Ibn khaldun was an unquestioned genius of the first rank, within the context of his time and place. He was the first major islamic thinker who emphasized empirical thought over normative theory. It is the first in a series of books which make up the kitab alibar the book of lessons, an ambitious work which provides an early account of the history of the world. His books have been translated into many languages, both in the east and the west, and have inspired subsequent development of these sciences. His book, the muqaddimah or prolegomena influenced 17thcentury ottoman historians.
Ibn khaldun s influence on the subject of history, philosophy of history, sociology, political science and education has remained paramount ever since his life. Pdf ibn khaldun and contemporary sociology saly alatas. The real father of sociology ibn khaldun css forums. Introduction the author wrote this article with a central question in his mind. Ibn khaldun 321406, the arab philosopher of history, statesman, judge, historian, and sociologist is considered as the true founding father of modern sociology. Writing works on ibn khadun is one of the ways to mainstream his ideas into the contemporary sociology discourse. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. The writings of ibn khaldun, particularly the muqaddimah prolegomenon have rightly been regarded as being sociological in nature. Ibn khaldun lifesize bronze bust sculpture of ibn khaldun that is part of the collection at the arab american national museum catalog number 2010. This statement is not exaggeration or an advertisement for the arabs and muslims, but rather a historical fact, cannot be denied from neutral scholars. But the contemporary representatives of khaldun s history and philosophy of society have not examined climate, technology, history, politics and social problems, taking into account the recent momentum of the contemporary world. He held various offices under the rulers of tunis and morocco and served 63 as ambassador of the moorish king of granada to peter the cruel of castile. The muqaddimah, or introduction, is the earliest critical study of history, the work of the arab scholar ibn khaldun written in 27 as the preface and first book of a world history. In the following detailed and documented article, muhammad hozien outlines the biobibliography of ibn khaldun.
Pdf ibn khaldun and contemporary sociology syed farid. Ibn khaldun project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. His books have been translated into many languages, both in the east and the west, and have. He is widely considered as a forerunner of the modern disciplines of historiography, sociology, economics, and demography he is best known for his book, the muqaddimah or prolegomena introduction. In classical times, socialpoliticaleconomic events were not regarded as a subject of science. Pdf ibn khaldun and contemporary sociology syed farid alatas. Society, state, and urbanism demonstrates that ibn khaldun s thought is relevant to contemporary sociological theory, and that his very language differs little from that of. He was a philosopher of history and the first social scientist. First of all, he was the first thinker who tried to explain social events with a scientific approach. The muqaddimah which serves as an introduction to the kitab sets out ibn khaldun s philosophy of history. The science of social development or sociology, as we call it today. Abd alazz izzat wrote a thesis in 1932 titled ibn khaldun et sa science sociale ibn. Ibn khaldun was a renaissance man, the real father of sociology. The next century saw the emergence of the historian some consider to be the worlds first sociologist, the berber scholar ibn khaldun 321406 of tunisia.
An essay presenting arguments for including ibn khaldun in a social theory syllabus. There are many sociologists and philosophers following ibn khalduns philosophy and thought. The study charted the historical development of chinese state administration from antiquity in a manner very similar to contemporary institutional analyses. Fitzroy morrissey, standpoint irwins book lives up to its name. In the course of his book, he persistently changes perspective.
The ibn khaldoun community service award ibn khaldun meets al saud. List of books and articles about ibn khaldun online. Hilman fikri azman international islamic university malaysia, 2017 a. Ibn khaldun may 27, 32 ad732 ah march 19, 1406 ad808 ah was an arab muslim historiographer and historian, regarded to be among the founding fathers of modern historiography, sociology and economics. Ibn khaldun 321406 ad he was born in tunisia in 32 ad ibn khaldun is the sheikh of all social scientists. In his great work, the kitab alibar universal history, he attempts to treat history as a science and outlines a philosophy of history, setting forth principles of sociology and political economy. Ibn khaldun s philosophy of management and work ibn khaldun almuqaddimah.
This however, was already done by many scholars from the past until the presence. This book provides an overview of ibn khaldun and his sociology, discusses reasons for his. What is lacking however, is the research and writing of his epistemological and methodological foundations in his theories. The concept of change in the thought of ibn khaldun and.
Closely examining the muqaddima, a startlingly original analysis of the laws of history, and drawing on many other contemporary sources, irwin shows how ibn khaldun s life and thought fit into historical and intellectual context, including medieval islamic theology, philosophy, politics, literature, economics, law, and tribal life. Introductory material introductory material of book one, kitab al ibar preliminary remarks chapter i human civilization in general chapter ii bedouin. Ibn khaldun lived in an era when the muslim nation in north africa and the iberian peninsula disintegrated into a multitude of city states fighting against each other. Abd alrahman ibn khaldun, the well known historian and thinker from muslim 14thcentury north africa, is considered a forerunner of original theories in social sciences and philosophy of history, as well as the author of original views in economics, prefiguring modern contributions. Muhammad dhaouadi this paper makes a comparative analysis and discussion of the notion of social change in ibn khaldun s umran science, on the one hand, and that of his counterparts among the founding fathers of western sociology. This study examines fukuyama and wallersteins philosophy of. To achieve these objectives, the qualitative approach was employed through using the content analysis. International studies in sociology and social anthropology as want to read. A wacky collection of mostly messy anthropological and theoretical takes on ibn khaldun s work. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our.
Ibn khaldun was an arab scholar of islam, social scientist and historian who has been described as the father of the modern disciplines of historiography, sociology, economics, and demography. But ibn khaldoons work was more than a critical study of history. There are many sociologists and philosophers following ibn khaldun s philosophy and thought. Commissioned by the tunisian community center and created by patrick morelli of albany, ny in 2009. We publish contributions by recognized scholars who endeavoured recently to give ibn khaldun long overdue credit by placing him properly within the history of economic thought. Ibn khaldun is generally considered the greatest of the arab historical thinkers. Ibn khaldun is a great moslem thinker of the fourteenth century b. Ibn khaldun, a brilliant medieval arabic scholar, can be used to support almost anything. Ibn khaldun s ideas have cropped up in frank herberts wellknown science fiction novel, dune, and facebook cofounder mark zuckerberg made his masterwork, the muqaddimah, one of his books of. Ibn khaldun and contemporary sociology syed farid alatas, 2006. The muqaddimah was written in 77 by the arab scholar and historian, ibn khaldun 32 1406. Ibn khaldun made three very important contributions to social sciences. Though it is the preliminary section of the history, the muqaddimah has become known as a selfcontained work, treating in almost encyclopedic detail the general. It was, in fact, a study of human civilization in general, its beginning, factors contributing to its development, and the causes of its decline.
Indeed it is not too much to claim, as did a contemporary arab scholar, sa. Conflicting views of ibn khaldun s 321406 ilm alumran mellen studies in sociology vol 45. Andalusian legacy exhibition in the alcazar of seville. In 82 he sailed to cairo, where he spent most of the rest of his life as a teacher and lecturer. Keywords asabiyyah, history of sociology, ibn khaldun, sociological theory, sociology. In the following section, we focus on ibn khaldun s contribution to economic thought. For this reason, ibn khaldun has been widely regarded as the founder of sociology, or at least a precursor of modern sociology. It was inspired by the statue of ibn khaldun erected at the avenue habib bourguiba in tunis. The centerpiece would be the essay comparing him to. An intellectual biography is that it encourages us to treat the intellectual history of the islamic world not as a battleground for contemporary ideological struggles but as a subject worthy of investigation in its own right. These sociological references define the discipline. Modern writers are inclined to consider him as a pioneer or a precursor. Thus, unwittingly, ibn khaldoon founded a new science.
The concept of change in the thought of ibn khaldun and western. Ibn khaldun and contemporary sociology pena faylasuf. He defined the foundations of sociology more than 4 centuries before auguste comte discovered them. Ibn khaldun and contemporary sociology syed farid alatas. The muqaddimah, often translated as introduction or prolegomenon, is the most important islamic history of the premodern world. It moves beyond works that simply state that ibn khaldun was a founder of sociology or provide descriptive accounts of his works. This book provides an overview of ibn khaldun and his sociology, discusses reasons for his marginality, and suggests ways to bring ibn khaldun into the mainstream through the systematic application of his theory. Conflicting views of ibn khaldun s 321406 ilm alumran mellen studies in sociology vol 45 baali, fuad on. He wrote an autobiography, completed in 94, but expanded a few. Ibn khaldun medieval genius alive and well in modern. Ibn khaldun and contemporary sociology 1 by syed farid alatas by.