How significant is the term 'condition' ( al) to understanding Ibn Khaldun's historical and political thought? Al- a abiyya as an 'essential condition' of human association

This essay offers an interpretation of the term al- a abiyya in Al-Muqaddima by Ibn Khaldun, by situating it among the 'essential conditions' of human association, which are necessary for the preservation of civilisation. Political authority is necessary for human association, but it can be acquired, Ibn Khaldun says, only by al- a abiyya. Al- a abiyya is the required condition (shar ); by means of its power, the goal of rulership is attained. This essay begins by examining the term 'condition' and explains what Ibn Khaldun means by the 'nature of conditions', the ignorance of which constitutes one of the reasons that had prompted him to write Al-Muqaddima. Using that interpretation, it then shows that al- a abiyya, which is a power of unity among individuals and groups built to gain political authority, is based on manufactured connections and constructed compassion. The examination of the different textual circumstances shows that the form of al- a abiyya that 'guarantees' political authority is a composite of different a abiyyat, one of which is the leading a abiyya. Therefore, in the political context, I argue that Ibn Khaldun uses the term al- a abiyya in the sense of the 'grand' a abiyya and not the 'natural' a abiyya, which no one can eliminate. The construction of the 'grand' a abiyya happens by thinking because the intention to create something, he says, requires thinking about the order of things and an awareness of the reason, cause, or condition (shar ) of that thing.