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This study aims to present a detailed investigation of Shariah audit research based on a systematic literature review.

A total of 53 studies were collected from the Scopus and Web of Science databases following a systematic methodology. These studies were analyzed and evaluated based on the theoretical perspective, geographical distribution, research settings and themes background.

The findings indicate an increase in the literature on Shariah auditing over time, especially in the Malaysian context, with a dearth of research in other contexts and institutions (Takaful). It has been also revealed that the existing literature is still unclear about the effectiveness and consequences of effective Shariah auditing, pointing the need for more work on these areas. The authors outline opportunities for future Shariah auditing research.

The synthesized findings are helpful for policymakers and managers to understand better how research in Shariah auditing is developing and how to translate research findings into practice. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research to comprehensively synthesize the literature on this topic and identify the potential opportunities for future research directions.

This study aims to explore the impact of capital structure (CS), including total debts, short-term debt, long-term debt and total shareholder equity, on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in the context of Jordan.

To achieve the study’s objectives, the authors used the content analysis approach and the longitudinal data generated from the annual reports of 51 industrial companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange for the period 2012–2020.

The findings show that debt financing enhances ESG performance in all dimensions, while financing by equity did not affect ESG. Consequently, Jordanian companies’ managers are trying to reduce agency costs by investing in ESG activities. In addition, companies are focusing on debt financing instead of equity to achieve their financial as well as nonfinancial goals. This is because the opportunism of new shareholders will likely lead to a focus on maximizing their value at the expense of the broader group of stakeholders, and this will adversely affect companies’ ESG performance. Therefore, debt financing limits shareholder control.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first examination of the impact of CS financing choices on ESG performance. Thus, this study has important implications for the decisions of executives, policymakers, shareholders and lenders, as it enables them to better understand the linkage between CS and ESG.