Islamic leadership in construction project management: Conceptual foundations, practical challenges, and prospects

Musmuliadi Kamaruding; Abang Mohd Razif Abang Muis; Mohd Syahmir Alias; Mohd Zulfakhairi Mokthar

doi:10.31893/multirev.2026313

Keywords:

ethical governance

project sustainability

moral excellence

spiritual-based management

organizational integrity

Abstract

The construction industry plays a vital role in economic development, but continues to face critical challenges such as corruption, cost overruns, weak governance, and ethical lapses that hinder sustainable progress. As the industry evolves with increasing complexity and global collaboration, there is a pressing need for leadership models that integrate moral accountability with professional excellence. In response, this study aims to explore the role and significance of Islamic leadership principles in enhancing ethical conduct, operational efficiency, and managerial effectiveness within construction project management. Employing a narrative literature review (NLR) approach, the study systematically analyzed 19 peer-reviewed sources published between 2010 and 2025, encompassing insights from classical Islamic teachings based on Qur’an and Sunnah, as well as contemporary frameworks in leadership and project management. The findings reveal that four foundational attributes of Islamic leadership, which are truthfulness (ṣidq), trustworthiness (amānah), sound judgment (faṭānah), and effective communication (tablīgh), form an ethical and operational framework that strengthens decision-making integrity, builds stakeholder trust, and promotes sustainable project outcomes. These values closely align with modern management paradigms such as transformational leadership, Lean Construction, and Building Information Modelling (BIM), enabling synergy between spiritual ethics and technological innovation. However, the study also identifies implementation challenges, including cultural resistance, weak ethical commitment, limited leadership competency, and difficulty integrating Islamic values into diverse and multinational project environments. Despite these barriers, evidence shows that leaders who embody Islamic ethical attributes foster transparency, accountability, and social responsibility. Overall, the study concludes that embedding Islamic leadership principles within construction project management frameworks can serve as a transformative strategy for achieving ethical governance, sustainable development, and holistic human advancement in the construction sector.
References
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2. Ahmad, M. F., Abdul Razak, N. S., Kamaruding, M., & Alshurideh, M. (2023). The effect of transformational leadership toward organizational innovation: A study of aerospace manufacturing industry in Malaysia. In M. Alshurideh, B. H. Al Kurdi, R. Masa’deh, H. M. Alzoubi, & S. Salloum (Eds.), The effect of information technology on business and marketing intelligence systems (pp. 1515–1528). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12382-5_84
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4. Ibrahim, A. (2015). Accountability (hisbah) in Islamic management: The philosophy and ethics behind its implementation. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 5(8), 16–23. https://www.ijhssnet.com/journal/index/3200
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10. Kholifah, N., & Mulyana, M. (2023). The influence of Islamic leadership on construction organizational performance: Mediating organizational learning culture. Indonesian Journal of Economics and Management, 3(3), 659–669. https://doi.org/10.35313/ijem.v3i3.5135
11. Lopes, J., & Banaitienė, N. (2024). A model for construction sector development in middle-income sub-Saharan African countries. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 30(5), 1229–1255. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2024.21453
12. Mubarak, N., Khan, J., Safdar, S., Muhammad, S., & Riaz, A. (2021). Ethical leadership in project-based organizations of Pakistan: The role of psychological empowerment and Islamic work ethics. Management Research Review, 45(3), 281–299. https://doi.org/10.1108/mrr-08-2020-0536
13. Rafiki, A. (2020). Islamic leadership: Comparisons and qualities. In M. Franco (Ed.), Digital leadership – A new leadership style for the 21st century (pp. 1–16). IntechOpen Limited, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90151
14. Rahman, S. H. A., Faisol, N., Kamaruding, M., & Nusa, F. N. M. (2022). Revisiting the critical success factors (CSFs) contributing to a good subcontracting relationship: Analysing Malaysian construction projects. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Civil Engineering and Science Technology: Re-engineering Cultures of Science and Technology in Creating Sustainable Development Through IR4.0 (p. 2566). Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0110957
15. Sami, F. A., & Rahim, A. A. (2017). Ethics and values in construction industry from Islamic perspective. Planning Malaysia, 15(1), 319–326. https://doi.org/10.21837/pmjournal.v15.i6.248
16. Senam, M. R., Rashid, K. A., Sarkawi, A. A., & Zaini, R. M. (2015). West meets Islam in contemporary world: Construction project leadership perspective. Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture, 3(1), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.15640/jisc.v3n1a12
17. Senam, M. R., Rashid, K. A., Sarkawi, A., & Zaini, R. (2017). Applicability of Islamic leadership principles in construction project management with specific reference to JKR Malaysia: The use of Delphi method. In Proceedings of the First Annual International Conference on Islam and Civilization (p. 100). Malang, Indonesia. https://www.academia.edu/download/81635887/2016.pdf
18. Siddqiue, M. U., Sultan, N. S. A., & Arshad, N. D. A. (2023). A study of Islamic perspective on leadership. Al-Nasr, 2(3), 58–72. https://doi.org/10.53762/alnasr.02.03.e05
19. Yusuf, K. M., Hulawa, D. E., & Alwizar. (2024). Leadership construction in the Qur’an: Meaning and implications. International Journal of Religion, 5(5), 1001–1012. https://doi.org/10.61707/enta7b47
20. Zahri, M., Samsurijan, M. S., & Adnan, N. I. M. (2024). Project management from an Islamic perspective: An analytical review. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(6), 48–57. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i6/21503

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How to cite

Kamaruding, M., Muis, A. M. R. A., Alias, M. S., & Mokthar, M. Z. (2025). Islamic leadership in construction project management: Conceptual foundations, practical challenges, and prospects. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 9(7), 2026313. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2026313

[1] Abu, M., & Gazi, I. (2020). Islamic perspective of leadership in management: Foundation, traits, and principles. International Journal of Management and Accounting, 2(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.34104/ijma.020.0109

[2] Ahmad, M. F., Abdul Razak, N. S., Kamaruding, M., & Alshurideh, M. (2023). The effect of transformational leadership toward organizational innovation: A study of aerospace manufacturing industry in Malaysia. In M. Alshurideh, B. H. Al Kurdi, R. Masa’deh, H. M. Alzoubi, & S. Salloum (Eds.), The effect of information technology on business and marketing intelligence systems (pp. 1515–1528). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12382-5_84

[3] Bariono, N. S. E., & Kamaruding, M. (2025). Initiatives to overcome the issues and negative impacts on the involvement of foreign laborers in the Malaysian construction industry. Jurnal Kejuruteraan, 37(2), 855–867. https://doi.org/10.17576/jkukm-2025-37(2)-24

[4] Ibrahim, A. (2015). Accountability (hisbah) in Islamic management: The philosophy and ethics behind its implementation. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 5(8), 16–23. https://www.ijhssnet.com/journal/index/3200

[5] Ismail, N. N., Kamaruding, M., Ali, N. H. N., Khairuddin, D., Muis, A. M. R. A., & Ali, M. Z. M. (2025). Islamic principles in engineering education: Significance, challenges, and strategies. In E. AlDhaen, A. Braganza, A. Hamdan, & W. Chen (Eds.), Business sustainability with artificial intelligence (AI): Challenges and opportunities (pp. 555–565). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71526-6_48

[6] Johan, Z. J., & Baharudin, N. Z. (2021). The factors influencing Islamic leadership in project management: A pilot study. In N. N. M. Shariff, N. Lateh, N. F. Zarmani, Z. S. Hamidi, Z. A. A. Aghwan, N. B. D. H. Mahalle, H. H. Yaacob, & T. Hisao (Eds.), Enhancing halal sustainability (pp. 343–359). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4854-7_29

[7] Kamaruding, M., Ibrahim, R. A. R., Zulkafa, I. S., & Naim, W. N. F. W. M. (2018). The concept of Islamic-based management of construction project. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(9), 705–715. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v8-i9/4649

[8] Kamaruding, M., Mokthar, M. Z., & Rahman, S. H. A. (2022). Revising intention as a solution for the corruption issues among actors of construction project management: Analysis from an Islamic perspective. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Civil Engineering and Science Technology: Re-engineering Cultures of Science and Technology in Creating Sustainable Development Through IR4.0 (p. 2532). Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0109962

[9] Kamaruding, M., Rahman, S. H. A., Dzulkifli, S. N. M., & Ibrahim, R. A. R. (2021). [Islamic values for project management actors in the construction industry: A preliminary study] Nilai-nilai Islam untuk pelaku pengurusan projek di industri pembinaan: Suatu tinjauan awal. Malaysian Journal of Islamic Studies, 5(1), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.37231/mjis.2021.5.1.163

[10] Kholifah, N., & Mulyana, M. (2023). The influence of Islamic leadership on construction organizational performance: Mediating organizational learning culture. Indonesian Journal of Economics and Management, 3(3), 659–669. https://doi.org/10.35313/ijem.v3i3.5135

[11] Lopes, J., & Banaitienė, N. (2024). A model for construction sector development in middle-income sub-Saharan African countries. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 30(5), 1229–1255. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2024.21453

[12] Mubarak, N., Khan, J., Safdar, S., Muhammad, S., & Riaz, A. (2021). Ethical leadership in project-based organizations of Pakistan: The role of psychological empowerment and Islamic work ethics. Management Research Review, 45(3), 281–299. https://doi.org/10.1108/mrr-08-2020-0536

[13] Rafiki, A. (2020). Islamic leadership: Comparisons and qualities. In M. Franco (Ed.), Digital leadership – A new leadership style for the 21st century (pp. 1–16). IntechOpen Limited, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90151

[14] Rahman, S. H. A., Faisol, N., Kamaruding, M., & Nusa, F. N. M. (2022). Revisiting the critical success factors (CSFs) contributing to a good subcontracting relationship: Analysing Malaysian construction projects. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Civil Engineering and Science Technology: Re-engineering Cultures of Science and Technology in Creating Sustainable Development Through IR4.0 (p. 2566). Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0110957

[15] Sami, F. A., & Rahim, A. A. (2017). Ethics and values in construction industry from Islamic perspective. Planning Malaysia, 15(1), 319–326. https://doi.org/10.21837/pmjournal.v15.i6.248

[16] Senam, M. R., Rashid, K. A., Sarkawi, A. A., & Zaini, R. M. (2015). West meets Islam in contemporary world: Construction project leadership perspective. Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture, 3(1), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.15640/jisc.v3n1a12

[17] Senam, M. R., Rashid, K. A., Sarkawi, A., & Zaini, R. (2017). Applicability of Islamic leadership principles in construction project management with specific reference to JKR Malaysia: The use of Delphi method. In Proceedings of the First Annual International Conference on Islam and Civilization (p. 100). Malang, Indonesia. https://www.academia.edu/download/81635887/2016.pdf

[18] Siddqiue, M. U., Sultan, N. S. A., & Arshad, N. D. A. (2023). A study of Islamic perspective on leadership. Al-Nasr, 2(3), 58–72. https://doi.org/10.53762/alnasr.02.03.e05

[19] Yusuf, K. M., Hulawa, D. E., & Alwizar. (2024). Leadership construction in the Qur’an: Meaning and implications. International Journal of Religion, 5(5), 1001–1012. https://doi.org/10.61707/enta7b47

[20] Zahri, M., Samsurijan, M. S., & Adnan, N. I. M. (2024). Project management from an Islamic perspective: An analytical review. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(6), 48–57. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i6/21503

Abstract

References

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