Part of Ramadan events and lessons (series completed)
· Lesson 28 of 31
Ramadan events and lessons | Episode (28) | The birth and death of Ibn Khaldun
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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A summary of the book
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Ramadan:
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Events and Lessons.
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The birth of Ibn Khaldun
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and his death.
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Chronology:
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He was born at the beginning of the month of Ramadan
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in the year 732 AH.
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His death
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occurred with four days remaining in Ramadan
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in the year 808
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AH.
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Ibn Khaldun:
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A personality whose fame spread far and wide,
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whose reputation became widespread,
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and who received a great deal
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of attention and celebration.
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This was not only
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from Muslims,
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but was also celebrated by
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writers, philosophers,
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and non-Muslim thinkers.
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This great interest
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was not
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due to the sheer number of works
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that Ibn Khaldun left behind,
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but rather due to the emergence of his unique genius
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in his book,
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*The Muqaddimah* (The Introduction),
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which revealed his breadth of knowledge,
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depth of analysis and critique,
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and extensive
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mastery of the sciences,
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along with his brilliant pioneering work
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in establishing sociology,
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as well as theories and principles
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related to the sciences of economics
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and politics.
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It is not viewed favorably by all parties;
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rather, it has become
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a subject of controversy among various groups
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regarding his opinions,
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his thought, his conduct,
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and his relationships with
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historical figures that were not viewed favorably.
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So much so that al-Shawkani,
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after citing
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some of what was said about Ibn Khaldun,
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said:
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"Allah knows the truth best.
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If it is true that
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those noble words came from him,
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then he is among those whom Allah has led astray
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despite his knowledge."
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The name of Ibn Khaldun,
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his lineage, and his birth,
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may Allah have mercy on him:
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He is ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad
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ibn Muhammad ibn Khaldun
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ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Jabir
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ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim
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ibn Muhammad,
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Wali al-Din,
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al-Ishbili al-Tunisi,
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then al-Qahiri,
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al-Maliki.
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The social scientist and researcher, Abu Zayd al-Hadrami, a descendant of Wa'il ibn Hujr.
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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:
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Ibn Khaldun grew up in an academic environment and received a diverse education, including both religious and worldly sciences,
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as well as transmitted and rational sciences, taking a share of every discipline. Al-Sakhawi said:
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"He memorized the Qur'an, the two Shatibiyyah poems, the *Mukhtasar* of Ibn al-Hajib on *fiqh*, and *al-Tashil* on grammar."
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He studied *fiqh* under Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Jiyani and Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Qusayr.
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He read *al-Tahdhib* by Abu Sa‘id al-Baradhi‘i under him, and studied *fiqh* with him.
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He frequented the circle of the Chief Judge Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Salam and benefited from him.
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From him and from Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Wadiyashi, he heard *hadith*.
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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*).
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He studied the *Muwatta'* under Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam and *Sahih Muslim* under al-Wadiyashi.
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He learned the seven canonical readings, both individually and collectively; he even completed a full recitation for Ya‘qub
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under the scholar Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Sa‘d ibn Nazal al-Ansari.
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He presented the Shatibiyyah and Arabic grammar to him, as well as to his father, Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-‘Arabi al-Hasari,
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Abu ‘Abd Allah ibn Bahr, the reciter Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Shawwas al-Zawawi,
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and Abu ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Qassar. He kept the company of al-‘Ala’ Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Ishbili and benefited from him.
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He also studied under Abu Muhammad ‘Abd al-Muhaymin al-Hadrami
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and Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Abuli, the master of rational sciences in the Maghrib, among others.
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He devoted himself to literature, writing, and calligraphy, learning these from his father and others.
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He excelled in all of these, memorizing the *Mu‘allaqat*, the *Hamasah* of al-A‘lam, the poetry of Habib ibn Aws,
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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:
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Ibn Khaldun traveled through many regions in the East and the West,
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to the point that he authored a book about his travels.
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In every place he stayed, he was met with honor and hospitality by its rulers and people.
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Conversely, he also encountered some harm and trials.
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Al-Sakhawi said: "He became attached to royal service,
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and held the position of secretary for the ruler of Tunis."
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Then he traveled in the year 753 to Fez,
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where he came before its sultan, Abu ‘Inan.
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He was then tested and imprisoned for about two years.
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Later, he served as the private secretary for Abu Salim, the brother of Abu ‘Inan,
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and also oversaw the redress of grievances (*mazalim*).
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Then he entered Andalusia,
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arriving in Granada in early Rabi‘ al-Awwal
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in the year 764.
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Its sultan, Ibn al-Ahmar, received him upon his arrival
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and included him among his council members.
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He served as his envoy to the leader of the Franks in Seville,
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who honored and respected him,
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supported him, and he fulfilled the mission he was tasked with.
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Then he traveled in the year 766 to Bejaia,
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where its ruler entrusted him with the administration of his kingdom for a time.
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He then moved to Tlemcen at the invitation of its ruler,
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and stayed in Wadi al-‘Arab for a period.
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Then he traveled from Biskra to Fez,
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but was robbed on the way,
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and the ruler there died before his arrival.
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Despite this, he stayed there for about two years.
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Then he traveled to Andalusia,
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then returned to Tlemcen,
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where he stayed for four years.
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He then departed in Rajab of the year 780 for Tunis,
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staying there from Sha‘ban
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until he requested permission to perform Hajj,
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which was granted to him.
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He crossed the sea to Alexandria,
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then arrived in the Egyptian lands in Dhu al-Qa‘dah
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of the year 784.
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He performed Hajj and then returned to Egypt.
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Its people welcomed him and honored him,
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frequently keeping his company and visiting him.
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He even began teaching at the Al-Azhar Mosque for a time.
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He kept the company of al-Tanbugha al-Jubani,
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who took care of him until al-Zahir Barquq appointed him
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to teach at the Qamhiyyah school in Egypt,
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and then as the Maliki Chief Judge in the Egyptian lands
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in Jumada al-Akhirah of the year 786.
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He became stern with people,
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to the point that he would not stand for any of the judges
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when they entered to greet him,
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though he would apologize to those who reproached him for it in general.
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He took severe measures against many of the prominent notaries and witnesses,
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and began punishing them with slaps,
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which he called *al-zajj* (the reprimand).
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If he became angry with someone, he would say,
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"Reprimand him!"
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and he would be slapped until his neck turned red.
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It is said
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that when the people of the Maghrib heard of his appointment as judge,
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they were astonished and attributed the Egyptians' choice to a lack of knowledge,
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to the extent that Ibn ‘Arafah said:
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"We used to consider the position of judge the greatest of offices,
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but when this man took it,
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we considered it the opposite of that."
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He was dismissed and then reinstated,
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and this happened repeatedly
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until he died while serving as a judge,
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may Allah forgive him.
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His works, may Allah have mercy on him:
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Ibn Khaldun did not busy himself with prolific writing,
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perhaps due to his preoccupation with his duties and travels,
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or for other reasons.
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However, his book, *The Muqaddimah*,
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sufficed him in place of many other works.
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Among his works:
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First,
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*Al-‘Ibar wa Diwan al-Mubtada' wa al-Khabar*
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*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).
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It begins with the *Muqaddimah*, for which he is famous.
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Al-Shawkani said:
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"He authored a great history in seven massive volumes,
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in which he demonstrated eloquence and brilliance."
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Al-Sakhawi said:
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"Among his works,
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besides his prose and poetic compositions,
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which are like magic,
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is the great history
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titled *Al-‘Ibar*
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on the history of kings, nations, and Berbers.
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Its introduction contains all the sciences,
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and the tongues of the eloquent have failed to reach its standard,
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so they neither go nor hover near it."
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By my life,
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it is one of those works whose titles have become famous
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in contrast to their contents,
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like *Al-Aghani* (The Songs) by al-Isbahani—
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he named it *The Songs*, yet it contains a bit of everything;
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and *The History* by al-Khatib—
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he named it *The History of Baghdad*,
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yet it is a history of the world;
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and *Hilyat al-Awliya'* (The Adornment of the Saints) by Abu Nu‘aym—
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he named it *The Adornment of the Saints*,
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yet it contains a vast array of many things.
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His death, may Allah have mercy on him:
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He died suddenly on Wednesday,
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with four days remaining in Ramadan,
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in the year 808 AH,
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in Cairo,
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and was buried in the Sufi cemetery
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outside Bab al-Nasr.
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Ramadan: Events and Lessons.