Integrating Maqasid Syariah with the Sustainable Development Goals in higher education

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly positioned as key drivers of global sustainability through their alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, sustainability initiatives in universities may remain fragmented and focused on compliance, measurement, and technical implementation, with insufficient attention to ethical and value formation. This conceptual paper aims to examine how Maqasid Syariah can complement the SDGs and to propose a framework for integrating ethical foundations with sustainability implementation in higher education. The paper adopts a conceptual synthesis approach based on selected scholarly literature and authoritative policy documents concerning Maqasid Syariah, the SDGs, Education for Sustainable Development, and sustainability in higher education. The resulting framework positions Maqasid Syariah as the ethical foundation, higher education as the implementation platform, and the SDGs as the operational framework. The paper contributes a multi-level conceptual model that moves beyond descriptive alignment towards a more actionable approach to Maqasid–SDG integration in higher education.