Abstract

Collegiality is widely recognised as a cornerstone of healthy academic environments, yet its conceptualisation often reflects Western traditions that emphasise procedural fairness and shared governance while overlooking deeper moral and cultural dimensions. In Malaysian higher education, where Islamic values inform social norms and interpersonal conduct, there is a need to explore collegiality through a framework that resonates with local ethical foundations. This conceptual paper proposes an Islamic Collegiality Framework (ICF) that integrates key Islamic principles: ukhuwwah, shura, adl, amanah, rahmah, ihsan, and taqwa, into existing understandings of collegiality. The framework positions collegiality as an ethical commitment grounded in compassion, justice, trust, and sincere engagement, rather than as merely a set of professional behaviours. By aligning Islamic ethics with contemporary collegiality theory, the ICF offers a culturally grounded approach that enhances academic relationships, supports ethical leadership, promotes equitable workload practices, and strengthens institutional cohesion. The paper concludes with recommendations for embedding Islamic-informed collegiality into leadership training, policy development, and departmental culture, and highlights opportunities for future empirical and conceptual research.