Parents and caregivers of children with atypical development often experience high levels of stress and reduced well-being. This scoping review mapped the literature on mindfulness-informed parenting interventions for this population, focusing on intervention types, methodological features, outcomes, and the integration of spirituality and religiosity. Reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR, a comprehensive search of Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and MyCite, with updated search alerts, identified 49 eligible studies. The evidence based was concentrated in North America and Europe, and hybrid mindfulness-informed interventions and mindful parenting programmes were the most common. Parent outcomes were more consistently positive than child outcomes, but the literature remained methodologically heterogeneous, and only one study explicitly integrated spirituality or religiosity. Future research should prioritise more rigorous and culturally responsive intervention development.
This article adopts a maqāṣid al-sharīʻah approach to dealing with Bitcoin transactions. The Islamic law’s position on Bitcoin transactions is not explicitly clear. Unsurprisingly, Islamic law provides no rulings specific to Bitcoin transactions, as Bitcoin never existed at the time of Prophet (PBUH). Such disparity has created controversy among contemporary Islamic jurists on the permissibility of such transactions. While many Islamic jurists argue for the impermissibility of Bitcoin and any associated transaction involving Bitcoin, few Islamic scholars counter-argue the permissibility of Bitcoin if it is so engineered to fully adhere to Islamic values and principles. The article adopts a legal research (doctrinal) methodology in conformity with its agenda which is to review the Islamic rulings on the impermissibility of bitcoin transactions. This article suggests that the existing disparity is eliminated with a maqāṣid al-sharīʻah approach that takes a broader view of the philosophy and values of Islam linking the explicit rulings of Islamic law and jurisprudence to their implicit objectives. The research findings suggest that bitcoin and any transactions involving bitcoin fail to comply not only the jurisprudential requirements of permissibility but also the implicit objectives of sharīʻah, notably the “preservation of wealth” (ḥifẓ al-māl). This study emphasises that the objectives of sharīʻah must be followed in managing Bitcoin-related entities by formulating corporate objectives and Bitcoin policies complying with maqāṣid al-sharīʻah. Furthermore, these formulated objectives must be incorporated to indicate whether the Bitcoin entity upholds Islamic principles.
This article explores the role of inter-religious education in fostering national harmony in Malaysia, witha specific focus on the content of Pendidikan Moral (Moral Education) and Pendidikan Islam (Islamic Education) syllabi under the Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Menengah (Secondary School Standard Curriculum). The goal of this study is to examine the inter-religious education elements present in both syllabi and assess their effectiveness in promoting understanding, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence among students of diverse religious backgrounds. This research is particularly important because it offers a critical lens for evaluating the current educational frameworks in shaping a unified, multi-religious society. The focus of the discussion is on: (a) defining the concept and urgency of inter-religious education in the Malaysian context; (b) introducing Hikmah Pedagogy as a suitable framework for Malaysia; and (c) analysing the content of both syllabi for the presence and depth of inter-religious education elements. The methods employed in this paper include textual analysis of curriculum documents, evaluation of textbook content, and comparison with existing scholarly research. This research concludes with the finding that, while inter-religious education elements are present, especially in the Pendidikan Moral KSSM syllabus at the lower secondary level, they are insufficiently integrated into the Pendidikan Islam KSSM syllabus.
This study explores how learners' experiences shape language learning beliefs situated between tradition and progress, prescription and flexibility. The study specifically investigates whether the extent and recency of foreign language learning experience can account for the endorsement of traditional and progressive beliefs. A total of 294 participants completed the Questionnaire of Assumptions about Second Language Learning (QASLL). Results showed a significant difference on the progressive beliefs scale between learners who were not very active and those who were highly active; the latter supported more autonomous and flexible approaches. A further difference was found on the traditional scale between learners with 1-3 years and 9-12 years of experience, suggesting that extensive experience moderates rather than eliminates traditional beliefs. A three-dimensional model emerges with these findings, placing learners along axes of belief orientation, learning activity, and accumulated experience.
This paper presents an examination of Leila Aboulela's Bird Summons (2019) as a site where speculative writing and Islamic spirituality intersect. By employing Islamicisation of Knowledge as a framework, this paper analyses how Aboulela utilises motifs of pilgrimage, metamorphosis and the unseen to foreground the spiritual struggles of diasporic Muslim women living in the United Kingdom. The novel's magical realist elements are reoriented within an Islamic paradigm that emphasises jih & amacr;d al-nafs (struggle of the self), sabr (patience), tawakkul (trust in God, and tazkiyyah al-nafs (purification of the soul). Through the journey of the three principal characters, Bird Summons dramatises the confrontation with inner deficiencies and the pursuit of spiritual rejuvenation by situating these processes within broader conversations about identity, migration, and modernity. In doing so, this study contends that Aboulela's work provides a counter-narrative to Western literary frameworks that often marginalise or misrepresent Islam, thereby contributing to an emerging corpus of Speculative writing, particularly by women writers, that both challenge and redefine boundaries of the genre.
This study presents a comparative analysis of political wisdom, conceptions of happiness, and models of the ideal polity in major Greek and Islamic philosophical texts. Using hermeneutic close reading and thematic coding with NVivo, the study examines selected works of Plato, Aristotle, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, and Ibn Rushd. The analysis identifies three thematic domains: political wisdom, happiness, and the structure of the ideal polity. Descriptive comparisons show that Islamic philosophers devote greater textual emphasis to these themes, particularly in al-Farabi's systematic theory of the virtuous city and Ibn Rushd's reconciliation of Aristotelian philosophy with Islamic intellectual traditions. While preserving key Hellenistic concepts, medieval Islamic thinkers also introduced distinctive elements, especially the integration of prophetic authority and spiritual dimensions into political philosophy. The study argues that Greco-Islamic philosophical dialogue produced more elaborate reflections on governance, ethics, and the good life, highlighting the continuing relevance of cross-civilisational philosophical exchange.
This study evaluates Outcome-Based Education (OBE) through a Qur'anic lens by mapping six principles: clarity of focus, backward design, high expectations for all, expanded opportunity, constructive alignment, and continuous improvement, to relevant Qur'anic concepts and verses, corroborated by classical tafs & imacr;r sources. Using a thematic tafs & imacr;r method combined with the OBE literature, the analysis distils principle statements and specifies nonoverlapping implementation artefacts at programme and course levels. Findings indicate strong convergence between OBE logics and Qur'anic emphases on purposive ends, clarified criteria, equitable facilitation, curricular coherence, and evidence-guided review. The article proposes a synthesis that affirms theological compatibility and translates it into practical tools, including threshold tables, assessment blueprints, proficiency rubrics with feedback policy, equivalency matrices, programme alignment maps, and assurance-of-learning (AoL) cycles. The contribution is intended to support policy acceptance and implementation quality in Islamic higher education. Future work should pilot these instruments and evaluate impacts on attainment and quality assurance.
Resistance remains the central theme in the poetry of the Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish. This article explores aspects of the eco-political discourse in Darwish's poetry that bind ecology and politics for resisting colonialism. The study argues that Darwish employs ecological imagery drawn from the Palestinian nature to advance his political narrative of resistance. Through the lens of eco-politics, the analysis reveals how the elements of nature, such as trees, stones, rocks, hills, mountains, valleys, rivers, animals, fruits, the sky, the cold, the rain, the sun, and the moon, function as potent symbols of resistance. These natural forms become both witnesses to and participants in the struggle. Just as Palestinian landscape persists despite human transgressions, so too do the poet and Palestinians remain steadfast in their quest for freedom. The study offers new insights into eco-politics as a literary approach and a fresh pathway for reading resistance in Arabic and Palestinian literature.
Malaysia's relations with Africa have conventionally been framed through the discourse of South-South cooperation, Bandung-era solidarities, and postcolonial affinity. However, the lived experiences of Africans in Malaysia-particularly among Nigerian and Sudanese communities-reveal a more complex and ethically charged reality. Drawing on documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews conducted between February 2023 and November 2025, this article examines how African migrants interpret Malaysia's diplomatic identity through everyday encounters with immigration authorities, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, and Malaysian society at large. While many participants reported experiences shaped by racialised perceptions, administrative inconsistency, and episodic prejudice, others highlighted forms of safety, hospitality, and religious solidarity. Situating these narratives within the Ubuntu-Madani Partnership Framework (UMPF), this article argues that meaningful Malaysia-Africa relations must extend beyond rhetorical solidarity to encompass institutional fairness and ethically grounded relational practices. The findings illuminate both the tensions and the ethical potential embedded in Malaysia's aspiration to position itself as a moral actor within the Global South.
Syair Perahu is a classic Malay work that uses the symbolism of water as a primary metaphor in describing the journey of human life. Water in this poem serves as a source of life and supply, and even as a threat in the form of waves and storms that symbolise life's challenges. In a historical context, this poem reflects the close relationship between traditional Malay society and the maritime world, where the sea is not only a source of livelihood but also a meaningful spiritual symbol. This study places the water symbolism in Syair Perahu within the social historical framework of Malay maritime societies from the 16th to the 19th centuries. It examines how the element of water was used as a reflection of the Malay worldview, which combined Islamic values with traditional cosmology. This approach uses historical analysis to connect the water symbolism in this poem with the dynamics of maritime life, including dependence on the sea, the challenges faced by coastal communities, and the influence of Islam as a guide to life. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the academic literature on the social history of Malay maritime, while offering a new perspective in understanding the role of symbolic elements of nature as a reflection of cultural and religious values. In addition, the study suggests an appreciation of the harmonious relationship between humans and nature, which is relevant to contemporary discussions on ecological conservation and sustainable development.
Islam arrived in Terengganu circa the 13th century, and its wide embracement by the local Malay community led to significant changes in economic, political, and social activities, including boat building. This study examines the influence of Islam on traditional boat building in Terengganu through a qualitative research design using a historical approach. Primary data were collected from the National Archives of Malaysia and the Terengganu Branch of the National Archives, including CO 840/1 (Terengganu Administration Report, 1910-1930), CO 840/2 (Terengganu Administration Report 1931-1940), Terengganu State Secretary's Files, and British Adviser's Files for Terengganu. Meanwhile, secondary data were gathered from journals, books, book chapters, and magazines to further support the research. It was found that the gradual introduction of Islamic influence, together with the local government's support, had brought about significant changes in boat-making activity, leading to the full incorporation of Islamic elements within the Malay community in Terengganu. This resulted in the expansion of Islamic influence over boat-making activity to other areas along the east coast, such as Pahang and Kelantan.
The global movement from special education to inclusive education has transformed mainstream classrooms. Students with physical and learning disabilities are now increasingly educated alongside other students who do not have these conditions. Although inclusive education is aimed at protecting the right to education of all students, this conceptual and analytical article focuses specifically on students with learning disabilities, because they present certain teaching challenges for classroom teachers. Outlining both the arguments supporting inclusion as well as the doubts regarding its feasibility, this article underscores the crucial importance of teacher preparedness in supporting these learners, whose ability to engage in learning depends largely on teachers' knowledge, skills, and confidence in meeting their learning needs. It concludes with implications for Malaysia and other contexts, including Muslim-majority countries where inclusive education initiatives are increasingly being implemented.
Development challenges have been pervasive and are hindering the well-being of humanity globally. Islamic social finance institutions can play a significant role to achieve Sustainable Human Economy (SHE). As demonstrated by the Ottomans, the institution of waqf has a long history of delivering the SHE. When communities fulfil its three pillars, zak & amacr;t, waqf and inf & amacr;q (sadaqah, etc.) can support sustainable human economic development. The new global development strategy, which consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that must be accomplished by 2030, aims to build a sustainable society that meets the demands of the present generation while preserving the rights of future generations. This requires economic growth that tackles various developmental problems, including illiteracy, unemployment, hunger, malnutrition, and poverty, which are intricate and quickly spreading and pose risks to individual lives and society. Communities are increasingly prone to socioeconomic problems and struggle to handle them effectively. Since its inception in 2015, SDGs prompted nations worldwide to join forces with collective bodies or organisations to achieve socioeconomic sustainability and development by 2030. Islamic Social Finance has recently gained attention among scholars and specialists for its role in promoting financial inclusion and sustainable development. Therefore, this article investigates how Islamic Social Finance can contribute to achieving Sustainable Human Economic Development (SHED) and SDGs. It examines the main principal tools of Islamic Social Finance, namely zak & amacr;t, awq & amacr;f, and inf & amacr;q, and their potential in the process. Moreover, this article proposes a new institution, namely Global Cash Waqf (GCF), for realising SHED and SDGs.
Zakat has a worship dimension (a pillar of Islam) and a rights dimension (a right of the poor ordained by Allah). We focus on the economic dimension only by asking: how is zakat different from both the capital income tax and the wealth tax? Economists discuss whether a capital income tax is optimal for welfare or a wealth tax is better. Traditional literature argued that the two are equivalent if the tax on wealth is set equal to the capitalised value of the tax on capital income. However, Guvenen et al. (2019, 2023) have forcefully shown that this equivalence holds only if the rate of return on capital is equal across individuals. When rates of return on investment are heterogeneous across individuals, the two tax systems have opposite implications for efficiency and inequality. A capital income tax burdens the more productive capital, whereas a wealth tax-by taxing all wealth holders-not only increases the tax base but reduces the wealth of low-productivity individuals. If the productivity differences are persistent, then the wealth of low-productivity individuals will be gradually pruned. In this sense, a wealth tax creates a use-it-or-leave-it effect. How is zakat different from both taxes and what are its efficiency and distributional implications? We bring in some key macro-features of zakat which is a tax on idle wealth, not on deployed (or employed) wealth. Aimed at promoting wealth circulation and helping the poor, zakat helps address the wealth gap and income inequality in a different way than what is possible by either the capital income tax or the wealth tax. It has a much stronger "use-it-or-lose-it" effect than a wealth tax.
This article examines different economic systems and assesses their implications for promoting sustainable development. In a capitalist system, capital is managed by homo economicus who focuses on maximising profits and capital accumulation without ethical considerations. This has led to the continuous exploitation of natural resources, resulting in destructive impacts on the environment. Recognising that capital has the power to affect production and value creation, this article asserts that ethics is needed to tame capital and its production processes to achieve sustainable development. The configuration of an Islamic economic system will depend on the meanings of Shari'ah and how it is interpreted. A narrow legalistic perspective would focus on legal compliance and would produce an Islamic capitalist system that would have similar adverse impacts on the environment as its capitalist counterpart. Alternatively, expanding the meaning of Shari'ah to include legal-ethical principles and values would frame the economic system as insanism (Islamic humanism) that embeds human welfare-related ethics of maq & amacr;sid al-Shari'ah and legal maxims. In this system, moral homo Islamicus (homo islami-ethicus) imbued with the ethical characteristics of khalifah, will act as a steward to guide capital and production processes, preserve the environment and contribute to sustainable development.
Despite its apparent contributions to social welfare, the third sector is still not properly recognised and integrated into mainstream macroeconomic models and statistics. With the aim of enhancing social welfare in Muslim economies, this article firstly seeks to conceptualise an integrated framework of social welfare provision within a three-sector economy. This article uses an integrative review and synthesis of Western and Islamic literatures on the concept and experience of the third sector and social welfare provision and subsequently presents a modified circular flow model that represents a comprehensive social welfare provision framework that actively involves all economic sectors, including the third sector which is largely neglected in traditional macroeconomic framework. Secondly, this article proposes the establishment of an Islamic Third Sector Commission (ITSC) as a tool to enhance efficiency of resource allocation and social welfare provision. It represents a systematic approach to identify priority areas, assess their needs, and allocate resources accordingly, promoting greater efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness in social welfare provision. In sum, this article offers conceptual framework and practical tools that have the potential to enhance the well-being of individuals and communities, while also promoting collaboration and synergy among economic sectors. This integrated approach accentuates the fundamental values of cooperation, solidarity, and justice which are at the core of Islamic economic principles.
