Examining Trends, Themes and Social Structure of Zakat Literature: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

This study specifically examines the development of zakat research from the aspects of five bibliometric indicators: (1) current development of zakat research and its distribution; (2) topic areas and themes in zakat research; (3) main contributors of zakat research; (4) current collaboration pattern in zakat studies; and (5) most influential documents in zakat literature. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 405 scientific papers on zakat recorded in the Scopus database until 2021. Various tools have been used – Microsoft Excel for frequency analysis, VOSviewer for data visualization, and Harzing’s Publish or Perish for metrics and citation analysis. This study finds that the number of zakat literature has increased significantly and consistently over the last ten years. The fields of Social Science, Business, Management, Accounting, Economics, and Finance are areas where zakat literature often appears in and is based in countries in the US, Europe and Asia. English is used in most zakat literature, along with several other languages like Malay, Arabic, German, Indonesian, Slovak, and Turkish. Research results also indicate that the zakat literature is mainly found in the subject areas of economics, finance, management, and accounting. The use of keywords such as zakat, Malaysia, zakat institution, poverty alleviation, zakat distribution, zakat management, social welfare, education, efficiency, and human are widespread. This study also found that Malaysia, Indonesia, America, Saudi Arabia, and Britain have become the five countries that have played a major role in creating collaborative zakat research. The findings of this study provide important implications for improving the practice and reach of zakat globally.

Efficiency and Stability of Zakat Institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia: DEA Window Analysis

“…(2-tailed) > 0.05, then it was found that there was no significant difference between the efficiency of zakat institutions in Indonesia and Malaysia. These findings support the result [40]. Indonesia and Malaysia have become a reference for other countries in managing zakat [41].…”

“…There is still very limited research that comprehensively measures the efficiency of zakat funds from various countries. Malaysia and Indonesia are countries that have a large role in collaborative zakat research [40]. Effectiveness in collecting and distributing zakat in Indonesia and Malaysia has been proven to reduce the level of poverty.…”

Implementation of Public Service Policy through Online Media and Drive Thru at the Bogor City Population and Civil Registration Office

“…Additionally, zakat reflects a communal spirit, demonstrating a sense of collective concern for the well-being of the community (Astuti, 2018). Beyond prayers, the act of giving zakat becomes a tangible manifestation of a Muslim's piety and faith, illustrating their commitment to Islamic principles (Wahyudi et al, 2022).…”

“…The process of examining these articles is commonly known as bibliometric analysis. In order to comprehend the evolution of zakat accounting in terms of the volume of publications, the development of the most pertinent authors, the development of the most pertinent journals, and the development of zakat accounting-related topics in the Dimensions database, this study intends to perform a bibliometric analysis (Wahyudi et al, 2022).…”

Zakat & Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Review

“…Other relevant studies include Wahyudi et al (2022) examining trends, themes and the social structure of zakat literature using bibliometric analysis; Apriliyah & Arifianto (2022) evaluated zakat related literature; Ismail & Aisyah (2021) discuss Islamic social finance using bibliometric analysis; Haidar & Satifa (2022) analyze a bibliometric approach to improving Islamic microfinance as an alternative to reducing poverty; Rusydiana (2020) examines Islamic finance and SDGs; and Tok et al (2022) explain the goals of sustainable development and Islamic social finance.…”