Ibn Khaldun on the Fate of Islamic Science after the 11th Century​

Recent studies in the history of Islamic science illustrate that Islam's contributions were richer and more profound than was previously thought. In their attempt to provide answers to what happened to Islamic science after the eleventh century, historians and scholars construct a simplified model that describes all branches of Islamic science in terms of failure. In this article, Ibn Khaldnn's analysis of the fate of Islamic science will be examined to show his insightful understanding of, and the failure of scholars in, understanding what happened.

Keywords: Islamic science; Ibn Khaldun; golden age of Islamic science; decline theory; handmaiden approach to history of science.

Journal of Islam & Science, Vol. 5 (Summer 2007) No. 1

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Mohamad Abdalla

Mohammad Abdalla is the Founding Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies and the Griffith Islamic Research Unit (GIRU) at Griffith University.