Episode 25: Ibn Khaldun
Question: Mohamed Islam:
We will continue with the topic of Islamic Philosophy by introducing Ibn Khaldun. He was a philosopher, and also the father of modern sociology. He is very well known in the west. He has a lot to say that is applicable today. Dr. Messeri, who is Ibn Khaldun?
Answer: Abdel Wahab El Messeri:
It is interesting that you introduced him as a philosopher and a sociologist. He is also an historian. Even though he wrote history, he did not write historical narrative. His subject matter was the philosophy of history, and the sociology of knowledge.
Ibn Khaldun was born in very turbulent times, toward the end of the 14th century, beginning of the 15th century. It was the time of the Mongol attack on the world of Islam, and the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula. There was also the fight between the Arab and Berber Muslims in West Africa, and the warring states in Tunisia, where he was born. He was influenced in his thinking by being exposed to these many conflicts, with states coming and going, around him. He started writing about it. He thought that the moment was historical, and that he might be a minor actor in it.
His education was mainly philosophical. His tutor introduced him to philosophy and also Sunni and Shia Fiqh. Always a seeker after information and new theories and ideas, he kept on enriching himself. Out of that came his basic questions that he attempted to answer.
Question: Mohamed Islam:
What is the Muqaddimat, his major work?
Answer: Abdel Wahab El Messeri:
Usually when you plan a major work, you look into the methodology. The question he asked was: "How can you develop criteria to distinguish between a true and a false report, when you get conflicting reports?" He looked into the problem of causality. There has to be a certain cause and effect. A relationship of logic. History is not haphazard. This fitted completely with his Islamic World Outlook. In Islam there was divine guidance, and Mohammed was the last, or seal, of the Prophets. God will not interfere with history after that. History is now the realm of our freedom. Man can save or damn himself. There is always the Quran for guidance.
That encouraged Ibn Khaldun very much to develop this new science of civilization, Ilmun Umran. The science of man. He distinguished between the Divine on the one hand, and the natural and human on the other. The divine we accept, the natural and human comes under the domain of reason, and man has to apply his reason.
He has contributed to the theory of the philosophers. There are two kinds of truths, both equally valid, and not conflicting. In the modern west there is only one truth. If there are two claims of truth, then one is right, one is wrong. One eliminates the other. Ibn Khaldun demonstrated that both can exist side by side. Two parallel truths. Ibn Khaldun looked at the way history unfolds according to its own reason, according to certain material forces, according to certain human psychological motivations. For example, How does weather influence people, or how does food influence people.
His central theme in the Muqaddimat was asabiyah, strong solidarity ( organic ). What motivates history forward is asabiyah. There is a tribe or family, with a strong solidarity, a strong religious belief. They come, motivated by this ideology, and take over a Government, and lead the nation. They then apply this organic phase to history.
He applies an organic concept to history. This is the initial stage of childhood, power and vision, and then maturation. Then comes degeneration and total decline. This whole cycle takes about four generations. This compares well with the USA three generation theory. For example: Russians coming to the USA:
1st Generation: Immigrants, Very Russian
2nd Generation: Still long for Russia.
3rd Generation: Completely American.
Question: Mohamed Islam:
Was this the first attempt to put logic to history?
Answer: Abdel Wahab El Messeri:
This was the first rigorous attempt. Hirodotus tried to find some kind of pattern to history. Ibn Khaldun made the first concerted effort to find certain patterns in human history. This becomes sociology and philosophy.
Question: Mohamed Islam:
How did he discover these principles in history?
Answer: Abdel Wahab El Messeri:
The cycles were seen by him, all around him: in the Iberian Peninsula, and in North Africa. Berber Kingdoms in North Africa supplied to the Iberian Peninsula, stopping the reconquests for a while, then another generation of Berbers would come, and so on.
The same pattern was repeated with the Mongol invasion.
Question: Mohamed Islam:
His theories of the state is derived from the theory of asabiyah. The tribe becomes a super tribe. How does this develop?
Answer: Abdel Wahab El Messeri:
Yes, the nucleus of a new tribe with an identity, recruits people who develop belief in the ideology, and gives them the energy to achieve miracles, through cultural projects. The new tribe infuses meaning in the masses, through cultural projects and a world outlook. In the name of this outlook they launch themselves in the world and conquer surrounding countries, decadent but well established cities and states. They rule in the name of the new ideology, and the cycle goes on.
Question: Mohamed Islam:
Applying these teachings to today’s world, with the so called " New World Order". Do you see the principle of asabiyah occurring in Central Europe? How can you apply the findings of Ibn Khaldun to the war in the Balkans?
Answer: Abdel Wahab El Messeri:
A society without a cultural project will disintegrate. In the case of the Balkans this is a rather fanatic and narrow application of the idea of asabiyah. It is an ethnic asabiyah, unmitigated by any noble belief. Each group of people sets itself up as the ultimate criteria. Its will is the will of God. It launches itself on the world. Destroys each other. It is rather narrow based, a misinterpretation of the concept of asabiyah.
Question: Mohamed Islam:
You said that there must be a cultural project for life to be meaningful. We have seen the decay of ideologies, the demise of Soviet Communism. Now there is a unipolar world with capitalism and all its shortcomings. How can we apply Ibn Khalduns teachings today?
Answer: Abdel Wahab El Messeri:
This fits into the forth generation theory of Ibn Khaldun. The Western World had its ideology of liberal capitalism and socialism. It dominated the world. It had its cultural projects, even though associated with imperialism. But now the Western World is loosing confidence. Socialism has come to an end, and liberal capitalism is undergoing a crises. That is why they see an end of history, end of ideology. They see their ending as the end of the world. Ibn Khaldun would have understood this very well. They are now without asabiyah, without a world outlook, without an ideology, no mission. They look around them, they do not see a center. They begin to moan and say; this is the end of history, the end of ideology. The words: post-industrial, post-modernist, post-structuralist, and post-humanism, all refers to an end.
Question: Mohamed Islam:
What do you mean: the end? Does it mean something else will begin? Or does it just stop there?
Answer: Abdel Wahab El Messeri:
The beginning usually comes from outside, Ibn Khaldun would argue. This is the problem facing mankind now. How to come out with new world outlooks to replace what has dominated us since the beginning of the renaissance, i.e. conquest of nature, subjugation of man, and depletion of natural resources.
Now we see that these are failing. We always thought that increase in material goods lead to happiness. But now we have everything, yet not happy. There is a crises. There is now room for new ideas or ideologies or asabiyah on how to achieve happiness. How to achieve happiness through balance. Balance with self, balance with nature. Could Islam be or provide this new ideology or
asabiyah?