From the Western perspectives: Knowledge could mean

acquaintance with facts familiarity with a particular subject acquaintance or familiarity gained by sight,

experience, report or investigation the body of truths or facts accumulated by mankind in the course of time
[Munawar Haque et. al (2009), Islam: Knowledge and Civilization, p.5)]

Knowledge is a the arrival of meaning (mana) to the soul(al-Attas) Mana is the recognition and acknowledgement of the Creator and ones position in the scheme of creation. From the Islamic perspective: Knowledge is a system of learning which enables humankind to recognise Allah s.w.t as the Lord and Creator of the universe and man and his servant as well as vicegerent on earth. It encompasses mans ability to put the right thing at its proper places.

Knowledge has two important purposes to serve: the divine and the worldly.
The divine purpose of knowledge is to recognize

Allah, and to live according to His will. The worldly purpose of knowledge is to enable human beings to utilize the abundance of wealth that Allah has bestowed upon humankind so as not to create destructions on earth.

It comprises of the Tawhidic knowledge the belief on the Oneness of Allah, knowledge about ibadah and akhlaq (how to behave) and understanding of the shariah. It is the knowledge on how human beings should live according to the rules and regulations preordained by Allah. [Sidek Baba (2006), Pendidikan Rabbani. p 59] Knowledge that is obligatory on every Muslim, eg. the understanding of the articles of iman (faith), the pillars of Islam and the main principles of the shariah (Islamic Law). Fard Ayn (Personal Obligatory Knowledge)

Allah has given rahmah to humankind and living creatures on earth by providing abundance of wealth such as water, soil, trees, fuel, gasses, uranium, gold, diamond among others to be managed by man. Thus, man has to possess the knowledge (scientific, technological, economics, accountancy etc.) and mastery of the appropriate skills to manage these resources effectively.
[Sidek Baba (2006), Pendidikan Rabbani. p 58 - 59]

The knowledge to manage self will enable one to understand himself and his relationship to Allah, to comprehend the Quran and make Quran as his guidance and source of reference in developing the knowledge on how to manage the system. Integration between these two types of knowledge will build a strong foundation for self and community development which could later develop into a Muslim civilization.

Infusion of the Western knowledge and the Islamic legacy Uniting the two types of knowledge: Western/ Secular knowledge and the Islamic knowledge

Instilling the Islamic worldview to the body of knowledge Isolation of Western elements and key concepts from existing body of knowledge and the infusion of Islamic elements and key concepts into it. (Al-Attas) Interpreting the new knowledge into the corpus of Islamic legacy by eliminating, amending, reinterpreting and adapting its components as the world view of Islam and its values. (alFaruqi)

Knowledge to manage self and knowledge to manage the system are

integrative in nature because they combine the

two important features in knowledge inquiry which are the divine knowledge and knowledge gained through reason and sense perception Islamized knowledge because they involve the understanding of the worldly knowledge through the Islamic worldview and Islamic legacy

Knowledge to manage self and knowledge to manage the system integrate the revealed and primary sources of knowledge (Quran and the Sunnah) with of those found in nature, history and experiences of man in understanding the world. They acknowledge the two primary sources of reference and made them the guiding principles in interpreting empirical sciences, human sciences, technological advancement and other types of worldly knowledge.

Al-Faruqi, Ismail Raji. (1992). Al-Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life. Herndon, Virginia: IIIT. Al-Attas, Syed Muhammad Naquib.(1992). Islam and Secularism. Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC. IIIT.(1982). Islam: Sourse and Purpose of Knowledge. Herndon, Virginia: IIIT. Munawar Haque, Kabuye Uthman Sulaiman, Bachir Soualhi, Syamsuddin Arif. (2009). Islam: Knowledge and Civilization. IIUM: IIUM Press. Sidek Baba. (2006). Pendidikan Rabbani: Mengenal Allah Melalui Ilmu Dunia. Shah Alam: Karya Bestari Sdn. Bhd.