“Islam and Critical Thinking: The Legacy of Ibn Khaldun”

Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq’s draft article “Islam and Critical Thinking: The Legacy of Ibn Khaldun” (September 2017) offers a timely and compelling intervention into contemporary debates concerning epistemology, intellectual heritage, and educational reform in the Muslim world. Situated at the intersection of Islamic intellectual history, historiography, and critical pedagogy, the article presents a forceful argument for reclaiming and revitalizing a tradition of critical inquiry exemplified by the 14th-century scholar Ibn Khaldun. Farooq positions Ibn Khaldun not merely as a historical figure of scholarly interest but as a pivotal intellectual whose methodological innovations remain urgently relevant for addressing what many scholars—including Abdulhamid Abu Sulayman and Tariq Ramadan—have diagnosed as a “crisis of thought” in contemporary Muslim societies.

The article begins by contextualizing the perceived tension between Islam and critical thinking, a discourse often marred by orientalist assumptions and internalized traditionalism. Farooq rightly challenges the notion that critical thinking is inherently “Western,” pointing instead to a rich legacy of rationalism and inquiry within Islamic civilization—epitomized by figures such as Al-Biruni, Ibn Sina, and Ibn Rushd. He traces the decline of this intellectual dynamism to the entrenchment of taqlid (imitative reasoning) and the prioritization of text-centered over life-centered methodologies. In this framework, Ibn Khaldun emerges as a critical hinge: a thinker who not only questioned the reliability of historical narratives but also proposed a systematic, empirically grounded methodology for discerning truth from falsehood.

A central strength of Farooq’s analysis lies in his close reading of the Muqaddima. He meticulously unpacks Ibn Khaldun’s sevenfold critique of historical error—ranging from partisan bias and uncritical reliance on transmitters to ignorance of sociopolitical realities—demonstrating how these align with modern standards of critical thinking. Particularly noteworthy is Farooq’s discussion of Ibn Khaldun’s insistence that the matn (content) of a report must be evaluated for its logical and empirical coherence, not just the isnad (chain of transmission). This insight challenges conventional hadith scholarship and, by extension, broader epistemic practices in Islamic intellectual tradition that privilege authority over rational scrutiny.

Farooq further situates Ibn Khaldun as the progenitor of a “new science”—the study of human social organization (‘ilm al-‘umran)—that predates and in many ways anticipates modern sociology, historiography, and political economy. By highlighting Ibn Khaldun’s intellectual autonomy, humility, and courage, Farooq effectively models the very traits he advocates for contemporary Muslim thinkers. The article also thoughtfully acknowledges the limits of Ibn Khaldun’s legacy: despite his groundbreaking contributions, his critical methodology failed to take root in subsequent Islamic scholarship until Western academia “rediscovered” him, often divorcing his work from its Islamic intellectual context.

The piece concludes with a call to action: to re-embed critical thinking within Islamic education and intellectual culture by drawing on indigenous resources like Ibn Khaldun. This vision resonates with the work of institutions such as the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) and thinkers like Ziauddin Sardar, who envision a reformed Islamic epistemology that is both authentically rooted and dynamically engaged with modern challenges.

While the article is clearly marked as a “draft in progress,” it is remarkably well-structured and rich in primary and secondary references. One potential area for expansion would be a deeper engagement with contemporary pedagogical applications—how precisely might Ibn Khaldun’s tools be operationalized in modern Islamic curricula? Additionally, a more nuanced discussion of the relationship between revelation and reason in Ibn Khaldun’s epistemology could further strengthen the argument.

In sum, Farooq’s article is a significant contribution to the discourse on Islamic intellectual renewal. It deftly combines historical analysis, methodological critique, and normative vision, making a persuasive case that Ibn Khaldun’s legacy offers not only a corrective to intellectual stagnation but also a pathway toward a more vibrant, reflective, and ethically grounded Islamic thought for the 21st century.

 A review of “Islam and Critical Thinking: The Legacy of Ibn Khaldun” by Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq