274 chapter six
The Book
Ibn-Khaldùn’s treatise, which is called the Mùqaddimah (introduc-
tion) to history, was completed in 1377. It includes his preface and
Book I which has been described as “the earliest attempt made by
any historian to discover a pattern in the changes that occur in
man’s political and social organisation”, (Rosenthal, 1967). Rosenthal
adds, “Rational in its approach, analytical in its method, encyclo-
pedic in detail, it represents an almost complete departure from tra-
ditional historiography, discarding conventional concepts and clichés
and seeking, beyond the mere chronicle of events, an explanation-
and hence a philosophy of history”, (ibid.).
His approach to writing his Mùqaddimah
The analytical approach of Ibn Khaldùn is clear in his writing, as
stated himself and verified in his writing. “The writing of history is
an art”, he states, “that requires an investigative mind and thorough
examination which leads the historian to the truth...as the mere
transmission from the others may lead to slips and error”. To avoid
error, historians, to him, should relate events to the principles of
custom, the essential facts of politics, the nature of development of
civilisation and the growth of society. With a scientific mind, he
stated that various reasons could be attributed, in his opinion, to
abusing historical information. These are (ibid.):
Partisanship for opinions and schools
Reliance, without investigation, upon disseminction of information
Unawareness of the purpose of an event
Unfounded assumptions as to the truth of an occurrance
Ignorance of how conditions conform to reality
Treating high-ranking persons with excessive deterence
Ignorance of the nature and various conditions arising in civil-
izationsAs for the purpose of writing his book, Ibn-Khaldùn ascertained,
“The purpose of this first book of our work, (which) is an indepen-
dent science with its own peculiar object, is human civilisation and
social organisation. It has its own peculiar problems which are explain-
ing in turn the conditions that attach themselves to the essence of
civilisation”. Civilisation is the focal point of his attention, as in his