Tawhidic faith-driven resilience as a strategic capability in Malaysia’s digital SME ecosystem

Mhd Sarif, Suhaimi and Yahya, Rohaziah and Hidayatullah, Rakhmad Agung and Zainudin, Dolhadi (2026) Tawhidic faith-driven resilience as a strategic capability in Malaysia’s digital SME ecosystem. International Journal of Business, Economics and Law, 37 (1). pp. 19-31. ISSN 2289-1552

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Abstract

This study advances the concept of Tawḥīdīc faith-driven resilience as a higher-order strategic capability within Malaysia’s rapidly digitalising SME ecosystem. Drawing on qualitative, in-depth interviews with seven Muslim SME owners operating across Petaling Jaya, Batu Caves, Bangsar, Subang Jaya, Kepong, Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur, and Klang, in Malaysia, we explore how Tawḥīdīc epistemology shapes entrepreneurial endurance, relational capital formation, and adaptive digital capability. Our findings reveal that resilience is not merely operational persistence nor economic survival; rather, it is spiritually anchored in ibadah (worship), trust in divine provision (rizq), and the pursuit of barakah (blessing). Faith orientation operates as an intangible strategic resource that stabilises cognition under uncertainty, moderates emotional volatility, and reinforces ethical consistency. Digital technologies—QR payments, e-wallet systems, and online platforms—are adopted pragmatically as complementary tools that extend relational trust rather than displace tradition. Relational capital, particularly supplier trust and community embeddedness, serves as an informal liquidity buffer during periods of cash-flow volatility. By integrating resource-based theory, dynamic capability perspectives, and Tawhidic epistemology, this study contributes a faith-informed framework of resilience that reconceptualises spirituality as a strategic capability within emerging-market digital ecosystems.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Tawhidic epistemology; faith-driven resilience; SME
Subjects:	BPH Islamic Economics > BPH830.3 Social systems. Urban groups. Cities and towns. Sustainable urban development BPL Islamic education > BPL27 Aims and objectives of education. Sustainable education H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business. Business Administration > HF5387 Business ethics H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5475.I74 Halal business, entrepreneur, marketing, management, and administration
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences > Department of Business Administration Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences
Depositing User:	Dr Suhaimi Mhd Sarif
Date Deposited:	06 May 2026 11:54
Last Modified:	06 May 2026 11:54
Queue Number:	2026-04-Q3046
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/128619

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