Leadership and Culture in Knowledge Management:
Islamic Experience
Syed Nurulakla Syed Abdullah Universiti Putra Malaysia
Musa Bin Abu Hassan Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
Abstract
A rich tapestry of Islamic scholarship and Islamic leadership intricately entwined with Islamic knowledge culture andIslamic knowledge management has never ceasedto fascinate thepresent day Islamic educationists andresearchers. One of the most distinguishedfeatures of Islamic education that has existedfor the last fourteen centuries is free education in its purest meaning. The rich and the poor were provided with equal opportunity to acquire the highest order of Islamic knowledge. This profoundly beautiful Islamic culture has witnessed the emergence of some of the brightest intellectual luminaries of the Islamic world in the like of al-Ghazali, al-Biruni, al-Razi and al-Farabi. In a similar line of thought, the Islamic education of days gone by had seen the establishment of world renowned Islamic universities besides encouraging the love for books to the point of building a number of famous libraries for the collection ofIslamic books and manuscripts.
Keywords: Knowledge management, Islamic leaders, Islamic scholars, knowledge culture
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to share some knowledge concerning the way Islamic leaders paid serious attention in assuring scholars and those involved in knowledge discovery were given due compensation and recognition for their roles and responsibilities. As such, this paper is presented in three major sections of roles of leadership in establishing the culture, rewards for translation activities and major institutions involved in early knowledge management activities.
