In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A summary of the book
Ramadan:
Events and Lessons.
The birth of Ibn Khaldun
and his death.
Chronology:
He was born at the beginning of the month of Ramadan
in the year 732 AH.
His death
occurred with four days remaining in Ramadan
in the year 808
AH.
Ibn Khaldun:
A personality whose fame spread far and wide,
whose reputation became widespread,
and who received a great deal
of attention and celebration.
This was not only
from Muslims,
but was also celebrated by
writers, philosophers,
and non-Muslim thinkers.
This great interest
was not
due to the sheer number of works
that Ibn Khaldun left behind,
but rather due to the emergence of his unique genius
in his book,
*The Muqaddimah* (The Introduction),
which revealed his breadth of knowledge,
depth of analysis and critique,
and extensive
mastery of the sciences,
along with his brilliant pioneering work
in establishing sociology,
as well as theories and principles
related to the sciences of economics
and politics.
It is not viewed favorably by all parties;
rather, it has become
a subject of controversy among various groups
regarding his opinions,
his thought, his conduct,
and his relationships with
historical figures that were not viewed favorably.
So much so that al-Shawkani,
after citing
some of what was said about Ibn Khaldun,
said:
"Allah knows the truth best.
If it is true that
those noble words came from him,
then he is among those whom Allah has led astray
despite his knowledge."
The name of Ibn Khaldun,
his lineage, and his birth,
may Allah have mercy on him:
He is ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad
ibn Muhammad ibn Khaldun
ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Jabir
ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim
ibn Muhammad,
Wali al-Din,
al-Ishbili al-Tunisi,
then al-Qahiri,
al-Maliki.
The social scientist and researcher, Abu Zayd al-Hadrami, a descendant of Wa'il ibn Hujr.
He was born at the beginning of Ramadan in the year 732 AH in Tunis. His upbringing and education, may Allah have mercy on him:
Ibn Khaldun grew up in an academic environment and received a diverse education, including both religious and worldly sciences,
as well as transmitted and rational sciences, taking a share of every discipline. Al-Sakhawi said:
"He memorized the Qur'an, the two Shatibiyyah poems, the *Mukhtasar* of Ibn al-Hajib on *fiqh*, and *al-Tashil* on grammar."
He studied *fiqh* under Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Jiyani and Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Qusayr.
He read *al-Tahdhib* by Abu Sa‘id al-Baradhi‘i under him, and studied *fiqh* with him.
He frequented the circle of the Chief Judge Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Salam and benefited from him.
From him and from Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Wadiyashi, he heard *hadith*.
He wrote in his own hand that he heard *Sahih al-Bukhari* from Abu al-Barakat al-Bulqini, and some of it by authorization (*ijazah*).
He studied the *Muwatta'* under Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam and *Sahih Muslim* under al-Wadiyashi.
He learned the seven canonical readings, both individually and collectively; he even completed a full recitation for Ya‘qub
under the scholar Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Sa‘d ibn Nazal al-Ansari.
He presented the Shatibiyyah and Arabic grammar to him, as well as to his father, Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-‘Arabi al-Hasari,
Abu ‘Abd Allah ibn Bahr, the reciter Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Shawwas al-Zawawi,
and Abu ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Qassar. He kept the company of al-‘Ala’ Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Ishbili and benefited from him.
He also studied under Abu Muhammad ‘Abd al-Muhaymin al-Hadrami
and Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Abuli, the master of rational sciences in the Maghrib, among others.
He devoted himself to literature, writing, and calligraphy, learning these from his father and others.
He excelled in all of these, memorizing the *Mu‘allaqat*, the *Hamasah* of al-A‘lam, the poetry of Habib ibn Aws,
a portion of the poetry of al-Mutanabbi, and *Siqt al-Zand* by al-Ma‘arri. His travels and positions, may Allah have mercy on him:
Ibn Khaldun traveled through many regions in the East and the West,
to the point that he authored a book about his travels.
In every place he stayed, he was met with honor and hospitality by its rulers and people.
Conversely, he also encountered some harm and trials.
Al-Sakhawi said: "He became attached to royal service,
and held the position of secretary for the ruler of Tunis."
Then he traveled in the year 753 to Fez,
where he came before its sultan, Abu ‘Inan.
He was then tested and imprisoned for about two years.
Later, he served as the private secretary for Abu Salim, the brother of Abu ‘Inan,
and also oversaw the redress of grievances (*mazalim*).
Then he entered Andalusia,
arriving in Granada in early Rabi‘ al-Awwal
in the year 764.
Its sultan, Ibn al-Ahmar, received him upon his arrival
and included him among his council members.
He served as his envoy to the leader of the Franks in Seville,
who honored and respected him,
supported him, and he fulfilled the mission he was tasked with.
Then he traveled in the year 766 to Bejaia,
where its ruler entrusted him with the administration of his kingdom for a time.
He then moved to Tlemcen at the invitation of its ruler,
and stayed in Wadi al-‘Arab for a period.
Then he traveled from Biskra to Fez,
but was robbed on the way,
and the ruler there died before his arrival.
Despite this, he stayed there for about two years.
Then he traveled to Andalusia,
then returned to Tlemcen,
where he stayed for four years.
He then departed in Rajab of the year 780 for Tunis,
staying there from Sha‘ban
until he requested permission to perform Hajj,
which was granted to him.
He crossed the sea to Alexandria,
then arrived in the Egyptian lands in Dhu al-Qa‘dah
of the year 784.
He performed Hajj and then returned to Egypt.
Its people welcomed him and honored him,
frequently keeping his company and visiting him.
He even began teaching at the Al-Azhar Mosque for a time.
He kept the company of al-Tanbugha al-Jubani,
who took care of him until al-Zahir Barquq appointed him
to teach at the Qamhiyyah school in Egypt,
and then as the Maliki Chief Judge in the Egyptian lands
in Jumada al-Akhirah of the year 786.
He became stern with people,
to the point that he would not stand for any of the judges
when they entered to greet him,
though he would apologize to those who reproached him for it in general.
He took severe measures against many of the prominent notaries and witnesses,
and began punishing them with slaps,
which he called *al-zajj* (the reprimand).
If he became angry with someone, he would say,
"Reprimand him!"
and he would be slapped until his neck turned red.
It is said
that when the people of the Maghrib heard of his appointment as judge,
they were astonished and attributed the Egyptians' choice to a lack of knowledge,
to the extent that Ibn ‘Arafah said:
"We used to consider the position of judge the greatest of offices,
but when this man took it,
we considered it the opposite of that."
He was dismissed and then reinstated,
and this happened repeatedly
until he died while serving as a judge,
may Allah forgive him.
His works, may Allah have mercy on him:
Ibn Khaldun did not busy himself with prolific writing,
perhaps due to his preoccupation with his duties and travels,
or for other reasons.
However, his book, *The Muqaddimah*,
sufficed him in place of many other works.
Among his works:
First,
*Al-‘Ibar wa Diwan al-Mubtada' wa al-Khabar*
*fi Tarikh al-‘Arab wa al-‘Ajam wa al-Barbar* (The Book of Lessons and Archive of Early and Subsequent History of the Arabs, Persians, and Berbers).
It begins with the *Muqaddimah*, for which he is famous.
Al-Shawkani said:
"He authored a great history in seven massive volumes,
in which he demonstrated eloquence and brilliance."
Al-Sakhawi said:
"Among his works,
besides his prose and poetic compositions,
which are like magic,
is the great history
titled *Al-‘Ibar*
on the history of kings, nations, and Berbers.
Its introduction contains all the sciences,
and the tongues of the eloquent have failed to reach its standard,
so they neither go nor hover near it."
By my life,
it is one of those works whose titles have become famous
in contrast to their contents,
like *Al-Aghani* (The Songs) by al-Isbahani—
he named it *The Songs*, yet it contains a bit of everything;
and *The History* by al-Khatib—
he named it *The History of Baghdad*,
yet it is a history of the world;
and *Hilyat al-Awliya'* (The Adornment of the Saints) by Abu Nu‘aym—
he named it *The Adornment of the Saints*,
yet it contains a vast array of many things.
His death, may Allah have mercy on him:
He died suddenly on Wednesday,
with four days remaining in Ramadan,
in the year 808 AH,
in Cairo,
and was buried in the Sufi cemetery
outside Bab al-Nasr.
Ramadan: Events and Lessons.