Page 18 - Issue 39

ELITE Vol.1, Issue 39, January 2022
Vol.1, Issue 39, January

This divine principle, which constitutes the intellectual horizon
of the introduction to the Book of Lessons (Muqaddimah Kitab
al-Ibar), allows us to determine the direction of the future in
political science at the present time, in terms of its subject and
purpose, its starting point and its goals. If the main topic of
classical political science is the search for the best form of
government as shown in al-Farabi's work; if human sociology
is, as it exists now, the subject of the science of civilization as
shown by Ibn Khaldun and if both of them were lovers of
wisdom and sought it within their respective field of
knowledge, then the human community as a reflective mirror of
God allows the combination of theses two levels of studying
the relations of authority. Therefore, the mirror image is
identical and opposite to the divine attributes reflected within it,
all at the same time. This is in terms of subject. In terms of
the introduction, with its few lines, not only summarizes the intent, the divine principle opens the door for everyone to
topic of the Introduction/Muqaddimah’s in a focused way, but benefit from the origin of philosophical creativity, as Motaa
it also presents the civilizational phenomenon (human social Safadi explains in his talk about the purpose of philosophizing
organization or human sociology) with its political, economic, about Muslims. In Safadi's opinion, the task of Muslim
social and cultural dimensions as a reflection of a number of philosophers, from al-Farabi to al-Tawhidi, was to inspire the
divine attributes. If the heart is the mirror that reflects God for truth of the missionary project in Islam (that is attempting to
the Sufi follower/disciple, then when it is subjected to reproduce the divine presence at the human level or to adorn
refinement by means of spiritual exercises and moral practices, oneself with God's attributes as the Sufis say). Their task then is
it is as though Ibn Khaldun made the group, not the individual, also to work on translating this project into a system of
the mirror reflecting the effect of the divine attributes. This, in comprehensive rationality (i.e. to transform abstract theoretical
the opinion of the writer of these lines, is the core of the Sufi concepts into practical moral commandments). This would all
impact on the socio-historical analysis of Ibn Khaldun; and this be for the sake of reproducing a cultural, political and economic
is a matter that also needs further elaboration beyond the scope system for the entire world no less.
of this article.
The belief system of political science will be represented
through Ibn Khaldun's creedal Ash’ari approach, which was
Therefore, we find that Ibn Khaldun starts his preamble with deduced by his divine principle. This will help make possible
praising God, "His are the most beautiful names and attributes." what the late Philosopher Ali Sami al-Nashar aspired to, as he
From among these divine attributes, he focuses on three: power saw that the Ash'ari is the last thing reached by a mind speaking
("He is powerful and mighty. In His hand, he holds royal in the name of the Quran. al-Nashar also saw that what is
authority and kingship"), knowledge ("His knowledge is such necessary for Muslims to do in order to continue what has been
that nothing, be it revealed in secret whispering or left unsaid, cut off or abandoned from philosophical thinking is "to is to
remains strange to him"), and endurance ("He lasts and adopt this doctrine in its entirety and develop it through the
endures. He is the Living One who does not die"). Civilization ages, and according to the requirements of future generations.”
comes, in its entirety and in its detail, is a mirror reflective of In his books Divine Signs, al-Tawhidi almost makes from Ibn
these three divine attributes; for the All-Knowing and All- Khaldun's divine principle an experiment in the dual visual
Capable One "...created us from the earth as living, breathing between the worshiper and his creator, where each becomes a
creatures. He made us settle on it as races and nations. From it, mirror reflection of the other's image. Look at al-Tawhidi's
He gave us sustenance and provisions." On the other hand came description of research on the oddities of the soul and the
the historical or temporal collective human existence ("Time universe: how it leads to the knowledge of God in terms of its
wears us out. Our lives’ final terms, the dates of which have significance to Him, and how this knowledge of God leads to
been fixed for us in the Book of Destiny), claim us,") in knowing how it is His own marvelous creation.
juxtaposition of the divine ever-lasting characteristic of God. Since this dual knowledge of the oddities of matters opens way
Nonetheless, the divine principle as a reflecting mirror for clarification of the mysteries of the divine wisdom as well
according to Ibn Khaldun is not limited to what came in the as that of the divine destiny and for watching the streams of
preamble. We find that he ends each sub-chapter of his divine will, then it leads —as is the goal of science — us to
introduction with an aphorism or, mostly, with a Quranic verse reach a kind of monotheistic belief in God. God had singled
about a divine attribute that fits the topic or the part of it that this out for "the notables of His worshippers and the flags of
this or that chapter deals with. This visual reflection of the His creation in His lands."
divine attributes provides a structural nature throughout the Hence, this is the path, and these are its features, which must be
entirety of the introduction, whether at the level of origins or followed in the future.
branches.

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