Reading Ibn Khaldun’s Political Themes in His Muqaddimah with a Special Reference to Royal Authority and Mulukiyahin the Light of Asabiyah

Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) was one of most significant figures in the history of the Muslim world in the pre-modern period. He was born in Tunis at a time when the Muslim dynasties were disintegrating and fighting against each other. He was directly involved in the political activities, as he served in different capacities ranging from diplomatic envoy to minister; and eventually devoted himself for scholarly life. Being a social scientist, his first hand political experiences are reflected in his monumental work,Muqaddimah (Prolegomena), distinctively. In Muqaddimah, his profound analysis of human society and civilization is a unique attempt on socio-political thought. It contains striking reflections on various political themes as a part of his description of his new independent science,ilm al-umran, (science of social organization or civilization) whose subject matter is human social organization. In this paper, an attempt is made to highlight his certain political themes, such as royal; authority and mulukiyah in the light of asabiyah(group feeling).