Ibn Khaldun's Background




Ibn Khaldun has contributed tremendously in the seminal ideas which form the foundations of the theory of history, sociology and economics. Although, the East has largely forgotten his contributions, the West is actively learning from his profound insights.

He was born in a noble Andalusian family of Hadramawt (Yemeni) genealogy, with a family tradition in Islamic scholarship. His ancestors fled to Tunis before the Castilian Christians overran Banu Khaldun’s ancestral Seville. 


The fall of Almohades left North Africa divided into petty states which constantly tried to overrun each other with political intrigue and rivalry. Some of these rulers were patrons of Islamic scholarship. Thus erudite Banu Khaldun moved to Tunis under the patronage of its benevolent rulers.


Ibn Khaldun benefited from classical Islamic education in Tunis, memorizing the Quran and excelling in other religious/linguistic sciences with the help of many Andalusian scholars who had also settled in Tunis. The Great Plague wiped out almost the entire population of Tunis, including Ibn Khaldun’s parents and teachers.


At age 20, he was employed as a seal bearer for correspondence from the Moroccan royal court. He used his position to continue studying with eminent scholars in Morocco. It was there that he emerged as a scholar in his own right. He used his knowledge to take advantage of events which he converted as opportunities in a very tumultuous time in history. Thus, his life was dedicated to practical learning and research aimed at understanding and predicting the procession of societal events in human history.

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