Trends and themes of cash waqf in Islamic finance’s research: A bibliometric analysis

This study aims to chart the development and thematic contours of cash waqf research within Islamic finance through an integrated bibliometric approach. Cash waqf or monetary endowments governed by Shariah law has attracted increasing scholarly and practical interest for its capacity to support socio‑economic initiatives. We collected 381 records from Scopus and Web of Science, which, after deduplication and quality checks, resulted in 237 publications for analysis using ScientoPy and VOSviewer. Descriptive statistics revealed a three‑fold rise in annual outputs between 2014 and 2024, with Malaysia and Indonesia leading contributions. Co‑citation and keyword co‑occurrence mapping uncovered four central research themes: institutional financial sustainability, digital and fintech integration, regulatory frameworks, and measurement of social impact. Network analysis highlighted prolific authors and key journals driving the discourse. The results indicate rapid diversification in cash waqf scholarship, with growing emphasis on technology enabled solutions and enhanced governance. Findings underscore strategic areas for future study such as policy harmonization, blockchain applications, and international collaboration that can refine implementation practices and amplify the impact of cash waqf mechanisms in Islamic finance.