The Book of Lessons
The Kitab al-ʿIbar, or Book of Lessons and Record of Origins and Events, is a universal history in three books: the Muqaddimah; a history of the Arabs and of neighbouring peoples such as the Persians, Israelites, Greeks, Romans and Franks, from the Creation to the author’s own day; and a history of the Berbers and the dynasties of the Maghreb.
Understanding the text
Begun after the Muqaddimah, a first version was presented to the Hafsid sultan in Tunis around 1382 and later expanded in Cairo with material on the East. Its account of the Berbers, drawn partly from his own experience and from informants, remains a basic source for the medieval Maghreb; de Slane translated it into French in 1852–1856.
Key points
- 01
Universal scope
The work places the Islamic dynasties within a wider history of peoples, from ancient Persia and Israel to the Byzantines and the Franks of his own time.
- 02
Berber history
The third book traces the Sanhaja, Zanata and Masmuda peoples and their dynasties, from the Almoravids and Almohads to the Hafsids and Marinids.
- 03
Lessons of history
The word ʿibar means lessons or examples: events are recorded so that readers can grasp the regular patterns that the Muqaddimah explains.
Explore the ideas in depth
History as a book of lessons
Read the Book of Lessons as a universal chronicle and as a test of the Muqaddimah’s theory, above all in its history of the Berber dynasties.
Situating the text
Begun after the Muqaddimah, a first version was presented to the Hafsid sultan in Tunis around 1382 and later expanded in Cairo with material on the East. Its account of the Berbers, drawn partly from his own experience and from informants, remains a basic source for the medieval Maghreb; de Slane translated it into French in 1852–1856. The Kitab al-ʿIbar, or Book of Lessons and Record of Origins and Events, is a universal history in three books: the Muqaddimah; a history of the Arabs and of neighbouring peoples such as the Persians, Israelites, Greeks, Romans and Franks, from the Creation to the author’s own day; and a history of the Berbers and the dynasties of the Maghreb.
Following the arguments
Universal scope : The work places the Islamic dynasties within a wider history of peoples, from ancient Persia and Israel to the Byzantines and the Franks of his own time. Berber history : The third book traces the Sanhaja, Zanata and Masmuda peoples and their dynasties, from the Almoravids and Almohads to the Hafsids and Marinids. Lessons of history : The word ʿibar means lessons or examples: events are recorded so that readers can grasp the regular patterns that the Muqaddimah explains.
Continuing the reading
Read a few sections of the third book on one dynasty, such as the Almohads, then compare the narrative with the Muqaddimah’s theory of group feeling and decline to see where theory and chronicle meet or diverge. Begun after the Muqaddimah, a first version was presented to the Hafsid sultan in Tunis around 1382 and later expanded in Cairo with material on the East. Its account of the Berbers, drawn partly from his own experience and from informants, remains a basic source for the medieval Maghreb; de Slane translated it into French in 1852–1856.
Questions to carry into your reading
- How does the history of the Almohads or the Marinids illustrate the rise and decline described in the Muqaddimah?
- What does Ibn Khaldun gain, and what does he risk, by relying on his own experience and informants for the history of the Maghreb?
The Book of Lessons shows the theory at work: each dynasty appears as a case of solidarity gained, used and finally lost.
How to read it
Read a few sections of the third book on one dynasty, such as the Almohads, then compare the narrative with the Muqaddimah’s theory of group feeling and decline to see where theory and chronicle meet or diverge.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method →