The Importance of Ibn Khaldun in Islam
The Importance of Ibn Khaldun in Islam
In the modern world Islam is seen as many things, but rarely is it viewed as a source of inspiration and enlightenment. Though it is a force of enlightenment and it is not only verses of the Quran that testify to that fact, but also the great body of scholarship produced during the middle Ages. While Europe was in the midst of darkness, it was the Muslims, spurred on by the light of their new Deen who picked up the torch of scholarship and science. It was the Muslims who preserved the knowledge of antiquity, elaborated upon it, and finally, passed it on to Europe. Although every person earns what they do and pass on, it is important for us to learn about and appreciate the contributions of the Islamic civilization by the early Muslims. Colonialism, the institution of the Western educational model, along with Euro centrism often portrays Islam as backwards, incompatible with science and technology and anti-educational. Muslim school children never learn of their glorious past and often the only thing passed on to them is the inferiority complex of the generation before them. From the past we can learn from our mistakes and use the analysis of those great examples such as Ibn Khaldun before us as role models to enrich us in the future.
Ibn Khaldun is the most important figure in the field of History and Sociology in Muslim History. He is one of those shining stars and has contributes so much to our western world. In order to understand his work, one must understand his life. He lived a life in search of stability and influence. He came from a family of scholars and politicians and he intended to live up to both expectations. You can probably imagine what his family would expect of him. He would succeed in the field of Scholarship much more so than in any other field. Ibn Khaldun had many names. These are his names: Abdurahman bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Al-Hasan bin Jabir bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Abdurahman bin Ibn Khaldun. His ancestry according to him originated from Hadramut, Yemen. Through the help of Ibn Hazem he traced his ancestry. He learned about his grandfather who was the first to enter Andalusia. He also traced his ancestry...