Ibn Khaldun’s (1332-1406) concept of al-Assabiyya – Obsolete notion or enduring reality?

• Main Author: Yousif, Ahmad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences 2009
• Subjects: BP1 Islam; HM Sociology
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/32287/1/ahmad_yousif.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/32287/; http://www.cssrscer.ca; http://www.cssrscer.ca/sites/default/files/Fall_2002.pdf
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

The concept of al-Assabiyya which can be translated as kinship, tribal solidarity, commitment, loyalty, blood relationship and identification with one’s own tribe, was coined by Ibn Khaldun during his study of nomadic Arab Bedouin tribes, particularly the Berbers of North Africa. Ibn Khaldun noted that for the Arabs under observation, loyalty to the tribe was of paramount importance, while religious ties were secondary. Nevertheless a change in environment had the potential of generating tyrannical tendencies among those who rule, because they become less dependent on their biological or even ideological kinsmen. After more than six hundred years of the death of Abdu-ar-Rahman Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), it is important to reexamine his ideas on al-Assabiyya, discover why loyalty to the group took priority over religious ties, and whether The paper will begin with a brief introduction to Ibn Khaldun’s concept of al-Assabiyya as found in al-Muqqadimah (Introduction), whether or not the concept is rooted in the Islamic tradition, and the extent to which it is relevant today. In order to determine whether it continues to be a relevant concept, sociological observation on a number of traditional Muslim organizations in Canada will be made.