Publication: Ibn Khaldun’s Religionswissenschaft: Exploring the Sources in the Muqaddimah
Loading...
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UTM Press
Abstract
Ibn Khaldun is one of many Muslim scholars in the study of Islamic history and civilization, who is popularly known for his Muqaddimah. The Muqaddimah is meant to be an introduction to the voluminous Kitab al-cIbar. Yet, the creation of Muqaddimah includes information on the study of human, which includes information on the non-Muslim religions. By including information on the non-Muslim religions in his Muqaddimah, this means that there are specific sources used by Ibn Khaldun for this purpose. In any research writings, credible and reliable sources of information are among important elements in determining a valid, useful and accurate research finding. Through the use of qualitative content analysis on Muqaddimah text, this article explores Ibn Khaldun’s sources of information on the non-Muslim religions. Two typologies of Ibn Khaldun’s sources are relayed in this article, namely their main forms and their religious origin. In terms of main forms of sources, there are two main forms of sources found in the Muqaddimah, namely critical observation and textual sources. While for their religious origin, Ibn Khaldun’s sources of other religions could be divided into three main types, namely first, Muslim sources, second, Christian sources and third, Jewish sources. This article opines that these sources are proofs of Ibn Khaldun’s epistemology, altogether of his understanding of knowledge and religion, as integrative or in tawhidic manner. It is possible to conclude that due to this integrative or tawhidic understanding, Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah has been recognized as amongst world’s great literatures and referred by many international scholars until today.
Description
Keywords
Ibn Khaldun, Religionswissenschaft, Muqaddimah, sources and integrative.
Citation
Wan Razali, W. M. F. A., & Awang, J. (2017). IBN KHALDUN’S RELIGIONSWISSENSCHAFT: EXPLORING THE SOURCES IN THE MUQADDIMAH. UMRAN - International Journal of Islamic and Civilizational Studies, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.11113/umran2017.4n1.133