A) Universities, Institutes, and Academic Centers in Islamic Management
1. Management, Spirituality, and Religion (MSR-AOM) Study Group
The Management, Spirituality, and Religion (MSR) group is an official study group within one of the world’s most prestigious and largest scholarly institutions in the field of management—the Academy of Management (AOM). It serves as an academic community for researchers and faculty members interested in exploring the relationship between management, spirituality, and religion.
Vision: The group envisions human flourishing and global awareness illuminated through the spiritual and religious dimensions of life as they manifest in research, teaching, and managerial practice. Its mission is to encourage, discover, disseminate, and apply knowledge concerning the interplay between management, spirituality, and religion. The group seeks to raise awareness of the nature and value of such research within the Academy and across organizations.
Core Areas of Inquiry: The MSR study group focuses on examining how spirituality and religion influence organizational dynamics and managerial outcomes. Key topics include:
- The impact of faith, spirituality, and religion on managerial principles and practices
- The meaning of work, and the role of spirituality and spiritual leadership in the workplace
- The purpose of business and religious pluralism in organizational settings
Although the group does not exclusively focus on Islam, its inclusive and interfaith approach makes it one of the most significant Western academic platforms for presenting and discussing research on Islamic management. This connection is evident for several reasons:
- Comprehensive Scope: The group’s statement of purpose explicitly includes the study of faith and the distinctive elements of individual religious and spiritual beliefs, as well as their impact on management. This definition naturally encompasses Islamic management as a central example.
- Research Background: Within the scholarly body of work in this field, articles have been published that specifically address the relationship between Islam and management. For instance, studies on the intersection of Islam and Human Resource Management (HRM)—and whether one can speak of an “Islamic HRM”—have been discussed within this framework.
- Relevant Research Themes: Journals and conferences associated with the group address topics directly connected to Muslim religious practices in the workplace. For example, the Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion (JMSR)—the leading publication in this domain—issued a call for papers for a special issue on “The Impact of Religious Fasting on Organizational Performance”, explicitly naming Islam as one of the religions in which this practice is observed.
- Diverse Scholarly Community: The group brings together an international, multidisciplinary community of academics and professionals, offering members opportunities for professional networking. Its membership list reflects the presence of scholars from various religious traditions, including Islam.
In sum, the MSR study group within the Academy of Management is not a purely Christian or Western center. Rather, it is a truly international scholarly association dedicated to the serious study of how all religions and spiritual traditions shape management. For researchers in the field of Islamic management, it provides a highly credible and academically rich environment to present their work and engage with scholars worldwide.
2. Riphah International University (Pakistan)
Riphah International University is one of the leading institutions in the field of Islamic management. Its Faculty of Management Sciences (FMS) offers a Master’s program in Islamic Business and Finance, with a curriculum that explicitly includes courses on Islamic Leadership and Management.
The university also plays a pivotal role in advancing scholarship in this domain by organizing the prestigious International Conference on Islamic Business (ICIB) and publishing the Journal of Islamic Business and Management (JIBM). These initiatives have established Riphah as a central hub for research, dialogue, and academic development in Islamic management studies.
3. Heriot-Watt University (Dubai Campus)
Heriot-Watt University, Dubai Campus, offers a Doctorate in Management that includes research opportunities in the field of Islamic Business.
4. Durham University
Durham University previously offered a Master’s program in Islamic Finance and Management, with defined modules such as Islamic Management and Organizational Behavior. However, the last intake for this program was in 2019.
5. Markfield Institute of Higher Education (MIHE)
The Markfield Institute of Higher Education (MIHE) is an independent institution in the United Kingdom that awards recognized degrees through Newman University. It represents a hybrid model—functioning both as a dedicated Islamic educational center and as an institution operating within the regulatory framework of UK higher education, overseen by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).
6. London School of Planning and Management (LSPM)
The London School of Planning and Management (LSPM) offers a professional program leading to a Certificate in Islamic Management Accounting.
7. Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace (University of Arkansas)
The Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace, located within the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, explicitly identifies itself as multi-faith—welcoming all religious traditions and spiritual perspectives.
Because of its inclusive and interfaith approach, the Center maintains a strong conceptual connection with the field of Islamic management, offering a space where diverse religious and spiritual insights, including those from Islam, can be meaningfully engaged in the study of management and organizational life.
8. LIFE Center (Leading in Faith and Entrepreneurship – University of Miami)
Established in 2018, the LIFE Center was founded with the aim of generating both academic and practical knowledge at the intersection of faith and entrepreneurship. The Center considers itself unique due to its exclusive focus on faith, entrepreneurship, and higher education.
Like the Tyson Center, LIFE adopts an inclusive approach, defining faith broadly to encompass all religious and spiritual traditions. Its primary focus lies in research and in building networks among academics to legitimize faith as a serious subject of scholarly inquiry.
9. Islamic University of Indonesia (UII)
The Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) is one of the country’s largest universities, with a Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) offering a comprehensive range of programs. Among these is a Bachelor’s degree in Management, which includes courses such as Islamic Managerial Leadership and Islamic Business Ethics.
UII also holds the publishing rights to the Asian Journal of Islamic Management (AJIM), positioning itself as a key academic hub in the field of Islamic management.
10. University of Indonesia (UI)
The University of Indonesia (UI) is another leading institution in the country, offering a Bachelor’s program in Islamic Business. Its curriculum is carefully structured to include courses in Fiqh al-Mu‘amalat (Islamic commercial jurisprudence), Islamic Marketing Management, and Organizational Behavior from an Islamic perspective. The program is taught with a Sunni orientation, reflecting the dominant tradition in Indonesia.
11. Islamic Business School, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM IBS), Malaysia
Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) is a public management university in Malaysia. Its Islamic Business School (IBS) holds the prestigious AACSB accreditation, placing it among the top 6% of business schools worldwide. The faculty offers specialized programs such as a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic Finance and Banking and a Research Master’s in Islamic Business Studies.
12. INCEIF University, Malaysia
Recognized globally as a hub for Islamic finance education, INCEIF University has expanded its research scope through the ISRA Research Institute to include areas such as Islamic management, business, and marketing. This positions INCEIF not only as a leader in Islamic finance but also as a growing center for broader Islamic business studies.
13. International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), Virginia, USA
The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, is a foundational organization dedicated to advancing education in Muslim communities and integrating knowledge. While its primary focus is on education, IIIT also contributes directly to management studies through its “Good Governance” program and publications on strategic planning, organizational implementation, and Islamic business ethics.
Moreover, IIIT publishes the American Journal of Islam and Society (AJIS), an influential academic journal that further underscores its role in shaping discourse on Islam, society, and management.
B) Journals in Islamic Management
1. Journal of Islamic Business and Management (JIBM)
As noted earlier, this is the official journal of the Riphah Center of Islamic Business (RCIB) at Riphah International University, Pakistan. It is a biannual journal, recognized in category “Y” by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Its scope covers Islamic banking, financial markets, and management (including human resources, organizational behavior, and Islamic work ethics). JIBM is indexed in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) in the third quartile (Q3) for management and business.
2. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management (IJIMEFM)
Published by Emerald Publishing (UK), IJIMEFM is one of the most established scholarly journals in Islamic finance and management, with a focus on the Islamic world and the Middle East. Launched in 2008, it is issued monthly. Its scope includes Islamic banking and finance, corporate governance, Islamic management, and Islamic accounting. The journal publishes a wide range of research, including theoretical model-building, empirical studies, case analyses, and practice-oriented articles. IJIMEFM is indexed in JCR, second quartile (Q2) for management and business.
3. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion (JMSR)
As mentioned earlier, JMSR is published by the International Association of Management, Spirituality and Religion, affiliated with the Academy of Management (AOM). It functions as a “bridge journal,” connecting business and management disciplines with the social sciences and humanities. JMSR publishes empirical data, theoretical development, best practice reports, and provides a forum for scholarly dialogue. The editors emphasize inclusivity, welcoming contributions from all spiritual and religious traditions. Research in JMSR contributes to understanding the meaning of work, the impact of spirituality and spiritual leadership in the workplace, the purpose of business, and religious pluralism in organizations. It is indexed in major databases: Scopus (Q1 in religious and philosophical studies, Q2 in strategy and management, Q3 in organizational behavior and HRM), and is listed as an emerging journal in JCR.
4. Asian Journal of Islamic Management (AJIM)
Published by the Center for Islamic Economics Studies and Development at the Islamic University of Indonesia, AJIM is a biannual, peer-reviewed, open-access journal focusing on Islamic management in the Asian context. Its topics include Islamic leadership, marketing of Islamic financial products and services, and religiosity and Muslim consumer behavior. The editorial board is international, with members from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Pakistan. AJIM claims indexing in Scopus and the JCR waiting list, though evidence of this is limited.
5. International Journal of Islamic Marketing and Branding (IJIMB)
Published by Inderscience, IJIMB is one of the most specialized journals in the field. With an interdisciplinary approach, it provides comprehensive coverage of Islamic marketing from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Topics include Islamic branding, Muslim consumer behavior, and comparative studies of Islamic marketing principles with mainstream paradigms.
6. Journal of Islamic Marketing (JIMA)
Published by Emerald since 2010, JIMA focuses broadly on the nuances of Muslim consumer patterns, conducting business in Islamic markets, and targeting Muslim consumers. It has a close connection with the Global Islamic Marketing Conference (GIMC), frequently publishing selected papers from the conference.
7. International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES)
Published by Cambridge University Press, IJMES is the official journal of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA), a non-profit, non-political scholarly association. While not a management journal, it is an interdisciplinary Islamic studies journal covering anthropology, art and architecture, cultural studies, economics, history, law, literature, political science, religious studies, and sociology. Its editorial policy explicitly excludes highly technical or management-focused articles. However, occasional contributions with an Islamic perspective on organizational or behavioral phenomena have appeared.
B) Conferences in Islamic Management
1. International Conference on Islamic Business (ICIB)
Organized by Riphah International University, the ICIB is a recurring and significant conference that serves as a forum for discussing the application of Shariah principles in modern business management.
2. International Conference on Islamic Studies, Law, and Management (ICISLM)
The ICISLM is a series of conferences convened by institutions such as the Institute for Technical and Academic Research (ITAR) and the International Academic Research Forum (IARF). Held in diverse global locations—including Florence, Boston, and Nepal—the conference reflects a growing, decentralized interest in the field. The breadth of organizers and venues demonstrates its expanding reach, though the scientific rigor and publication platforms vary, with some achieving high impact and others less so.
3. Global Islamic Marketing Conference (GIMC)
Hosted by the International Islamic Marketing Association (IIMA), the GIMC is the most prestigious and influential recurring academic event in the field of Islamic marketing. Since its inception in 2011, it has been held annually in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Tunisia, and Georgia, attracting leading scholars and experts in the discipline. Proceedings from the conference are frequently published by reputable academic publishers such as Springer.
4. International Conference on Islamic Marketing and Branding (ICIMB)
The ICIMB is another important international event that has been held in cities including Kuala Lumpur and London. It contributes significantly to the development of the field by fostering scholarly exchange and advancing research in Islamic marketing and branding