What is Benevolence

This chapter analyzes servant leadership theory from the perspective of Islamic nonprofits. It is one of the rare management science approaches to examining Islamic nonprofits and waqfs. Definitions and characteristics of servant leaders are derived from major studies on servant leadership, and outcomes for nonprofit organizations are discussed based on available evidence in the literature. Servant leadership is compared to other major leadership theories and examined in cultural context. Although the studies in the West dominate the servant leadership literature, it is argued that the philosophy of a servant leader is deeply rooted in other cultures and faiths, particularly Islamic tradition. The author examines whether servant leadership fits the leadership definitions in recent studies on Islamic leadership. There is also a comparison of the Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) for servant leadership and the Islamic Leadership Inventory (ILI). The author points to gaps in the literature and provides suggestions for future research.