This article underlines the fact that Malaysian Higher Learning Institutions (MHLI) are seriously geared in approaching its academic excellence status, becoming an international education hub attracting students from different parts of the world by offering a comprehensive list of programmes and specialisation. This is due to the fact that knowledge is viewed today as the most important factor in realizing actual growth, creating new values and advantages in a globalized economy. The focus here is on the important of knowledge management (KM) practices within MHLI with the argument that academic institutions should always manage knowledge properly and effectively to allow them to succeed and flourish. However, there is uncertainty about whether the use of KM can be competitive in which it is capable of helping the institution’s approaches and strategies to obtain the quality of education mentioned. This justifies the aim of the present study to review the KM practices in MHLI in order to highlight the functional features of its application. The method applied here is purely qualitative whereby five selected cases were viewed and analysed in identifying the KM elements that had been practiced by the institutions under study. The findings of the study indicate that KM practices in MHLI have not yet become formative and capable of standing alone without unwavering support from the top management. There is a need to create a formative standard of KM practices in MHLI to enable a systematic realignment of practices within their infrastructure and strategic activities.

The philosophy of knowledge is known as an established discipline both from Islamic perspective and Western viewpoint. Generally, it can be understood as a source of economy, power and prosperity. With the knowledge as a source of provider, the economic development, political power, business transaction and networking; rapid development in telecommunication and technology, with various other developments in human engineering and education plus, etc.‟s; human civilization flourishes. Focusing on the philosophy of knowledge and comparing its traditional sense with modern practice might lead us to discover some ways in which knowledge should be realized, managed and applied. Obviously, the issue and criteria that determine what constitutes knowledge is indeed crucial. Therefore, this paper highlights general concept of knowledge management from Islamic perspective and its significant contribution to human development.