The Islamic foundational sources - the Qur'an and the hadith - are full of references for knowledge, learning, and education (intellectualism) and make the seeking of knowledge as a religious obligation and a central part of belief. History bears witness to the fact that Muslims, attaining insights from these references and turning theory into practice, made not only significant contribution to various branches of knowledge which resulted in producing a great intellectual legacy but have been leading the world for a period of over 500 years, during the Middle ages, and thus, made an outstanding manifestation on the "intellectual map" of the then world.