IBN-I-KHALDUN

1. Choose only the correct answer:

i. Whose theorizing social change is depicted/comes closer to Iqbal's verse:

"Aa tujh ko bataon main taqdeer umam kia hai
shamsher w sanna awwal taoos w rabab aakhir"
(a) Karl Marx (b) Ibn-i-Khaldun
(c) George Hegel (d) None of these

ii. Who can be taken as early pure sociologist among the social thinkers?
(a) Auguste Comte (b) Ibn-e-Khaldun
(c) Durkheim (d) None of these

2. Discuss the contribution of Ibn-i-Khaldun as a Muslim social thinker.

1. Founder of Sociology
2. Distinction between Rural and Urban Communities
 Types of rural communities
3. Theory of Transition
4. Cyclic Theory
 7 stages
 See Diagram in book
5. Concept of Asabiyah
6. Theory of Consumption
7. Class Structure
8. Organicism
9. Theory of Surplus Value

Revise their Arabic Names

Criticism
i. Historical facts do not readily support the validity of his ideas
ii. Cyclic model --- ideal --- not dynasty passes through the same definite, fixed and
standardized stages
iii. Oversimplified model of society --- not clearly outlining the processes behind the
evolution

3. Who was Ibne-Khuldun? What is his contribution to Sociology with which publication and
what theory? Is he father of sociology?
Already Discussed
4. Ibn e Khuldun is quoted to have said, “Solidarity with community lies in the adaption of
moral standards inculcated by family to each member collectively responding to social
responsibility”. Please offer comments.

 Elaborate the concept of Asabiyah

 Tinge of Rural and Urban Communities
 Reference is why dynasties fall in cyclic model (stages) & because of conspicuous
consumption and leisure (given by Veblen)
 Family and Kinship role and responsibility
 Cultural Norms and their transferability
Theme
Community main Solidarity depends in the adaption of moral standards which are inculcated by
the family to each member, so that they collectively respond to social responsibility.

Institution of family plays most important role in social solidarity. As, society/community is
comprised of individuals so the individuals brought up with proper socialization fulfill their social
responsibilities at their best.

For example, Kashmiri people are fighting for their rights so they bring up their children by
making them realize of exploitation of their rights as well as motivate them to stand against the
exploiters. This is done both by implicit and explicit socialization. That's why their solidarity is
exemplary.

Conclusion

5. Write a comprehensive note on the following:

Ibn Khuldun’s contribution to Sociology
Already Discussed

6. Ibne Khaldoon is known as “Father of Sociology”. Briefly discuss his contributions to

Sociology.
Already Discussed

7. What major Contributions did Karl Marx and Ibn-i-Khaldun make to our understanding of
the social experience?

Ibn-i-Khaldun Contribution
1. Distinction between Rural and Urban Communities
 Types of rural communities
2. Theory of Transition
3. Cyclic Theory
 7 stages
 See Diagram in book
 4. Concept of Asabiyah
5. Theory of Consumption
6. Class Structure
7. Theory of Surplus Value

Karl Marx Contribution

1. Dialectic Materialism
2. Materialistic Interpretation of History (See Block Diagam)
3. Economic Determinism
4. Alienation (4 types)
5. Theory of Social Class
6. Theory of Labour and Surplus Value
7. Commodity Fetishism
8. Views on Religion

8. Write a note in detail on “Evolutionary Theory” given by Ibn-i-Khaldun.

Evolutionary theories assume that there is a consistent direction of social change carrying all
societies through a similar sequence of stages from the original to final stage of development.
These theorists say that changes mean progress toward something better. Also, called development
theories too.

The very first form and foundation of social evolution was the philosophy of organic society.

Organic society is the prospective that societies are really living organisms that experience cyclic
birth, growth, maturity, decline, and ultimately death due to universal causes that undergo many
of the same stages and developments that animals and humans go through.

The very first of these philosophies can be traced back to the 14th century in the writings of Ibn
Khaldun, an Islamic scholar.

Ibn Khaldun uses the term Asabiyyah to describe the bond of cohesion among humans in a
group forming community.

The bond, Asabiyyah, exists at any level of civilization, from nomadic society to states and empires.

Asabiyyah is most strong in the nomadic phase, and decreases as civilization advances.

As this Asabiyyah declines, another more compelling Asabiyyah may take its place; thus,
civilizations rise and fall, and history describes these cycles of Asabiyyah as they play out.

Example
The Asabiyyah cycle described by Ibn Khaldun was true for nearly all civilizations before the
modern era. Nomadic invaders had always ended up adopting the religion and culture of the
civilizations they conquered, which was true for various Arab, Berber, Turkic and Mongol
invaders that invaded the medieval Islamic world and ended up adopting Islamic religion and
culture.

Beyond the Muslim world, the Asabiyyah cycle was also true for every other pre-modern
civilization, whether in China whose dynastic cycles resemble the Asabiyyah cycles described by
Ibn Khaldun, in Europe where waves of barbarian invaders adopted Christianity and Greco-
Roman culture, or in India or Persia where nomadic invaders assimilated into those civilizations.

Also See book and incorporate Asabiya and Cyclic model in it for the reason of fall of dynasties

9. Write a note in detail on “Evolutionary Theory” given by Ibn-i-Khaldun.

Already Discussed

10. Ibn-e-Khaldun but not August Comte is the founder of Sociology? Make your argument in
favour or against this thought with logic and examples from the historical development of
sociology.

Father of Sociology – Ibn e Khaldoon (1332-1406)

Introduction:
 Arab Muslim sociologist
 A historian’ wrote the history of Berber tribes.
 Author of Muqaddima
 Laid the foundation of new science Ilm-ul-Imran (Sociology)

Ibn Khaldoon, full name Abu Zayd Abdur Rahman bin Muhammad bin Khaldoon, May 27,
1332 AD/732 AH – March 19, 1406 AD/808 AH) was an Arab Tunisian historiographer and
historian who is often viewed as one of the forerunners of modern historiography, sociology
and economics.

He is best known for his Muqa-ddimah (known as Prolegomenon in English), which was
discovered, evaluated and fully appreciated first by 19th century European scholarship,
although it has also had considerable influence on 17th-century Ottoman historians like Hayyi
Kalifa and Mustafa Naima who relied on his theories to analyze the growth and decline of the
Ottoman empire. Later in the 19th century, Western scholars recognized him as one of the
greatest philosophers to come out of the Muslim world.

1. Ibn- Khaldoon’s methodology:

In Muqaddima, he explained the method of logic and science. He gave his research based on
the findings that there is a close relationship between history, political and social events, and
they work on the basis of cause and effect relationship.
 2. Theory of rural and urban society:
He described some characters of human societies over the animal societies and the need of
supreme governor for them. His terms for rural and urban society were ‘Badank’ and ‘Harda’
respectively. They had strong Asabiya.

3. Concept of Asabiyya:
Asabiyya or asabiyah means social solidarity, social integration, and social cohesion. It is the
force which unites people with one another. However, their patterns of behavior brought them
closer. Asabiyya was important for economic, intellectual and political development of society.
According to Ibn-e-Khaldoon the tribes are successful because they have highest Asabiyya. He
also explains that the more the tribes deviate from Asabiyya, the more is the element of
deviance; religious movements sharpen the force of Asabiyya and no movement can succeed
without it.

Ibn e Khaldoon was of the view that man is an animal, but he becomes human with the
cooperation of all social elements that become a source of satisfaction of needs.

4. Society as living organism:

Society is like a living organism and organisms consist of body parts. Society is composed of
culture and people. Both can get sick, can grow, both can die and both feel pain when one part
gets hurt.

5. Social change:
The societies that loose Asabiyya are bound to undergo changes. This change is a cyclic
process in which there are fixed stages. Each stage takes 40 years and total 120 years. Each
stage has its own demographic, economic, religious and political characteristics based on
growth, development and decay.

6. Father of sociology:
Ibn e Khaldoon’s findings and research on social changes, concept of asabiya and
Muqaddima, gave him the status of father of sociology. He coined the term Umraniya and
introduced the scientific method of study.

Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

 A French sociologist
 Coined the term Sociology.
 Author of:
 The positive philosophy (six volumes)
 System of positive politics (four volumes)

Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte (19 January 1798 5 September 1857), better
known as Auguste Comte, was a French philosopher, a founder of the discipline of sociology
and of the doctrine of positivism. He may be regarded as the first philosopher of science in the
modern sense of the term.

Strongly influenced by the Utopian socialist Henri Saint-Simon, Comte developed the positive
philosophy in an attempt to remedy the social malaise of the French revolution, calling for a
new social doctrine based on the sciences.

Comte’s social theories culminated in the “religion of humanity”, which was influential to the
development of religious humanist and Secular Humanist organisations in the 19th century.

1. Law of three stages (Evolution)

He was of the opinion that human society evolved through three stages. Just as a child is
believer in childhood, critique in adulthood and natural philosopher in manhood, so the society
follows:

i. Theological:
The primitive person thinks in supernatural terms. They believe that the entire phenomenon
happens through supernatural actions. This gives birth to polytheism and then to monotheism.

ii. The Meta Physical stage:

Rationalism starts growing. People tend to believe that God does not stand behind every
phenomenon. This is the stage where principles and theories gained ascendency over feelings.

iii. Positive stage:

Also termed as scientific way of thinking. This is the stage of purely intellectual way of looking
at the world. Here Auguste Comte emphasized on the ‘observation’ and said it was futile to
determine causes. This thinking suits the needs of industrial societies.

2. Classification of sciences:
Any branch of knowledge reaches the positive stage early depending upon its generality,
simplicity and independence. Comte considered ‘Mathematics’, the basic tool of mind.
According to him six sciences are important: astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry,
biology and sociology.

Astronomy developed first through simplicity. Sociology is the most complex one and is still in
developing stage. He also classified sciences into:

Organic: biology (complex science)

Inorganic: chemistry, physics & astronomy (simple and clear)

3. Social statics and social dynamics:

He derived the word ‘Sociology’ meaning the science of society.

Social Statics:
 It is the ‘study of laws of social actions and reactions of different parts of social order.’ It deals
with major institutions like family, politics, etc. and it studies their inter-relation. There must
always be harmony between whole and part of societies.

Social Dynamics:
It focuses on society as a whole and how it develops and changes. It is the study of human
civilization through time.

4. Religion of Humanity:
Comte’s society was built upon scientific principles, and therefore, needed a religion so it was
directed by the priests and the leaders of banking and industry. They were the moral guides of
community. Comte made ‘love’ the central point of this religion. So, he created a social
religion and made mankind an end in itself.

5. Sociological Utopia:
End point of social evolution is a kind of sociological Utopia in which humanism and
positivism would dominate the society.

Logical Arguments
 Khaldun was before Comte
 Khaldun study the society and gave many theories way before it was named as a
discipline.
 Historically, some discrepancies do exist in both but it doesn’t mean to discard his
achievements
 Comte coined Sociology made it mainstream and as a separate scientific discipline but
the foundations of this subject was established before him, but his contribution of
separating the subject made him father of sociology for the western world but originally
this credit belongs to Khaldun because of his work and study of the society.
 Sociology was existed before Comte, he only named it not founded it. As the real father
is one who bring someone to the world not one who names it. (True in case of Child)

As in the case of America, the discoverer was Christopher Columbus but America was
named by Amerigo Vespucci. So, naming or coining the term doesn’t make someone
the founder.

 Khaldun work in the field of Sociology has been overlooked by westerners, that’s why
his work didn’t receive the same recognition that it deserved.

Ibn Khaldun was a renaissance man, the real father of sociology. He defined the foundations of
sociology more than 4 centuries before Auguste Comte “discovered” them. 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. At the same time the Spaniards were uniting
their kingdoms and steadily taking over the Muslim city states in Iberia.

He was directly involved in the political intrigue and served several Muslim rulers in different
capacities ranging from diplomatic envoy to minister. His first-hand observations led him to
believe that societies are not controlled by resources or policies.

He concluded that societies are living organisms that experience cyclic birth, growth, maturity,
decline, and ultimately death due to universal causes. Each phase of the cycle lasts for several
generations. He also described the process through which peaceful or violent migrants blend with
the native population to form a homogeneous society subject to the universal cycles.

He correctly associated the maturity stage of any social system with affluence, luxury and
reluctance to perform menial tasks or defend the society against external threats. This leads to
the employment of foreigners and mercenaries which initiates the conflicts that lead to the decline
phase.

He identified the impact of climate and available resources on migrations and social changes. He
also identified the impact of governmental policy and taxation on social change.

Comparison (If comparison is asked because PMS main pocha gya ha)

A basic aspect of the methodological approach of Comte and Ibn Khaldun is their discussion of
the nature of truth. In what aspect do they follow a similar route in forwarding the legitimacy of
their truth claims?

Both focus on scientific method as being different from everyday perception:

If it is true that every theory must be based on observed facts, it is equally true that facts cannot
be observed without the guidance of some theory. Without such guidance, our facts would be
desultory and fruitless

If this is so, the normative method for distinguishing right from wrong in historical information
on the grounds of (inherent) possibility or absurdity, is to investigate human social organization,
which is identical with civilization.
We must distinguish the conditions that attach themselves to the essence of civilization as required
by its very nature; the things that are accidental (to civilization) and cannot be counted on; and
the things that cannot possibly attach themselves to it.

Ibn-e-Khaldun Comte
Arab Tribes Europe
Cyclic Model Linear Model (Law of three stages)