Assignment On

Ibn Khaldun's Theory of "Asabiyah"

Course code:-​ PSS 121

Course Name:-​ Oriental Political Thought

Submitted to:-
Dr. S.M. Hasan Zakirul Islam
Professor
Department of Political Studies
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
Sylhet.

Submitted by:-
Md Fahim Ahmed
Regi no. -2019235086
Dept of political studies, SUST.

Shahjalal University of Science & Technology.Sylhet

Introduction

Ibn Khaldun is one of the important thinkers of Islamic philosophy because of his original
ideas. This importance is not only a critical point of view, but also because it offers solution
suggestions and new intellectual approaches.. The purpose of the society is to transfer their
culture to the next generation. According to Ibn Khaldun, this is provided with the concept of
asabiyyah. But at this point the relationship between civilization and asabiyyah is
remarkable. As education increases, increases culture and civilization, however, asabiyyah
is reduced. At this
point, we will examine the role of asabiyyah in education. In this context, we will investigate
the transfer of value to future generations. In the following papers,.first we will know about
Ibn Khaldun's biography, then we will move onto the explanation of theory.

Ibn Khaldun:-

Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) was born and grew up in Tunis as a descendant of an aristocratic
family that had emigrated from Moorish Spain. He was a scholar of history and law, with a
wide field of interests. He frequently changed posts and employers. The ups and downs in
his career included intrigues, imprisonment, and escapes. At the age of 43, he found a
sponsor allowing him a four-years’ retreat in a castle near what is now Oran, where he wrote
his major work, the “Muqaddimah”, the introduction to history.

Later on, he assumed high offices and positions as a judge in Cairo, a city he found
fascinating (“he who does not know Cairo, does not know the power of Islam“) as well as
irritating (“people live as if the final judgment were postponed indefinitely”). At the beginning
and the end of his career, he came in close contact with the political powers challenging the
Maghreb in the West and in the East: Aged 32, he negotiated, in Sevilla, with Pedro the
Cruel on a peace treaty with Castilia.

Aged 68, he was ordered to accompany Egypt’s sultan to Syria, which was being invaded by
Timur Lenk,only to find himself and some of his associates left behind in besieged
Damascus. The most brutal of the Mongol invaders arranged a meeting with the famous
scholar on the other side.8 Let down by rope from the wall of Damascus, Ibn Khaldun told
the conqueror what he wanted to hear, escaped the sack of Damascus under the enemy’s
protection, was gracefully released and eventually returned to Cairo, where he died a few
years later.

Theory of Asabiyah

As per the Arab-english Lexicon, the term 'Aabiyah' originated from the word "ta'asab"
meaning fixing the turbane round the head"', this way 'Asabiyah' is expounded as the
attribute of a person who owns 'Asabiya' referring to the activity of a person in assisting his
group or people to retard the aggressive action taken by their rivals, the attribute of a
qperson enraged on account of his group-belonging feeling and acts for the protection of his
group-mates, the activity of ones who often are seen calling attention of the able ones to

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help his group, or sometimes get their group combined with a league with a view to facing
those ensuing possible hostile tasks regardless whether they do wrongdoings or they are
considered enemies by the people who want to siege them for not speculative reasons..In
the quotation of the prophet, 'Asabiyah' to him feels like the actions one undertakes to help
his people in an unfair cause.. according to him _

"​He does not belong to our group who works for a little group's cause overlooking
that of the group including people of all walks. And he is nott of us who battles for the
interest of a small group, and he is not of us who gets demised for the causes of a
little group"

Being asked by his companions regarding the intrinsic meaning of the word 'Asabiyah', the
prophet(sm) expostulated this way_
"​It means helping your own people in an unjust cause"(8)

describes ʿasabiyya as the bond of cohesion among humans in a

group-forming community. The bond exists at any level of civilization, from
nomadic society to states and empires.[4] 'Asabiyyah is strongest in the
nomadic phase, and decreases as civilization advances.[4] As this declines,
another more compelling 'asabiyyah may take its place; thus, civilizations rise
and fall, and history describes these cycles as they play out.[4]

Ibn Khaldun argued that each dynasty (or civilization) has within itself the
seeds of its own downfall. He explains that ruling houses tend to emerge on
the peripheries of existing empires and use the much stronger ʿasabiyya
present in their areas to their advantage, in order to bring about a change in
leadership.

This implies that the new rulers are at first considered 'barbarians' by
comparison to the previous ones. As they establish themselves at the center
of their empire, they become increasingly lax, less coordinated, disciplined
and watchful, and more concerned with maintaining their new power and
lifestyle.

Their ʿasabiyya dissolves into factionalism and individualism, diminishing their

capacity as a political unit. Conditions are thus created where a new dynasty
can emerge at the periphery of their control, grow strong, and effect a change
in leadership, continuing the cycle. Ibn Khaldun also further states in the
Muqaddimah that "dynasties have a natural life span like individuals", and that
no dynasty generally lasts beyond three generations of about 40 years each

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Amusingly this word applied by Ibn Khaldun in his theory of social development has been
interpreted by the modern scholars in a variety of ways. To cite examples, first of all we can
look at how scholars like Rosenthal translated asabiyah in his interpretation pertaining to this
theory as 'group feeling' which in the opinion of Lacoste nearly implies the same meaning as
does the original word. While Mahdi thinks nothing but the word 'solidarity' looks the closest
meaning of 'Asabiyah'. Merging voice with the opinion of Mahdi Gumplowicz and Issawi.

Besides De Slane used 'esprit de corps' in upholding the inner meaning of the term in a
specific thesis presented by Ibn Khaldun in his theoretical work of 'Asabiyah'. Nevertheless a
handful of arabian scholars preferred to use the same word of 'Asabiyah' instead of attaching
any other word as it's meaning as the other scholars who defined 'Asabiyah' as 'sense of
solidarity, group feeling, group loyalty and esprit de corps. It is thought that even though
various words have been adopted by the scholars to mean the same thing as the original
word 'Asabiyah', those as a whole are one and the same.

Based on Ibn Khaldun's elucidation, the spirit of 'Asabiyah' essentially remains placed owing
to the archaic life owned by a handful of groups or nations when complexities posed to them.
That caused them to get united to defend themselves and their companions from any threat
outside their group. The spirit of group feeling or 'Asabiyah' arised as they had to battle for
the essential needs. The spirit of 'Asabiyah' commonly emerges from the blood relationship
that is the core component of this spirit.
On the contrary, the feeling of 'Asabiyah' probably was able to remain present in those
having no blood relationship, yet have a general perspective from 'fellowship and
clientship'...

Another point to take notice of is that religion has a crucial role to play in keeping the people
of a group united using the sense of 'Asabiya'. This sense also plays a major role in
circulating the teaching and message of a religion. Religion other than all elements stays on
the front line to evict enviousness from the minds of a group's people holding the sense of
'Asabiyah'
Religion is the mightiest cement that with the help of an invisible band is a able keep the

Another point to note is that religion plays a crucial role in binding the members of a group
through the spirit of ‘Asabiyyah. The spirit of ‘Asabiyyah is essential in
spreading the teaching of a religion. Religion eliminates jealousy among the members of a
group that possesses ‘Asabiyyah. In Rosental’s words, “...religion is the most
powerful cement that can hold together a large sedentary people...”.

Furthermore, having a common sense of religion allows the members of a group to work
together, to the extent of being willing to die to achieve the objectives that they believe in.
Accordingly, the physical aspect of hardship and the spiritual aspect which is the element of

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religion actually uphold a strong group feeling or ‘Asabiyyah in developing their group or
nation.

Moreover, royal authority or mulk is the target of a group that owns ‘Asabiyyah. This quality
is essential as one needs to be superior over others to protect his group members. However,
Ibn Khaldun has distinguished between royal authority or mulk and leadership, or
translated by Rosenthal as chieftain. According to him, leadership is included as part of royal
authority where “a person or group that possesses this characteristic has the power to rule
over others and others will follow his orders.

So royal authority can not be obtained without having determined group feeling or 'Asabiyah'
amongst the members of a group. Consequently the missing of the spirit of 'Asabiyah'
influences a group or nation. When the group or nation sets up their own state, the cozy life
shifts the caring mind set they had set towards the group feeling to a very freakish one, so
now they hardly break any sweat thinking about the group feeling that they previously so
proudly owned before the establishment of their state. With time the once strong 'Asabiyah'
feeling relaxes as people stoop towards their own benefit and luxurious life and sometimes
to gather more wealth to pave a strong way

to the power of the state. This time the able ones start building their own groups to attain the
state power with different ideologies, and the difference among the groups' ideologies
hamper their 'Asabiya' to make matters worse. In the course of time some kind of conflict
begin making place for itself among the groups of different political ideologies and
philosophies, therefore the groups arrange their own security to protect themselves from one
another at this stage their ''Assabiya's strength's failure " reaches its extremity and this
facilitates internal and external enemies of the society to launch a league of army in secret
with a view to starting a sudden offensive on the society broken into parts in spirits, this is
how a well constituted society and civilization see its end on negative note.

Ibn Khaldun​ in his al-Muqaddima puts much stress on the importance of having
'Asabiyah' in building an impregnable civilization. 'Asabiyah or social solidarity
or esprit de corp' can be taken into account as the propensity of an individual's
mind that drives him along the way of inventing himself as part of a
human-association which interests and that of his resemble mostly(Ibn
Khaldun 1995)

As stated by Ibn Khaldun, a human being in nature is a social being who

wants to live in unison with his co-social mates in the society for the mutual
cooperation to meet the animal needs of daily life. But owing to innumerable
terrestrial motivations and enticement, and being moved by the existing
continual competition even among the people the individual know them as part

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of the group, he looks down upon the social solidarity for his own gain freely,
breaking out of the invisible tie used to keep the people united and this
gradually dampens the minds of people of a particular social group. Ibn

Khaldun reaffirms this argument by upholding the state of unity among the
ones staying in groups that often go from one place to another. The people
belonging to such groups are extremely wary of their unity and they with all
their heart try to take the existing unity on for eternity

. Ibn Khaldun very aptly disclosed the reason behind backing such
liberal-mindset of the people of the bohemian groups to stay up to keep the
group or community feeling intact is that they are used to living simple lives
rather than in luxury. It is not that they do so even after being introduced to
luxurious lives, they live lives simply because they are not acquainted with the
luxurious lives a little bit.

Ibn Khaldun further states and explains the causes behind the sense of social
solidarity being absent in the city based societies. It is generally witnessed
that the life the people of cities live termed as 'mechanic life' is because the
people of a particular city are not the original residents of the city as a whole,
rather majority of them get together there for their own purposes and they stay
there until those different purposes attain perfection.

And they typically stay busy with their respective things needed for the
purposes to attain perfection, therefore they hardly find any time to practice
their lives like the major part of the city based society. And even if they find
they most likely might show little interest in the lifestyles of others given the
little discrepancy in each of the people's culture, if not fully. Thus the people
staying away from others touch can not build any community feeling.
So owing to the sheer absence of community feeling nothing like 'social
solidarity' comes into light there in the city based societies.

Ibn Khaldun cites another few reasons that do not let something like 'social
solidarity' get consolidated in the minds of the people. They are…majority of
the urban people look mostly luxurious-minded, they want to keep pace with
the luxurious life-styles of others in the city at any cost, as luxuriousness in the

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city begets much respect to the people of this sort. They tend to do so despite
knowing that they do not necessarily possess as much property or resource
that can help them meet their on-and-on growing demands,

But their dangerously leaning towards luxurious life leads them to take up both
the legal and illegal ways so this undertaking beget them as much money as
possible. Sometimes failing to pursue any way like this some utterly dejected
individuals take to various types of crimes, leading the urban crime rate much
higher as compared to that of rural areas, this halts a man wanting to adjust to
the city-based society gives up the tendency of getting on with his
counterparts gregariously, therefore he often begins attempting to spend his
time in isolation.

In Khaldun's words, " ​Immorality, wrongdoings, insincerity and trickery,

for the purpose of making a living in a proper or improper manner,
increase among them. The soul comes to think about making a living, to
study it, and so, use all possible trickery for the purpose. People are
now devoted to lying, gambling, cheating fraud, theft, and usury." (Ibn
Khaldun. P 293)

This little quotation in a body summarizes the reasons responsible for

undermining the aspect ' social solidarity' in the society of the city. It makes it
clear how the people with little possession try to make their living in the cities
and for satisfying their tendency towards luxury and what types of tasks they
undertake that are interdicted by ethical reviews.

So in order to have people united it is necessary to inculcate the essentiality of

the fundamentals of Asabiyah and social solidarity in those people so they
remain mindful towards the bondages that are vent to keep people tied in the
same knot. It is also necessary to maintain the co-operative atmosphere in the
society that is needed for the development of social harmony.

The existence of a co-operative atmosphere is something that draws people

together, helps in knowing about each other and provides the much needed
boost to improve the interpersonal ties in the society. And this gradually

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strengthens the much needed commiserate mindset among the people and
with time it keeps on growing.

Such perpetual growth in the people's commiserate mind set ultimately builds
up the society as a self-sufficient one. And taking the need of time into
consideration they themselves create division when it comes to executing the
social activities like providing security, food and other daily necessities to the
people. So various classes with distinct talent and eagerness towards the
important things of society come into light.

And all these in the course of time give birth to a very developed civilisation(he
uses the Arabic word 'Umran' to mean this), (Ibn Khaldun, p 102-103) but one
thing should be kept in mind that the people donning the duties of various
classes of the society, they have not been handed which class' activities they
need to perform, rather on their own will to serve the necessities of the the
society unlike the societies of various classes with no healthy balance in the
relationships of all the classes.

Anyway with the passage of time people coming from various places to a
particular area considering the fact that they will have people in that specific
area who have a bit of similar culture, tradition, if not completely, to that of
them get accustomed to the lifestyle, culture, language etc giving up the little
bits of dissimilarities they had previously between the culture, language and
lifestyle for the sake of even better bondage with the larger portion of the
society..

That's how the culture, traditions, language and other fundamental elements
of culture like customs, norms, beliefs, language, code of behaviour, trust get
merged among the people of the society replacing the ones they came to the
community with. One thing to repeat here that 'Assabiyah' plays the major role
in uniting the people using the similarities through the
aforementioned fundamental elements of culture.

Finally the similarities among the cultural elements lead the people to develop
the feeling of solidarity among themselves and they are inspired to walk

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shoulder to shoulder for the betterment of their social life and for the benefit of
all the persons belonging to their group.

This fulfils its initial motives and gets the people function with righteousness
and cooperate for reciprocal benefits(Ibn Khaldun p - 105) From the islamic
point of view the word assabiya implies two different meanings with the first
one showing 'Asabiyah' to be 'social solidarity ' that nearly looks similar to the
pure islamic concept of 'asabiyya' 'brotherhood'. This sort of 'Asabiyah' is so
glorious given that it inspires people to collaborate with one another without
expecting anything in response.

It also reassures the fact that for the attainment of the common objectives,
everyone of a particular society puts lots of effort in neck to neck to improve
any specific sector of the society that is lagging behind for any reason.
Besides Khaldun assumes that when working for the good of the society one
always keeps one's greed in check considering the bondage of blood he has
in between himself and his mates in the society. The people attempt to give
their best for any kind of attainment. The following verse of Quran justifies in
this regard_
"And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin
and aggression, " (Al Quran 5:2)

This Quranic verse adds another dimension to our discussion alone. This
verse asks us to help our neighbours and community members when in need
or when the community as whole needs our help. But it recommends us to
make sure that we always remain wary of the case for which we are going to
help our society or a neighbour or a relative.

We must not help anybody to thrive in any sinful activity nor in any kind of
aggression. But taking an aggressive stance is allowed in islam as long as the
situation of the aggression is concerned. Making a befitting reply to the
enemies is permitted in islam but it should be after being affected by the
enemies illegally launched conspiracy and offensive attack on them for no
reason. The Quran further recommends us to be aware of the person or a
group of persons we are helping out. We ought to know whether any sinful

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activity will be one by the person or group of persons after they get help from
us.

And the second meaning of 'Asabiya' is 'Asabiyah jahiliah' meaning one's blind
belief and superstitious feeling towards his own group. This leads him to
favour his own group regardless of the activities done by the group's people in
unison. So obviously it becomes clearer to our sight about the worth of this
kind of 'Asabiyah'. It is worthless altogether, because often blind and
prejudiced beliefs lead a person to lose his morality and with time he gets
utterly taken up in those poor and immoral acts and ultimately he finds no way
to get back with normalcy to society.

This type of asabiyah is blameworthy, having propensity to uplift injustices,

inequities, mutual hatred and conflict. The prophet (p.b.u.h) made a clear
difference between these two types of Asabiyah in a hadith.

I​ t was reported by Ibn Majah from the father of Fusaylah, that the
prophet, peace be upon him, was asked whether the love for one's own
qawn(group, tribe or nation) constituted under the meaning of Asabiyah,
He replied, "No! 'Asabiyah is rather the helping of one's qawm in zulm
(injustice)

Without any doubt , Ibn Khaldun applied this word 'Asabiyah In the
Muqaddimah to mean the praiseworthy, 'asabiyah or social solidarity as with
much stress described in Sharia, He states, social solidarity becomes an
invertible power if it is based on the religious epitomes, so a feeling of
solidarity of any group or tribes is able to build up a notable influence provided
it is corroborated by religion and not otherwise

Criticism of the theory of 'Asabiyah'

Theory of Asabiyah or group theory is one of the important theories of Ibn

Khaldun. Like other theories given by him this theory is not an exception in the
context of criticism. The criticism of the theory of Asabiyah has been
described in details below.

1. Ibn Khaldun compared the birth and growth to a biological organism. It

is not applicable to the countries of the modern world.

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 2. In the modern world the more the boundary of a country expands, the
more powerful it becomes, but in this case Ibn Khaldun talked about the
lack of security in larger states which has been proved wrong. For
example in the present world even the USA, Russia and China being
the largest countries of the world, they ate powerful
3. The way Ibn Khaldun in his theory of 'Asabiyah' outlines the life time of
a state, it is not acceptable at all. Most of the states of the modern world
have lasted longer than what Ibn Khaldun once determinated for them.
For example,. The USA got its independence in 1776, but til now the
country is on run. Which has proved the theory of 'Asabiyah' wrong.
4. In the modern world no state is completely demolished apart from the
changes take place in its structure. But the reasons he cited in his
theory to be leading the state to complete demolishment is enigmatic in
nature.
5. In the theory of Asabiyah he discussed about the types of states.. do
not match with the states of the modern world.

Conclusion

This paper discusses the significant contribution made by Ibn Khaldun in

delineating the concept of „asabiyah, broadly defined as social solidarity or
“espirit de corp”.Although some writers may argue that Ibn Khaldun must be
studied against the background of medieval Islam, there are some of his ideas
are astonishingly similar to
many contemporary theories

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