Though in sociology, sociology of knowledge is in some measure an unknown field and comparatively recent and in some respects unique, it seems to replace or perhaps supplement with epistemology. Thus, in line with naturalizing sciences, it would be appropriate to trace these two fields of study in the history of Islamic thoughts so that their epistemology can be fully comprehended or even perfected. According to some of the ideas of Moslem thinkers, the social, economic and political factors are the causes of human knowledge and they determine its form and content.
Muhammad Iqbal of Lahore can be refered to as one of the Moslem thinkers whose ideas have some bearing on the sociology of Knowledge. In epistemology he paid special attention to various aspects of knowledge, including inner, intellectual, empirical as well as revealed knowledge. He holds that epistemology plays a great role in all planes of human life, moving from this treatment of epistemology to the treatment of the religious knowledge related to socio - cultural circumstances. Concerning the latter issue, Iqbal makes some remarks on social and cultural changes within the realm of religious sciences. It is this very idea of Iqbal that affected the theory of contraction and expansion to a large extent. Moreover, Iqbal's plan which underlies the theory of "returning to oneself" directs the Islamic societies towards their own self-assurance to stand agains social self-estrangement.
)