FUNCTIONS AND SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS OF IBN KHALDUN’S ASABIYYAH

The primary reason why Ibn Khaldun is regarded as “the pioneer of the 14th Century Sociology”, is the scientific methodology he adopted so as to examine and describe social events. This methodological approach can be summarized as a combination of induction and the attempt to understand the causal relationship between social events and phenomena. For the purpose of the present study, the asabiyyah concept was chosen as the focal concern out of numerous social variables that Ibn Khaldun examined, and his sociological findings on social determiners, and results of this particular concept were discussed. The researcher used two translations of Muqaddimah as the primary sources. To conclude, the asabiyyah serves three basic social functions, namely founding a state, protecting the country, and ruling over other tribes. Moreover, Ibn Khaldun also investigates the socio-economic reality which underlies the asabiyyah.