Financing Women's Resilience: A Conceptual Framework from Islamic Philanthropy

This paper is the first to offer an original analysis of Islamic philanthropic instruments as inclusive tools to mobilise ethically grounded support for strengthening resilience and protection of women in displacement. While global humanitarian systems often overlook faith as a resource, Islamic philanthropy – rooted in principles of justice, compassion and human rights – offers a culturally resonant model for addressing the gendered impact of displacement. Using multi-methods, the study used a four-fold approach integrating practical, historical, ethical and scriptural evidence drawn from interdisciplinary literature in gender, forced migration and Islamic studies, anthropology, sociology and history. Practical mapping synthesises contemporary applications of zakat, sadaqa and waqf across displacement phases, from short-term emergency relief (e.g. zakat-funded cash assistance) to medium-term recovery (e.g. debt relief and psychosocial support) and long-term inclusion (e.g. waqf-funded education and livelihoods). Historical evidence highlights women’s agency in philanthropic governance, from founding waqf institutions to financing education and health care, challenging assumptions of passivity and demonstrating continuity of care across Muslim societies. Scriptural analysis draws on Islamic injunctions and prophetic traditions to identify canonical imperatives for the protection and inclusion of women, including their rights to dignity, economic security and safety in contexts of vulnerability. Ethical reasoning applies Islamic legal maxims, such as “harm must be removed” and “hardship begets facility”, to derive guiding principles for gender-sensitive humanitarian action aligned with global humanitarian standards. This study proposes an integrated framework positioning Islamic philanthropy as a robust mechanism for gender-sensitive humanitarian financing and governance. By institutionalising ethical principles and leveraging faith-based resources, it argues that Islamic philanthropy can advance women’s rights, dignity and agency in displacement settings, while reducing social safety net burdens and easing public spending pressures on host governments. The paper concludes with actionable recommendations for governments, non-governmental organisations and financial institutions to operationalise innovative refugee financing models. On the one hand, our findings discuss a number of connects such as collaborations between UN agencies and Muslim donors/organisations where there is an accompanying reversal of traditional funding flows and an overall professionalisation of Islamic philanthropy which is increasingly recognised as an operationally compatible source of financing for the aid sector. On the other hand, there are disconnects between the two systems, such as divergent governance and accountability standards, securitisation agendas, financial de-risking and assumptions about neutrality. Our proposed framework situates the (dis)connects within an emerging multipolar humanitarian landscape, where Muslim INGOs, Gulf-based philanthropic systems and Islamic social finance tools are increasingly influential. The recommendations for humanitarian reform include an equal participation of diverse actors and approaches to women’s protection for more effective coordination. Advancing an inclusive humanitarian policy and mutual cultural humility and diplomacy are key to leveraging diverse aid modalities to support women in crises.