The Zenata ( Berber languages : Iznaten ; Arabic : زناتة , romanized : Zanāta ) are a group of Berber tribes, historically one of the largest Berber confederations along with the Sanhaja and Masmuda . Their lifestyle was either nomadic or semi-nomadic.
87-509: The 14th-century historiographer Ibn Khaldun reports that the Zenata were divided into three large tribes: Jarawa , Maghrawa , and Banu Ifran . Formerly occupying a large portion of the Maghreb , they were displaced to the south and west in conflicts with the more powerful Kutama and Houara . The Zenata adopted Islam early, in the 7th century. While other Berber tribes continued to resist
174-466: A mithqal or 2.96 grams). Ibn Khaldun's writings regarding the division of labor are often compared to Adam Smith's writings on the topic. The individual being cannot by himself obtain all the necessities of life. All human beings must co-operate to that end in their civilization. But what is obtained by the cooperation of a group of human beings satisfies the need of a number many times greater than themselves. For instance, no one by himself can obtain
261-607: A biography with a more detailed description on the Prolegomena . More details on and partial translations of the Prolegomena emerged over the years until the complete Arabic edition was published in 1858. Since then, the work of Ibn Khaldun has been extensively studied in the Western world with special interest. Reynold A. Nicholson praised Ibn Khaldun as a uniquely brilliant Muslim sociologist, but discounted Khaldun's influence. Spanish Philosopher José Ortega y Gasset viewed
348-516: A labor theory of value or theory. Ibn Khaldun also called for the creation of a science to explain society and went on to outline these ideas in his major work, the Muqaddimah , which states that “Civilization and its well-being, as well as business prosperity, depend on productivity and people’s efforts in all directions in their own interest and profit”. Ibn Khaldun diverged from norms that Muslim historians followed and rejected their focus on
435-499: A meeting between Ibn Khaldun and Tamerlane. According to Ibn Arabshah, during this meeting, Ibn Khaldun and Tamerlane discussed the Maghrib in depth, as well as Tamerlane's genealogy and place in history. Ibn Khaldun began gaining more attention from 1806, when Silvestre de Sacy 's Chrestomathie Arabe included his biography together with a translation of parts of the Muqaddimah as the Prolegomena . In 1816, de Sacy again published
522-400: A number of people many times their own. The combined labour produces more than the needs and necessities of the workers (Ibn Khaldun 1958, vol. II 271–272) In every other art and manufacture, the effects of the division of labour are similar to what they are in this very trifling one [pin production]; though, in many of them, the labour can either be so much subdivided, nor reduced to so great
609-570: A religious ideology. Ibn Khaldun's analysis looks at how this cohesion carries groups to power but contains within itself the seeds – psychological, sociological, economic, political – of the group's downfall, to be replaced by a new group, dynasty or empire bound by a stronger (or at least younger and more vigorous) cohesion. Some of Ibn Khaldun's views, particularly those concerning the Zanj people of sub-Saharan Africa, have been cited as racist , though they were not uncommon for their time. According to
696-730: A remote ancestor, was born in Tunis in AD 1332 (732 AH ) into an upper-class Andalusian family of Arab descent; the family's ancestor was a Hadhrami who shared kinship with Wa'il ibn Hujr , a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad . His family, which held many high offices in Al-Andalus , had emigrated to Tunisia after the fall of Seville to the Reconquista in AD 1248. Although some of his family members had held political office in
783-441: A simplicity of operation. The division of labour, however, so far as it can be introduced, occasions, in every art, a proportionable increase of the productive powers of labour (Smith 1976a, vol. I, 13–24) Both Ibn Khaldun and Smith shared the idea that the division of labor is fundamental to economic growth, however, the motivations and context for such division differed between them. For Ibn Khaldun, asabiyyah or social solidarity
870-416: A specific thing for a long period makes him forget everything and become attached to what he focused on. Only, this focus makes him see the non-sensory world very quickly and in a very imperfect way, and these are pagan religions . Ibn Khaldun agrees with Sufism and believes that if a person maintains his good faith and is stripped of the desire to create a new religion and strives to separate himself from
957-708: A time of Berber dynasties domination is a valid reason to believe his claim of Arab descent. His family's high rank enabled Ibn Khaldun to study with prominent teachers in Maghreb . He received a classical Islamic education , studying the Quran , which he memorized by heart , Arabic linguistics ; the basis for understanding the Qur'an, hadith , sharia (law) and fiqh (jurisprudence). He received certification ( ijazah ) for all of those subjects. The mathematician and philosopher Al-Abili of Tlemcen introduced him to mathematics , logic and philosophy , and he studied especially
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#17327659827631044-575: A year, he had to resign his judgeship. Also in 1384, a ship carrying Khaldun's wife and children sank off of Alexandria . After his return from a pilgrimage to Mecca in May 1388, Ibn Khaldūn concentrated on teaching at various Cairo madrasas. At the Mamluk court he fell from favor because during revolts against Barquq, he had, apparently under duress, with other Cairo jurists, issued a fatwa against Barquq. Later relations with Barquq returned to normal, and he
1131-638: Is also what inspires human beings to form into a social structure to co-operate in division of labor and organization. According to Zaid Ahmand in Epistemology and the Human Dimension in Urban Studies , the fikr faculty is the supporting pillar for all philosophical aspects of Ibn Khaldun's theory related to human beings’ spiritual, intellectual, physical, social and political tendencies. Another important concept he emphasizes in his work
1218-562: Is the mastery of crafts, habits and skills. This takes place after a society is established and according to Ibn Khaldun the level of achievement of a society can be determined by just analyzing these three concepts. A society in its earliest stages is nomadic and primarily concerned with survival, while a society at a later stage is sedentary, with greater achievement in crafts. A society with a sedentary culture and stable politics would be expected to have greater achievements in crafts and technology. Ibn Khaldun also emphasized in his epistemology
1305-481: Is the notion that when a society becomes a great civilization, its high point is followed by a period of decay. This means that the next cohesive group that conquers the diminished civilization is, by comparison, a group of barbarians . Once the barbarians solidify their control over the conquered society, however, they become attracted to its more refined aspects, such as literacy and arts, and either assimilate into or appropriate such cultural practices. Then, eventually,
1392-697: The Battle of the Nobles and the Battle of Bagdoura . While the Umayyads managed to defeat the rebels eventually and reassert some of their authority, the westernmost parts of the Maghreb, including what is now Morocco, remained outside of Arab caliphal rule. In this vacuum, various principalities arose in the region, such as the Midrarid Emirate in eastern Morocco, led by a Zenata Miknasa tribe, to which
1479-667: The Castilians took Algeciras from the Marinids in 1344, definitively expelling them from the Iberian Peninsula . In contrast to their predecessors, the Marinids sponsored Maliki Sunnism as the official religion and made Fez their capital. Under their rule, Fez enjoyed a relative golden age. The Marinids also pioneered the construction of madrasas across the country which promoted the education of Maliki ulama , although Sufi sheikhs increasingly predominated in
1566-839: The Chelif bend and Algiers . At its zenith, the kingdom reached the Moulouya river to the west, Sijilmasa to the south, and the Soummam river to the east. The Zayyanid dynasty's rule lasted from 1235 until 1556, when their rule, under pressure from the Spanish in Oran and the Saadians in Morocco, was finally ended by the Ottomans . Zanata tribesmen also played a role as light cavalry in
1653-462: The London School of Economics , considered Khaldun's definition of government the best in the history of political theory. More moderate views on the scope of Ibn Khaldun's contributions have also emerged. Hassan I al-Hajam Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Qasim ( Arabic : الحسن بن محمد بن القاسم ), known by the sobriquet al-Hajjam ( الحجام , lit. ' the barber ' )
1740-534: The Northern Berber languages , including Riffian Berber in northeastern Morocco and Shawiya Berber in northeastern Algeria. Before the Arab conquests, the Zenata ranged between present-day Tunisia and Tripolitania in present-day Libya , before moving steadily west where they settled in western Algeria near Tiaret and Tlemcen , while some of them moved still further west to Morocco . They dominated
1827-530: The Umayyad Caliphate conquest well into the 8th century, they were quickly Islamized. They also formed a substantial contingent in the subsequent Muslim conquest of Iberia . As Berbers, the Zenata spoke one of the Berber languages . Ibn Khaldun wrote that their dialect was distinct from other Berber dialects. French linguist Edmond Destaing in 1915 proposed " Zenati " as a loose subgrouping within
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#17327659827631914-630: The Abd al-Wadid Sultan of Tlemcen, on a mission to the Dawadida Arabs tribes of Biskra. After his return to the West, Ibn Khaldūn sought refuge with one of the Berber tribes in the west of Algeria , in the town of Qalat Ibn Salama . He lived there for over three years under their protection, taking advantage of his seclusion to write the Muqaddimah "Prolegomena", the introduction to his planned history of
2001-651: The Berbers of the Rif region are believed to be of Zenata ancestry. In the early Islamic period of Morocco, Berber groups and tribes dominated the politics of the region well after the Arab conquests . The Zenata confederation did too. A Zenata chieftain, Khalid ibn Hamid al-Zanati , was a leading figure in the Berber revolt of 740 against the Arab Umayyad Caliphate , and led Berber rebels to major victories in
2088-619: The Maghreb. At his request, Ibn Khaldūn even wrote a long report about it. As he recognized Timur's intentions, he did not hesitate, on his return to Egypt, to compose an equally-extensive report on the history of the Tatars , together with a character study of Timur, sending them to the Merinid rulers in Fez . Ibn Khaldūn spent the next five years in Cairo completing his autobiography and his history of
2175-469: The Marinid family and settled within the kingdom of Granada. Their Marinid commander was known as the shaykh al-ghuzāt ('chief of the ghazis '), but in 1374 Muhammad V suppressed this office due to their political interference, after which they were commanded by a Nasrid or Andalusi general. They also served as mercenaries in the armies of Christian kingdoms such as Castile or as auxiliaries sent by
2262-700: The Miknasa when Musa switched allegiance to the Umayyads of Cordoba in 931 in an attempt to gain more independence. The Fatimids sent Humayd ibn Yasal (or Hamid), the nephew of Masala ibn Habus, to confront Musa, defeating him in 933 and forcing him to fall back into line. Once the Fatimids were gone, however, Musa once again threw off their authority and recognized the Umayyad caliph. The Fatimids sent their general Maysur to confront him again, and this time he fled. He
2349-467: The Muqaddimah, although some scholars have found his praise, and that of others, to be generally empty and lacking understanding of Ibn Khaldun's methods. Ibn Khaldun also faced primarily criticism from his contemporaries, particularly Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani . These criticisms included accusations of inadequate historical knowledge, an inaccurate title, disorganization, and a style resembling that of
2436-525: The Nasrid emirs of Granada to aid their Castilian allies. Ibn Khaldun Ibn Khaldun ( / ˈ ɪ b ən h æ l ˈ d uː n / IH -bun hal- DOON ; Arabic : أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون الحضرمي , Abū Zayd ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Khaldūn al-Ḥaḍramī , Arabic: [ibn xalduːn] ; 27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732–808 AH ) was an Arab sociologist , philosopher , and historian widely acknowledged to be one of
2523-663: The Sultan of Granada, the Nasrid Muhammad V , regain power from his temporary exile. In 1364, Muhammad entrusted him with a diplomatic mission to the king of Castile , Pedro the Cruel , to endorse a peace treaty. Ibn Khaldūn successfully carried out this mission and politely declined Pedro's offer to remain at his court and have his family's Spanish possessions returned to him. In Granada, Ibn Khaldūn quickly came into competition with Muhammad's vizier, Ibn al-Khatib , who viewed
2610-537: The Tunisian Hafsid dynasty , his father and grandfather later withdrew from political life and joined a mystical order . His brother, Yahya Khaldun, was also a historian who wrote a book on the Abdalwadid dynasty and was assassinated by a rival for being the official historiographer of the court. In his autobiography, Khaldun traces his descent back to the time of Muhammad through an Arab tribe from
2697-651: The achievement of a society would be the language of a society, since for him the most important element of a society would not be land, but the language spoken. He was surprised that many non-Arabs were really successful in the Arabic society, had good jobs and were well received by the community. "These people were non-Arab by descent, but they grew up among the Arabs who possessed the habit of Arabic," Ibn Khaldun once recalled, "[b]ecause of this, they were able to master Arabic so well that they cannot be surpassed." He believed that
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2784-635: The armies of the Emirate of Granada . This gave rise to the Spanish term jinete (derived from the name 'Zenata'), which denoted this type of light cavalry. They formed the backbone of the Granadan army, serving both in crucial battles as well as in regular raids inside Christian territory. They were highly mobile on the field, armed with lances , javelins , and small round shields known for their flexibility, and used their own characteristic set of tactics. They were recruited and led by exiled members of
2871-412: The beginning, people will look for different ways of increasing productivity of basic needs and expansion will occur. Later the society starts becoming more sedentary and focuses more on crafting, arts and the more refined characteristics. By the end of a society, it will weaken, allowing another small group of individuals to come into control. The conquering group is described as an unsatisfied group within
2958-684: The century, the Maghrawa controlled Fez , Sijilmasa and Aghmat while the Banu Ifran ruled over Tlemcen, Salé (Chellah), and the Tadla region. In the 13th century the Banu Marin ( Arabic : بنو مرين ), a Zenata tribe, rose to power in Morocco. Starting in 1245 they began overthrowing the Almohads who had controlled the region. At the height of their power in the mid-14th century, during
3045-471: The city. Starting in the early 10th century, however, the Fatimids in the east began to intervene in present-day Morocco, hoping to expand their influence, and used the Miknasa as proxies and allies in the region. In 917 the Miknasa and its leader Masala ibn Habus, acting on behalf of their Fatimid allies, attacked Fez and forced Yahya IV to recognize Fatimid suzerainty, before deposing him in 919 or 921. He
3132-606: The close relationship between Muhammad and Ibn Khaldūn with increasing mistrust. Ibn Khaldūn tried to shape the young Muhammad into his ideal of a wise ruler, an enterprise that Ibn al-Khatib thought foolish and a danger to peace in the country. As a result of al-Khatib's influence, Ibn Khaldūn was eventually sent back to North Africa. Al-Khatib himself was later accused by Muhammad of having unorthodox philosophical views and murdered despite an attempt by Ibn Khaldūn to intercede on behalf of his old rival. In his autobiography, Ibn Khaldūn tells little about his conflict with Ibn al-Khatib and
3219-404: The conflicts of North Africa as a problem that stemmed from a lack of African thought, and praised Ibn Khaldun for making sense of the conflict by simplifying it to the relationship between the nomadic and sedentary modes of life. British historian Arnold J. Toynbee has called Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah "the greatest work of its kind." Ernest Gellner , once a professor of philosophy and logic at
3306-607: The countryside. Starting in the early 15th century the Wattasid dynasty , a related ruling house, competed with the Marinid dynasty for control of their state and became de facto rulers of Morocco between 1420 and 1459 while officially acting as regents or viziers . In 1465 the last Marinid sultan, Abd al-Haqq II , was finally overthrown and killed by a revolt in Fez , which led to the establishment of direct Wattasid rule over most of Morocco. The Wattasid sultans in turn lasted until
3393-446: The credibility of the transmitter and focused instead on the validity of the stories and encouraged critical thinking. Ibn Khaldun also outlines early theories of division of labor, taxes, scarcity, and economic growth. He argued that poverty was a result of the destruction of morality and human values. He also looked at what factors contribute to wealth, such as consumption, government, and investment. Khaldun also argued that poverty
3480-407: The currency of an Islamic monetary system should have intrinsic value and therefore be made of gold and silver (such as the dirham ). He emphasized that the weight and purity of these coins should be strictly followed: the weight of one dinar should be one mithqal (the weight of 72 grains of barley , roughly 4.25 grams) and the weight of 7 dinar should be equal to weight of 10 dirhams (7/10 of
3567-424: The death of Abū Inan in 1358, Vizier al-Hasān ibn-Umar granted him freedom and reinstated him to his rank and offices. Ibn Khaldūn then schemed against Abū Inan's successor, Abū Salem Ibrahim III, with Abū Salem's exiled uncle, Abū Salem. When Abū Salem came to power, he gave Ibn Khaldūn a ministerial position, the first position to correspond with Ibn Khaldūn's ambitions. The treatment that Ibn Khaldun received after
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3654-446: The decline of a society, since it would constrain the development of more specialized labor (increase in scholars and development of different services). He believed that bureaucrats cannot understand the world of commerce and do not possess the same motivation as a businessman. In his work the Muqaddimah, Ibn Khaldun emphasizes human beings' faculty to think ( fikr ) as what determines human behavior and ubiquitous patterns. This faculty
3741-485: The dichotomy of sedentary life versus nomadic life as well as the inevitable loss of power that occurs when warriors conquer a city. According to the Arab scholar Sati' al-Husri , the Muqaddimah may be read as a sociological work. The work is based around Ibn Khaldun's central concept of 'aṣabiyyah , translated as " group cohesiveness " or "solidarity". This social cohesion arises spontaneously in tribes and other small kinship groups; it can be intensified and enlarged by
3828-779: The economists David Ricardo and Adam Smith , suggesting that their ideas found precedent (although not direct influence) in his. He has also been influential on certain modern Islamic thinkers (e.g. those of the traditionalist school ). Ibn Khaldun's life is relatively well-documented, as he wrote an autobiography ( التعريف بابن خلدون ورحلته غربا وشرقا , at-Taʻrīf bi-ibn Khaldūn wa-Riḥlatih Gharban wa-Sharqan ; Presenting Ibn Khaldun and his Journey West and East ) in which numerous documents regarding his life are quoted word-for-word. Abū Zayd 'Abdu r-Rahman bin Muhammad bin Khaldūn Al-Hadrami, generally known as "Ibn Khaldūn" after
3915-524: The fall of Abū Salem through Ibn-Amar ʻAbdullah, a friend of Ibn Khaldūn's, was not to his liking, as he received no significant official position. At the same time, Amar successfully prevented Ibn Khaldūn, whose political skills he knew well, from allying with the Abd al-Wadids in Tlemcen. Ibn Khaldūn, therefore, decided to move to Granada . He could be sure of a positive welcome there since at Fez, he had helped
4002-577: The first and fourth books of the Kitab al-‘Ibar, in developing a work of mirrors for princes. Ibn Khaldun's work found some recognition with Ottoman intellectuals in the 17th century. The first references to Ibn Khaldun in Ottoman writings appeared in the middle of the 17th century, with historians such as Kâtip Çelebi naming him as a great influence, while another Turkish Ottoman historian, Mustafa Naima , attempted to use Ibn Khaldun's cyclical theory of
4089-428: The former barbarians will be conquered by a new set of barbarians, who will repeat the process. Georgetown University Professor Ibrahim Oweiss , an economist and historian, argues that Ibn Khaldun was a major forerunner of modern economists and, in particular, originated the labor theory of value long before better known proponents such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo , although Khaldun did not refer to it as either
4176-658: The foundation of the city of Sijilmasa is attributed. In 868, under the leadership of the Abd al-Razzaq, the Berber Khariji Sufri tribes of Madyuna, Ghayata and Miknasa formed a common front against the Idrisids of Fez. From their base in Sefrou they were able to defeat Ali ibn Umar and occupy Fez. The city's inhabitants refused to submit, however, and the Idrisid Yahya III was able to retake
4263-403: The future with different societies. He tried to adapt to all possible societies’ cultural behavior and influence in education, economics and politics. Nonetheless, he didn't think that laws were chosen by just one leader or a small group of individual but mostly by the majority of the individuals of a society. To Ibn Khaldun, the state was a necessity of human society to restrain injustice within
4350-588: The greatest social scientists of the Middle Ages , and considered by many to be the father of historiography , sociology , economics , and demography studies. His best-known book, the Muqaddimah or Prolegomena ("Introduction"), which he wrote in six months as he states in his autobiography, influenced 17th-century and 19th-century Ottoman historians such as Kâtip Çelebi , Mustafa Naima and Ahmed Cevdet Pasha , who used its theories to analyze
4437-568: The growth and decline of the Ottoman Empire . Ibn Khaldun interacted with Tamerlane , the founder of the Timurid Empire . He has been called one of the most prominent Muslim and Arab scholars and historians. Recently, Ibn Khaldun's works have been compared with those of influential European philosophers such as Niccolò Machiavelli , Giambattista Vico , David Hume , G. W. F. Hegel , Karl Marx , and Auguste Comte as well as
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#17327659827634524-406: The important aspect that educational tradition plays to ensure the new generations of a civilization continuously improve in the sciences and develop culture. Ibn Khaldun argued that without the strong establishment of an educational tradition, it would be very difficult for the new generations to maintain the achievements of the earlier generations, let alone improve them. Another way to distinguish
4611-461: The local Berber tribes. After the death of Abū ʻAbdallāh in 1366, Ibn Khaldūn changed sides once again and allied himself with the Sultan of Tlemcen , Abū l-Abbas. A few years later, he was taken prisoner by Abu Faris Abdul Aziz , who had defeated the sultan of Tlemcen and seized the throne. He then entered a monastic establishment and occupied himself with scholastic duties until 1370. In that year, he
4698-615: The mid-16th century, when they were finally overthrown by the Saadians , who inaugurated the beginning of Arab Sharifian rule over Morocco (which continues under the present-day Alaouite dynasty ). Meanwhile, around the same time as the Marinids, the Zenata Zayyanid dynasty (also known as the Abd al-Wadids) ruled over the Kingdom of Tlemcen in northwestern Algeria, centered on Tlemcen . The territory stretched from Tlemcen to
4785-752: The politics of the western Maghreb (Morocco and western Algeria) in two different periods: in the 10th century, during the decline of the Idrisids , as proxies for either the Fatimid Caliphs or the Umayyad Caliphs of Cordoba , and in the 13th to 16th centuries with the rise of the Zayyanid dynasty in Algeria and the Marinids and Wattasids in Morocco, all from Zenata tribes. Today, most of
4872-487: The power of Islam." While other Islamic regions had to cope with border wars and inner strife, Mamluk Egypt enjoyed prosperity and high culture. In 1384, the Egyptian Sultan, al-Malik udh-Dhahir Barquq , made Khaldun professor of the Qamhiyyah Madrasah and appointed him as the Grand qadi of the Maliki school of fiqh (one of four schools, the Maliki school was widespread primarily in Western Africa ). His efforts at reform encountered resistance, however, and within
4959-431: The prolific Arab literature writer, Al-Jahiz . Al-Asqalani also noted that Ibn Khaldun was not well-liked in Egypt because he opposed many respected traditions, including the traditional judicial dress, and suggested that this may have contributed to the reception of Ibn Khaldun's historical works. The notable exception to this consensus was Ibn al-Azraq , a jurist who lived shortly after Ibn Khaldun and quoted heavily from
5046-562: The quality of knowledge. For him the highest level of literary productions would be the manifestation of prose, poems and the artistic enrichment of a society. Ibn Khaldun believes that communication between the tangible and intangible world is the basis of every religion , and the credit for its occurrence is the human spirit, as it is the mediator between God and humans. It is immortal by nature and does not perish, and has characteristics that enable it to communicate with God. However, most souls have lost their hidden ability and are connected to
5133-517: The reason why non-Arabs were accepted as part of Arab society was due to their mastery of the Arabic language. Advancements in literary works such as poems and prose were another way to distinguish the achievement of a civilization, but Ibn Khaldun believed that whenever the literary facet of a society reaches its highest levels it ceases to indicate societal achievements anymore, but is an embellishment of life. For logical sciences he established knowledge at its highest level as an increase of scholars and
5220-409: The reasons for his departure. Orientalist Muhsin Mahdi interprets that as showing that Ibn Khaldūn later realised that he had completely misjudged Muhammad V. Back in Ifriqiya , the Hafsid sultan of Béjaïa , Abū ʻAbdallāh, who had been his companion in prison, received him with great enthusiasm and made Ibn Khaldūn his prime minister. Ibn Khaldūn carried out a daring mission to collect taxes among
5307-431: The reigns of Abu al-Hasan and his son Abu Inan , the Marinid dynasty briefly held sway over most of the Maghreb including large parts of modern-day Algeria and Tunisia . They supported the Emirate of Granada in al-Andalus in the 13th and 14th centuries; an attempt to gain a direct foothold on the European side of the Strait of Gibraltar was however defeated at the Battle of Río Salado in 1340 and finished after
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#17327659827635394-628: The rise and fall of empires to describe the Ottoman Empire. Increasing perceptions of the decline of the Ottoman Empire also caused similar ideas to appear independently of Ibn Khaldun in the 16th century, and may explain some of the influence of his works. In Europe, Ibn Khaldun was first brought to the attention of the Western world in 1697, when a biography of him appeared in Barthélemy d'Herbelot de Molainville 's Bibliothèque Orientale . However, some scholars believe that Ibn Khaldun's work may have first been introduced to Europe via Ibn Arabshah's biography of Tamerlane, translated to Latin, which covers
5481-741: The rise of a new society which would then follow the same trends in a continuous cycle. Also, he recommended the best political approaches to develop a society according to his knowledge of history. He heavily emphasized that a good society would be one in which a tradition of education is deeply rooted in its culture. Ibn Khaldun (1987) introduced the word asabiya (solidarity, group feeling, or group consciousness), to explain tribalism. The concept of asabiya has been translated as "social cohesion," "group solidarity," or "tribalism." This social cohesion arises spontaneously in tribes and other small kinship groups (Rashed,2017). Ibn Khaldun believed that too much bureaucracy, such as taxes and legislations, would lead to
5568-433: The scholar Abdelmajid Hannoum, Ibn Khaldun's description of the distinctions between Berbers and Arabs were misinterpreted by the translator William McGuckin de Slane , who wrongly inserted a "racial ideology that sets Arabs and Berbers apart and in opposition" into his translation of part of `Ibar translated under the title Histoire des Berbères. Perhaps the most frequently cited observation drawn from Ibn Khaldūn's work
5655-528: The sensory world only. A small number of them still maintain their full ability to communicate with God. These are the ones God chose and they became prophets , so their souls leave the sensory world to receive from God. Their souls abandon the sensory world in order to receive from God what they should convey to humans. Religions arise only from this connection. He believes that religions that rely on institutions of prediction and reconnaissance are false, but they partly contain some truth. A person’s concentration on
5742-438: The sensory world, he will be able to approach the divine essence and the ideas of scholars will appear to him clearly. But if he strives in this detachment and mysticism out of a desire to excel over others, he will not communicate with God, but with demons . Also, the human spirit is able to see some things of the future through vision, but on the condition that this spirit be completely upright and very pious and pure, otherwise
5829-442: The share of the wheat he needs for food. But when six or ten persons, including a smith and a carpenter to make the tools, and others who are in charge of the oxen, the ploughing of, the harvesting of the ripe grain, and all other agricultural activities, undertake to obtain their food and work toward that purpose either separately or collectively and thus obtain through their labour a certain amount of food, that amount will be food for
5916-468: The short-lived regimes of the time. Ibn Khaldūn's autobiography is the story of an adventure, in which he spends time in prison, reaches the highest offices and falls again into exile. At the age of 20, he began his political career in the chancellery of the Tunisian ruler Ibn Tafrakin with the position of Kātib al-'Alāmah (seal-bearer), which consisted of writing in fine calligraphy the typical introductory notes of official documents. In 1352, Abū Ziad,
6003-427: The society itself or a group of desert bandits that constantly attack other weaker or weakened societies. In the Muqaddimah, his most important work, he discusses an introduction of philosophy to history in a general manner, based on observable patterns within a theoretical framework of known historical events of his time. He described the beginnings, development, cultural trends and the fall of all societies, leading to
6090-432: The society, but the state means is force, thus itself an injustice. All societies must have a state governing them in order to establish a society. He attempted to standardize the history of societies by identifying ubiquitous phenomena present in all societies. To him, civilization was a phenomenon that will be present as long as humans exist. He characterized the fulfillment of basic needs as the beginning of civilization. At
6177-459: The south of the Arabian Peninsula , specifically the Hadhramaut , which came to the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century, at the beginning of the Islamic conquest: "And our ancestry is from Hadhramaut, from the Arabs of Arabian Peninsula, via Wa'il ibn Hujr also known as Hujr ibn 'Adi , from the best of the Arabs, well-known and respected." (p. 2429, Al-Waraq's edition). Ibn Khaldun's insistence and attachment to his claim of Arab ancestry at
6264-461: The sultan of Constantine , marched on Tunis and defeated it. Ibn Khaldūn, in any case unhappy with his respected but politically meaningless position, followed his teacher Abili to Fez . There, the Marinid sultan, Abū Inan Fares I, appointed him as a writer of royal proclamations, but Ibn Khaldūn still schemed against his employer, which, in 1357, got the 25-year-old a 22-month prison sentence. Upon
6351-513: The vision will come from the devils. From other sources we know of several other works, primarily composed during the time he spent in North Africa and Al-Andalus . His first book, Lubābu l-Muhassal , a commentary on the Islamic theology of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi , was written at the age of 19 under the supervision of his teacher Al-Abili in Tunis. A work on Sufism , Shifā'u l-Sā'il ,
6438-500: The works of Averroes , Avicenna , Razi and Tusi . At the age of 17, Ibn Khaldūn lost both his parents to the Black Death , an intercontinental epidemic of the plague that hit Tunis in 1348–1349. Following family tradition, he strove for a political career. In the face of a tumultuous political situation in North Africa, that required a high degree of skill in developing and dropping alliances prudently to avoid falling with
6525-478: The world and acting as teacher and judge. Meanwhile, he was alleged to have joined an underground party, Rijal Hawa Rijal , whose reform -oriented ideals attracted the attention of local political authorities. The elderly Ibn Khaldun was placed under arrest. He died on 17 March 1406, one month after his sixth selection for the office of the Maliki qadi (Judge). Concerning the discipline of sociology , he described
6612-431: The world. In Ibn Salama, however, he lacked the necessary texts to complete the work. Therefore, in 1378, he returned to his native Tunis, which had meanwhile been conquered by Abū l-Abbas, who took Ibn Khaldūn back into his service. There, he devoted himself almost exclusively to his studies and completed his history of the world. His relationship with Abū l-Abbas remained strained, as the latter questioned his loyalty. That
6699-509: The young and inexperienced Faraj, concerned about a revolt in Egypt, left his army to its own devices in Syria and hurried home. Ibn Khaldūn remained at the besieged city for seven weeks, being lowered over the city wall by ropes to negotiate with Timur, in a historic series of meetings that he reported extensively in his autobiography. Timur questioned him in detail about conditions in the lands of
6786-537: Was betrayed by Hamid ibn Hamdan, the governor he appointed over Fes, and imprisoned, while Fes was surrendered to Musa. Ibn Abi'l-Afiya then fell out with Hamid ibn Hamdan and the Fatimids, launching a persecution of the Idrisids, before siding with the Fatimids' enemies, the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 931. A complicated struggle followed between the Hamid ibn Hamdun, the Idrisids, their rivals from
6873-454: Was brought into sharp contrast after Ibn Khaldūn presented him with a copy of the completed history that omitted the usual panegyric to the ruler. Under pretence of going on the Hajj to Mecca , something for which a Muslim ruler could not simply refuse permission, Ibn Khaldūn was able to leave Tunis and to sail to Alexandria . Ibn Khaldun said of Egypt , "He who has not seen it does not know
6960-521: Was composed around 1373 in Fes, Morocco . Whilst at the court of Muhammed V, Sultan of Granada , Ibn Khaldūn composed a work on logic , ʻallaqa li-s-Sulṭān . Ibn Khaldun's historical method had very few precedents or followers in his time. While Ibn Khaldun is known to have been a successful lecturer on jurisprudence within religious sciences, only very few of his students were aware of, and influenced by, his Muqaddimah. One such student, Al-Maqrizi , praised
7047-505: Was not necessarily a result of poor financial decision-making but of external consequences and therefore the government should be involved in alleviating poverty. Researchers from Malaysia's Insaniah University College and Indonesia's Tazkia University College of Islamic Economics created a dynamics model based upon Ibn Khaldun's writings to measure poverty in the Muslim nations of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Ibn Khaldun also believed that
7134-493: Was once again named the Maliki qadi . Altogether, he was called six times to that high office, which, for various reasons, he never held long. In 1401, under Barquq's successor, his son Faraj , Ibn Khaldūn took part in a military campaign against the Mongol conqueror, Timur , who besieged Damascus in 1400. Ibn Khaldūn cast doubt upon the viability of the venture and really wanted to stay in Egypt. His doubts were vindicated, as
7221-476: Was pursued and killed by the Idrisids. The latter preserved a part of their realm in northern Morocco until the Umayyads finally ended their rule definitively in 985. The Umayyads in turn kept control over northern Morocco until their caliphate's collapse in the early 11th century. Following this, Morocco was dominated by various Zenata Berber tribes. Until the rise of the Sanhaja Almoravids later in
7308-473: Was sent for to Tlemcen by the new sultan. After the death of ʻAbdu l-Azīz, he resided at Fez, enjoying the patronage and confidence of the regent. Ibn Khaldūn's political skills and, above all, his good relationship with the wild Berber tribes were in high demand among the North African rulers, but he had begun to tire of politics and constantly switching allegiances. In 1375, he was sent by Abū Hammu ,
7395-530: Was succeeded by his cousin Musa ibn Abul 'Afiya, who had already been given charge over the rest of the country. The Idrisid Hassan I al-Hajam managed to wrest control of Fez from 925 but in 927 Musa returned, captured Hassan and killed him, marking the last time the Idrisids held power in Fez. Thereafter Fez remained under Zenata control. The Miknasa pursued the Idrisids to the fortress of Hajar an-Nasr in northern Morocco, but soon afterwards civil war broke out among
7482-703: Was the tenth Idrisid ruler of Morocco , although he held only the capital of Fes and its environs. Al-Qasim descended from a cadet branch of the Idrisid dynasty : his grandfather, al-Qasim , was a younger son of the dynasty's second ruler, Idris II . In 922 or 925 or 928 (medieval and modern sources provide different dates) he rose in revolt against the Fatimid Caliphate 's viceroy in Morocco , Musa ibn Abi'l-Afiya , and recovered control of Fes. Two years later, he defeated Ibn Abi'l-Afiya in combat, but
7569-600: Was the underlying motive and context behind the division of labor; for Smith it was self-interest and the market economy. Ibn Khaldun's epistemology attempted to reconcile mysticism with theology by dividing science into two different categories, the religious science that regards the sciences of the Qur'an and the non-religious science. He further classified the non-religious sciences into intellectual sciences such as logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, etc. and auxiliary sciences such as language, literature, poetry, etc. He also suggested that possibly more divisions will appear in
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