Khaldunist Philosophy: Innovation Justified 311
doctor to cure society’s ills but avoids requiring this to be “a man of the sword”
(this had already happened at the beginning of the Köprülü dynasty of viziers,
and Na’ima had another cure in mind, namely peace).
A large part of Na’ima’s preface (N I:33–40; Ip I:26–30) is based directly on Ibn
Khaldun’s account of the dynastic stages in his Muqaddima. Just after describ-
ing the three ages of the state (according to Kâtib Çelebi’s anthropomorphic
theory), Na’ima sets about describing in detail five such stages, following now
more closely the Arab historian. It is God’s will, he explains, that every “state
and community” (devlet ü cem’iyyet) passes through defined stages. The first is
that of “victory” (zafer vaktı), in which the state struggles “to free itself from the
hands of others and to secure [its] dominion”. In this period, people are con-
tent with a simple way of life and obey the principle of solidarity and zealous
cohesion (asabiyyet), which is the cause of might and victory; the people and
the army (kavm ve asker) are united, share all the booty, and nobody wants to
exalt themselves over anyone else. In the second stage, that of “independence”
(istiklal), the victorious state consolidates itself; the ruler begins to alienate his
people (kavm) from his affairs, to become independent in his decisions, and
to grant his family wealth and power. Moreover, the ruler gathers slaves and
uses them to punish those who, led by their whims, act wrongfully. The tribal
power (kuvvet-i aşiret) and the zeal is only an “imaginary event” (emr-i vehmi)
that makes the members of a tribe unanimous in their opinions and acts; on
the other hand, slaves and purchased servants (or those friends of the ruler
who choose enslavement as a sign of kindness and favor) are “metaphorically
within the notion of solidarity” (mecazâ asabiyet hükmünde dahil) and reap
the benefits of the tribal structure. Thus, while this common zeal is necessary
in the appearance of a state, it naturally gives way to the state becoming a
“private tribe of the ruler” (kavm-i hass) as the dynasty leaves nomadism be-
hind completely and becomes settled. Consequently, the early companions of
the ruler gradually lose their power and their commitment to the dynasty. In
the Ottoman case, observes Na’ima, the companions and servants of the sul-
tan, be they men of the sword or of the pen, have various origins, and thus
differ from each other in their customs, habits, clothing, and etiquette. While
most dynasties perish in this second stage because of the kind of internal strife
described above, the Ottoman state has avoided such a fate because of this
peculiarity.
The third stage is that of peace, ease, confidence, and security. It is a time
of prosperity; promising youths find their way into the state apparatus and
flourish, while soldiers and servants are paid on time and are always ready to
defend the country. State offices become stable and officials begin to form dy-
nasties for their offspring, defending them against opponents; thus, solidarity