institute, Prince of Songkhla, Hatyai Campus, Thailand

Keywords

cash waqf; systematic review; PRISMA; Islamic social finance; Nazhir; social transformation; cultural resilience.

Abstract

Cash waqf, the Islamic monetary endowment, has emerged as a high-potential instrument of Islamic social finance, yet its implementation models vary considerably across national contexts. This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, synthesising 65 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 from four major databases: Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and EBSCOhost. The review examines five analytical domains: social transformation mechanisms, measurable social outcomes, research trends and gaps, success factors and barriers, and contextual conditions for transferability. Evidence confirms that cash waqf operates through a three-stage mechanism, namely community mobilisation, principal preservation, and return distribution, generating consistent positive social outcomes across education, healthcare, and income dimensions. Critical success factors include professional Nazhir quality (identified in 47 of 65 studies), governance and transparency (38 studies), and enabling legal frameworks (33 studies). A four-country comparative analysis of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Turkey reveals a consistent developmental pattern: successful systems emerged from administrative pilots before legislative consolidation, not the reverse. These findings offer actionable implications for Muslim communities seeking to develop cash waqf as a culturally resilient mechanism for poverty alleviation in the contemporary multipolar era.

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