MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC HISTORIANS

MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC HISTORIANS

• Medieval Islamic historians

– such as al-Tabari and al-Masudi

– wrote histories of great scope,

– often employing sophisticated methods to

separate fact from fable.

• By far the greatest medieval Arabic

historian was Ibn Khaldun

Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406)

• Created an early version of sociological

history

– Wished to account for the rise and decline of

cities and civilizations.

– Approach was essentially cyclical

– But also document based

– A continuation and sophistication of Tacitus

and the Classical tradition.

Khaldun’s prehistory

• Arab historian born in Tunis.

• Received a classical Arabic education

– studying the Qur'an and Arabic linguistics,

• the basis for an understanding of the Qur'an and of Islamic

law.

– The mystic, mathematician and philosopher Al-Abili

introduced him to mathematics, logic and philosophy

• At the age of 17, Ibn Khaldun lost both his

parents

– to an epidemic of the plague which hit Tunis.

Khaldun’s career

• Following family tradition, Ibn Khaldun strove for

a political career.

– Context of constantly changing political situation in

contemporary North Africa,

• required a high degree of skill,

– developing alliances and dropping them appropriately,

– to avoid being sucked under by the demise of rulers who at

times held power only briefly.

• Ibn Khaldun's autobiography reads like an

adventure story

– he spends time in prison, gains the highest offices,

and enters exile.

Khaldun’s career

• He held various offices under the rulers of Tunis

and Morocco

– Served (1363) as ambassador of the Moorish king of

Granada to Peter the Cruel of Castile.

• In 1382 he sailed to Cairo,

– spent most of the rest of his life as a teacher and

lecturer in Cairo

• Many times chosen as grand Maliki cadi (judge)

of Cairo

• Made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1387.

Khaldun’s Reputation

• Ibn Khaldun is generally considered the greatest

of the Arab historical thinkers.

• His great work, the Kitab al-Ibar [universal

history]

– he attempts to treat history as a science and

– outlines a philosophy of history,

• setting forth principles of sociology and political economy.

• He wrote an autobiography, completed in 1394,

but expanded a few months before he died.

Khaldun’s Works

• Histories mostly written during his time in

North Africa and Spain.

– at 19, wrote his first book, a commentary on

the theology of ar-Razi

– followed with works on Sufism and logic.

• But most of his works were Historical

studies

AL-MUQADDIMAH

• al-Muqaddimah (full translated title: "Book

of Evidence, Record of Beginnings and

Events from the Days of the Arabs,

Persians and Berbers and their Powerful

Contemporaries")

– originally conceived as a history of the

Berbers.

– later the focus was widened

• included extensive discussion of its methodology

• and represents a so-called "universal history".

al-Muqaddimah

• Divided into seven books:

– first, the Muqaddimah, can be considered a

separate work.

– Books two to five cover the history of mankind

up to the time of Ibn Khaldun.

– Books six and seven cover the history of the

Berber peoples and of the Maghreb

AL-MUQADDIMAH

• Ibn Khaldun conceived:

– both a central social conflict

• ("town" versus "desert")

– as well as a theory (using the concept of a

"generation") of the necessary loss of power

of city conquerors coming from the desert.

al-Muqaddimah

• Based around Khaldun's central concept of "social

cohesion."

– cohesion arises spontaneously in tribes and other small kinship

groups;

– can be intensified and enlarged by a religious ideology.

• Ibn Khaldun's analysis looks at how this cohesion carries

groups to power

– but contains within itself the seeds of the group’s downfall

• psychological,

• sociological,

• economic,

• political

– to be replaced by a new group, dynasty or empire with stronger

(or younger and more vigorous) cohesion.

Khaldun’s concept of historical cycles

• When a society becomes a great civilization and

the dominant culture in its region, its high point is

followed by a period of decay.

• The next cohesive group that conquers the

diminished civilization is, by comparison,

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, the former barbarians will be

conquered by a new set of barbarians,

• who will repeat the process