Just like a dying patient refusing medication, Ibn Khaldun's "Muqaddime" was banned during the reign of Abdul Hamid II.
"In the foundation stages of states, taxes are low and revenues are high, while in periods of collapse, taxes increase and revenues decrease." Ibn Khaldun used this expression in a speech in 1981, emphasizing the fact that he was considered by Ronald Reagan as a source of inspiration for the economic policies of the USA.
Ibn Khaldun is recognized as the founder of sociology and modern historiography. In terms of philosophy of history, he influenced many thinkers, including the German philosopher Hegel and Karl Marx. One of Ibn Khaldun's most important works is "Muqaddimah".
Ibn Khaldun states that there are five stages in the life of states.
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First period: Victory and establishment,
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Second period Authority and ascension,
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Third period Prosperity and hope,
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Fourth period Conviction and pause,
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The fifth period: The period of waste, corruption and destruction.
This is a period of time when debauchery, lust and greed dominate and states begin to collapse. Ibn Khaldun states that the increase in ostentatious ceremonies, uniforms, insignia and other protocols deepens this separation. Through protocols, state rulers begin to show that they are different from the people. The spread of oppression, drudgery, arrogance, waste and luxury leads to the collapse of civilizations.
Ibn Khaldun says that one-man rule in a state exhausts the means of welfare and this is a sign of the aging of a state. In these periods, waste increases, salaries are insufficient, the state treasury cannot cover the expenses and a budget deficit occurs. The biggest indicator of a state's decline is the inability of taxes to cover state expenditures. In this period, the state adds new taxes or raises tax rates to cover the deficit. However, luxury and waste do not decrease and costs continue to rise.
All the principles mentioned above, which seem to be current and familiar, are taken from Ibn Khaldun and are not criteria written today.
Therefore, the principles set out by Ibn Khaldun have become a source of reference for many statesmen. Ottoman intellectuals began to consult Ibn Khaldun from the 17th century onwards as the state stagnated. Kâtip Çelebi and the historian Naima were just a few of them.
Interestingly, during the reign of Abdul Hamid II, Ibn Khaldun's "Muqaddime" was banned, like a dying patient refusing treatment. Apparently, the work was banned 500 years ago because every word of it criticized and disturbed Abdul Hamid II's practices.
The luxurious life, waste and corruption described in the work were indeed happening. At a time when the people were in poverty and misery and lands were being lost piece by piece, the Sultan and his statesmen did not refrain from pomp and extravagance. Finding the existing palaces insufficient, the Sultan borrowed money and added new mansions and mansions to Yıldız Palace. What was built was not limited to the palaces, and the luxury and waste in the palaces became a topic of constant conversation.
History has a circular flow in Eastern societies and therefore repeats itself frequently. This circular understanding of history is the reason why Ibn Khaldun's observations are so accurate.
To remind you once again;
If you do not learn from the past, "History is nothing but repetition."
Who is Ibn Khaldun?
Ibn Khaldun, known for his influence on the Eastern and Western world as a sociologist, historian, philosopher, politician and statesman, died 618 years ago.
Ibn Khaldun, whose real name was Abdurrahman bin Muhammad bin Khaldun, was born on May 27, 1332 in Tunisia. His family was descended from Vail bin Hujr, one of the Companions who were assigned to spread Islam and teach the Qur'an in Yemen. Ibn Khaldun received his first education from his father Muhammad, who was interested in science, education and training.
Ibn Khaldun, who memorized the Qur'an and learned the science of qiraat, received education in Arabic language, literature and fiqh from the leading scholars of the period. Ibn Khaldun, who lived in North Africa, spent most of his life in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Andalusia and Egypt, holding political positions and traveling between these cities.
Ibn Khaldun, who served at various levels of the state, lost his mother, father and some of his teachers during the plague epidemic that spread to Europe during his youth. Ibn Khaldun, who also took lessons from the scholars who came from Andalusia after the Merinians took over Tunisia, was an important figure in the states in the geographies he lived in in addition to his academic studies.Ibn Khaldun held important positions in politics and bureaucracy, worked with the sultans and viziers of the period, and also served as a qadi and muderris.
Ibn Khaldun, who started his political career as a scribe of the ulema in Tunisia and held government posts in places such as Tlemcen and Biskra, worked as a clerk and sealer in Morocco and continued his scientific studies in the libraries there. Ibn Khaldun, who served as a secret clerk and judge during the Merini period, later lived a peaceful life in Andalusia. When he moved to the Emirate of Bicaye, Ibn Khaldun became an important figure in the state administration and continued to work as an orator and teacher.
After finishing the drafts of the Mu?addime in 1377, Ibn Khaldun continued his activities in Morocco, where he continued his teaching. Leaving his family in Morocco, Ibn Khaldun returned to Andalusia in 1374 and returned to Tlemcen a year later at the age of 43. Ibn Khaldun, who retreated for a while in the tomb of Abu Medyen in Ubbad near Tlemcen, lived a peaceful life for four years in Ibn Salamah Castle. Ibn Khaldun started writing his work Kitab-ul Iber (Al-Iber) here and completed the drafts of the first volume of the work, Mu?addime, in 1377.
Ibn Khaldun traveled to Tunis for his studies while writing the Arab, Berber and Zenata sections of al-Iber. After completing his work and dedicating it to Sultan Abū al-Abbas, he led a quiet life while teaching in Tunis. Ibn Khaldun, who spent the last periods of his life in Egypt, moved to Cairo and after a while was appointed as a muderris at the Kamhiye Madrasa. Ibn Khaldun continued to work on al-Iber in Egypt, holding positions such as madrasa professor, head of the Baybars Khankah, and the Maliki Archdiocese.
Ibn Khaldun added his autobiography, "al-Ta'rif bi'bni Khaldun mu'ellifi hazel-kitab", to the end of al-Iber and wrote the finalized nuHe sent it to Sultan Abu Faris Abdul Aziz to donate it to the Jami'l-Karaviyyin Library in Morocco. Ibn Khaldun, who continued to be partially involved in politics, frequently met with Timur, the founder of the Timurid Empire, during the Damascus expedition. Ibn Khaldun, who was appointed as a qadi four more times between 1401-1406, died in Cairo on March 19, 1406 at the age of 74 and was buried in the Sufiya Cemetery opposite Babünnasr.
His Muqaddimah
Ibn Khaldun's "Kitab'ul Iber", "Muqaddimah", "Lübab'ul Muhassal" and "Şifaü's Sa'il Li-tezhibi'l-mesail" have survived to the present day. The introductory chapter of his three-volume work "Kitab'ul Iber", which is a world history, is titled "In Muqaddimah, he expressed his views on the science of history, the methods used in historiography and the mistakes made by historians. Ibn Khaldun stated that he developed the branch of social sciences, which he called "the science of humanitarian umran", and that he dealt with the aims and methods in this field in his works.
His valuable work "Muqaddimah" was first published by Nasr al-Hurini.
In the second book of al-Iber, Ibn Khaldun recounts the history of the tribes and dynasties that existed until his time, with a particular focus on the Arabs, Nabataeans, Assyrians, Persians, Jews, ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Greeks, Turks and Franks. In this part, which includes Volumes 2 and 5 of the work, he deals with the history of the Prophet Muhammad, the Hulefa-yi Rashidin, the Umayyads, the Abbasids and other Muslim dynasties in the Eastern Islamic world.
In the third book of Kitab-ul-Iber, Ibn Khaldun presents the history of North Africa by dealing with the history of the Berbers and the Zenatelis, and in the last volume of Kitab-ul-Iber, he writes "al-Ta'rif bi'bni ?aldun mu'ellifi haze'l-kitab" and adds his own biography.
While some scholars consider Ibn Khaldun's "Muqaddimah" to be more of a political treatise, others focus on its historian aspect. In addition to containing the methodology of historiography, this work is considered an ontology because it analyzes the events that are the subject of history in terms of existence; a book of politics, economics, education and science because it deals with various aspects of social life; and above all, a philosophy of history.
Ibn Khaldun's world of thought is shaped by the "science of 'umran", which is expressed through methods determined by him. The science of 'umran aims to save people from imitation and provide a perspective to understand what happened in the past and what will happen in the future, thus enabling us to understand both the past and the future.
Discovered in the 16th century for the first time and his works translated into Ottoman and Turkish
Although Ibn Khaldun was not fully understood during his lifetime and was forgotten for a while after his death, he was rediscovered by Ottoman historians and statesmen in the 16th century and his works were translated into Ottoman and Turkish. Since the 19th century, Ibn Khaldun has attracted the attention of Orientalists and has been the subject of research in many languages. Ibn Khaldun, who reflected the experiences he gained by taking part in politics in his works, personally experienced the various stages of the transition from Bedouin life to civilization.
After the turbulence of his political life, Ibn Khaldun left a great impact on the Ottoman understanding of history with his seven-volume world history work Kitab-ul Iber and Muqaddime, which he started to write after the age of 40. Ottoman historians such as Kâtip Çelebi, Naima and Ahmet Cevdet Pasha often analyzed the rise and fall of the state in the light of his theories. Discovered after the 19th century by European historians, Ibn Khaldun's work was widely acclaimed.
Ibn Khaldun's ideas were echoed by many European thinkers and scientists in the following centuries. While this proved the magnitude of his influence, the British historian Arnold Toynbee glorified Ibn Khaldun by calling him "the author of the greatest philosophy of history ever created by any mind in any country at any time".
Ibn Khaldun is considered by scholarly circles as the "father of social sciences" and his works, especially the Muqaddimah, have influenced the Eastern and Western world for centuries. His observations, shaped by experience, have been used to analyze the rise and fall of states. He also provided a solid foundation for those working to build the theoretical underpinnings of a multicultural and inter-civilizational world order.
Dr. Erdem ULAŞ
Head of ASAM Hemp Institute
