Egypt's Curative Organisation, VACSERA sign deal to boost health, vaccine cooperation    Oil prices jump 3% on Thursday    Gold prices edge lower on Thursday    Egypt, EU sign €4b deal for second phase of macro-financial assistance    Egypt's East Port Said receives Qatari aid shipments for Gaza    Egypt joins EU's €95b Horizon Europe research, innovation programme    Asian stocks fall on Thursday    Egypt steps up oversight of medical supplies in North Sinai    Egypt to issue commemorative coins ahead of Grand Egyptian Museum opening    Suez Canal signs $2bn first-phase deal to build petrochemical complex in Ain Sokhna    Inaugural EU-Egypt summit focuses on investment, Gaza and migration    Egypt, Sudan discuss boosting health cooperation, supporting Sudan's medical system    Omar Hisham announces launch of Egyptian junior and ladies' golf with 100 players from 15 nations    Egypt records 18 new oil, gas discoveries since July; 13 integrated into production map: Petroleum Minister    Defying US tariffs, China's industrial heartland shows resilience    Pakistan, Afghanistan ceasefire holds as focus shifts to Istanbul talks    Egypt's non-oil exports jump 21% to $36.6bn in 9M 2025: El-Khatib    Egypt, France agree to boost humanitarian aid, rebuild Gaza's health sector    Egyptian junior and ladies' golf open to be held in New Giza, offers EGP 1m in prizes    The Survivors of Nothingness — Part Two    Health Minister reviews readiness of Minya for rollout of universal health insurance    Egypt's PM reviews efforts to remove Nile River encroachments    Egypt launches official website for Grand Egyptian Museum ahead of November opening    The Survivors of Nothingness — Episode (I)    Al-Sisi: Cairo to host Gaza reconstruction conference in November    Egypt successfully hosts Egyptian Amateur Open golf championship with 19-nation turnout    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Al Ismaelia launches award-winning 'TamaraHaus' in Downtown Cairo revival    Al-Sisi, Burhan discuss efforts to end Sudan war, address Nile Dam dispute in Cairo talks    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile actions, calls for global water cooperation    Egypt unearths New Kingdom military fortress on Horus's Way in Sinai    Syria releases preliminary results of first post-Assad parliament vote    Karnak's hidden origins: Study reveals Egypt's great temple rose from ancient Nile island    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Ibn Khaldun, the Father of Sociology
An avid reader, great traveller, experienced politician and extraordinary historian, Ibn Khaldun was one of the greatest and most influential men in the medieval Arab World
Published in Ahram Online on 15 - 08 - 2012

“He who has not seen Cairo knows not the glory of Islam, for it is the metropolis of the Earth, the garden of the World, the forum for the gathering of nations, the birthplace of humanity, the palace of Islam, the throne of power, a city adorned with palaces and mansions, embellished with colleges and schools.” – Ibn Khaldun in his Diaries
A stone's throw from the Complex of Qalawun where Ibn Al-Nafis once lectured is another pearl of Mamluk architecture: the Mosque-Madrasa of Al-Zahir Barquq, founded by the first Sultan of the Burji Mamluks. It was in this Madrasa that a prominent Tunisian historian and judge of Andalusi origins would lecture on Maliki Fiqh (jurisprudence)...his name was Ibn Khaldun; his legacy is a radical change in the way we perceive, compile and analyse history.
Born in Tunis to a family that once lived in Seville and that had fled Al-Andalus under the pressure of the ‘Reconquista', he had his first lessons at Masjid Al-Qubba, a mosque that still stands today in the Tunisian capital. Later he studied at Al-Zaytuna Mosque-University and travelled around Al-Maghreb and Al-Andalus before finally moving to Cairo, the place of choice for countless other intellectuals and scholars that were drawn to the city, being a major centre of learning (Baghdad had already been sacked by the Mongols a century earlier, and Cordoba was no more under the Islamic rule).
The famous historian Ibn Taghribirdi tells un in his ‘Al-Nujum Al-Zahira' that Ibn Khaldun was already a much respected jurist and judge by the time he arrived at Cairo, but his fame would grow as he lectured where Ibn Al-Haytham once did: Al-Azhar, the world's second oldest university (second only to Al-Qarawiyyin in Fez). His students hailed his knowledge while the other teachers, jealous of his popularity, criticised his unusual method of lecturing and his uncompromising character.
It was not long before the Mamluk Sultan, Barquq, would elevate Ibn Khaldun to a rank that befitted his calibre. Ibn Khaldun tells us in his diaries that, around 1384, the Sultan appointed him as the Maliki Qadi (Judge), which would mark a new episode of his life in Egypt. A considerable part of his career would be shaped by his relation to Barquq and his son Faraj. He had his ups and down with Barquq, but he was smart enough to navigate the hardships that he faced.
Between Madrasas: From Barquq to Sarghatmish
The fourteenth century was one in which magnificent madrasas were built throughout the Muslim World. Al-Madrasa Al-Yusufiyya in Granada (Nasrid), the Bou Inania Madrasa in Fez (Merinid) and the Madrasa of Sultan Hassan in Cairo (Mamluk) are just a few examples, but it was at the Madrasa of Barquq that Ibn Khaldun lectured in the Maliki iwan. Upon entering this Madrasa, a long corridor leads us into the open-air courtyard, flanked on all four sides by iwans (vaulted halls that are walled on three sides, with the fourth opening into the courtyard). There came a time when students from all over the Muslim World flocked into iwans like these where they received valuable lessons on fiqh. They studied and resided at these madrasas, and many of them became prominent scholars and intellectuals.
In addition to his monumental madrasa, Barquq is famous in the history of Cairo's urban development for another very good reason: It was during his reign – and with his support – that the Prince Jaharkas founded Khan Al-Khalili, which is a short walk from here. But one would have to exit the city by the southern Gate of Bab Zuweila and walk for quite some time to visit yet another madrasa where, according to Ibn Al-Furat's ‘Tarikh Al-Duwal', Ibn Khaldun was appointed as professor hadith later in his life: the Madrasa of Sarghatmish.
This madrasa, built during the reign of Sultan Hassan by the Mamluk Prince Seif Al-Din Sarghatmish in Slaiba Street, is modest in scale and ornament when compared to other Mamluk madrasas, but Al-Maqrizi tells us that it was very popular among the Egyptians. Adjacent to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, it shows a clear Persian influence in its domes, and conforms to the tradition cruciform plan, with four iwans and an open-air courtyard. One only has to imagine Ibn Khaldun sitting in one of the corners to appreciate its history.
The Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun
“It is (Al-Muqaddimah) a philosophy of history which is undoubtedly the greatest work of its kind that has ever yet been created by any mind in any time or place.” - Arnold J. Toynbee
Toynbee was one of many intellectuals impressed and influenced by Ibn Khaldun. The list goes on to include names like Hegel, Descartes, Montesquieu, Marx, etc. ‘Al-Muqaddimah' was just the first book of Ibn Khaldun's ‘Kitab Al-Ibar', a world history composed of seven books. His critical approach to interpreting history and the novelty of the concepts that he introduced made him way ahead of his time…a time marked by political turmoil that was part-and-parcel of his life wherever he went. It happened in Granada, Bijaya, Tunis, and even in Cairo, but destiny had one more surprise in store for him, a most unexpected encounter.
It all happened following the death of Barquq and the rise of his son Faraj to power. The Mongols under Tamerlane, having sacked Aleppo, marched on to besiege Damascus. Ibn Khaldun accompanied the young Sultan as he headed to Syria to rescue the city, but Faraj, as inexperienced as he was, decided to rush back to Egypt to crush a local revolt, leaving the city at the mercy of the ruthless Mongols. Ibn Khaldun suddenly found himself in the awkward and hazardous position of having to negotiate with Tamerlane. Ibn Khaldun would live to tell about this experience, something that further consolidated his image as an eloquent negotiator and a witty diplomat.
An avid reader, a great traveller, an experienced politician and an extraordinary historian, his political endeavours did not interfere with his dedication to formulating his views on history in his celebrated masterpiece. A contemporary, and at times, colleague, of such figures as Ibn Al-Khatib, Al-Maqrizi, Al-Askalani, Ibn Battuta and others, he surpassed them all as he carved his name among the greatest scholars of the Middle Ages.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/50047.aspx


Clic here to read the story from its source.