lbn Khaldun on the role of knowledge, skills and values in the rise and fall of civilizations: implications for Muslim educators in the 21st century

Abstract

Although Muslims account for almost a quarter of the world's population, Muslim countries only command around 5% of global income. This weakness in Muslim economies corresponds to weaknesses in other areas, the most obvious being in the political and military arenas, where Muslims are humiliated from time to time. For long, Muslim scholars have pondered over the question of Muslim weakness. Many of them have suggested means through which Muslims can regain their position as the leading civilization of the world. Of all such works, 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah can be considered the most eminent. This paper specifically deals with lbn Khaldun's·discussion of the role played by knowledge, skills and values in the rise and fall of civilizations. An attempt is made to link this with his seminal idea of 'asabiyyah (group cohesion / esprit de corps), and ethical living in urban dwellings. From these, lessons are derived for the Ummah today as it grapples with the issues of globalization and survival in the knowledge-economy. The pivotal questions here are: what knowledge, skills and values should education systems in the Muslim world be imparting to their young ones in order to prepare them for leadership in this highly competitive world?