The establishment of Islamic social sciences has been justified by diverse epistemological, cultural, social, and civilizational arguments. After several decades of theoretical and institutional efforts, however, the central question is no longer merely why Islamic social sciences are necessary, but how their initial foundations can guide their future development. This study aims to reconstruct the principal rationales underlying the formation of Islamic social sciences and derive their contemporary and strategic implications for the future of this field. The study employs a documentary and library-based approach for data collection and adopts a qualitative methodology for data analysis. Thematic Analysis was selected as the principal analytical method, following the three-stage framework of King and Horrocks, comprising basic, organizing, and global themes. Through systematic examination of books and scholarly works addressing the necessity and foundations of Islamic social sciences, 58 basic themes were identified, which were organized into 14 organizing themes and seven overarching themes. These themes concern the historical foundation of modern science; the value-laden character of Western science; the marginalization of competing epistemic systems; the inability of existing social sciences to meet the needs of Islamic societies; Islam’s need for knowledge compatible with its worldview and ends; the independent identity of religious science; and religious science as a means of overcoming intellectual stagnation and civilizational passivity. The study then reassesses these foundations under contemporary conditions and derives their strategic implications for the future. The findings indicate that the future agenda of Islamic social sciences requires epistemic independence, methodological development, theorization, problem-orientation, and institutional and civilizational capacity-building.