Ibn Khaldūn on the Fate of Islamic Science after the 11th Century

Abstract

Recent studies in the history of Islamic science illus- trate that Islam’s contributions were richer and more profound than was previously thought. In their at- tempt 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 Khaldūn’s analysis of the fate of Islamic science will be examined to show his insight- ful understanding of, and the failure of scholars in, understanding what happened.