Contemporary Notions: Ibn Khaldun’s ‘Asabiyyah Revisited

The phrase ’asabiyyah was profoundly foregrounded 600 years ago by Ibn Khaldun in his magnum opus, the Mukadimah, as the principal determinant to the rise and fall of a civilisation. Nevertheless, the debate on contemporary concepts such as nationalism, patriotism, national identity and sense of belonging are adopted in addressing statehood and nation which are deeply related to the discussion of Ibn Khaldun’s ’asabiyyah. Accordingly, this article presents the revisiting act of discussing Ibn Khaldun’s ‘asabiyyah within contemporary notions. This discussion involves a qualitative approach through content analysis from various literatures which considers the views of scholars on the concepts of patriotism, nationalism, national identity and sense of belonging and these concepts were derived from Ibn Khaldun’s ’asabiyyah. Ergo, many scholars have recognised the contribution of Ibn Khaldun s ’asabiyyah, and it stays relevant in today’s contemporary concepts.