Objective: This study presents a systematic bibliometric analysis of fifty highly influential research articles in Islamic theology to identify the structure of knowledge, patterns of scholarly production, and dominant research trends.



Methodology: A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative bibliometric analysis and qualitative content analysis was employed. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database using relevant keywords, yielding an initial dataset of 12,700 documents published before 2025. The primary selection criterion was the Local Normalized Citation Score, which evaluates article impact relative to publication year and subject area. Based on this indicator, fifty top-impact articles published between 2004 and 2024 were selected. Quantitative analysis examined publication patterns, leading authors, institutions, countries, journals, and keyword networks. Qualitative content analysis of abstracts and full texts was then conducted to identify thematic and methodological patterns.



Findings: Results indicate significant growth in influential publications, particularly after 2019, reflecting an accelerated upward trend. Southeast Asian countries—especially Indonesia and Malaysia—emerge as major centers of high-impact scholarship. At the institutional level, the University of Malaya and Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta rank among the most productive contributors. Dominant themes include applied theology and health, computational and linguistic studies, education and social studies, comparative and systematic theology, law and politics, and Islamic finance.



Conclusion: Islamic theology is shifting from a traditional text-centered framework toward a problem-oriented, interdisciplinary, and technologically engaged paradigm. Despite limitations related to database coverage and citation-based metrics, this study provides a data-driven foundation for understanding contemporary developments and informing future research and policy decisions.