'Asabiyyah (, also 'asabiyya, 'group feeling' or 'social cohesion') is a concept of

social solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

with an emphasis on unity, group consciousness, and a sense of shared purpose and social cohesion, originally used in the context of

tribalism Tribalism is the state of being organized by, or advocating for, tribes or tribal lifestyles. Human evolution primarily occurred in small hunter-gatherer groups, as opposed to in larger and more recently settled agricultural societies or civilizat ...

and

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

ism.Zuanna, Giampiero Dalla and Micheli, Giuseppe A. ''Strong Family and Low Fertility''. 2004, p. 92 In the modern period, it is generally analogous to

solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

. However, it is often negatively associated because it can sometimes suggest

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

or partisanship, i.e., loyalty to one's group regardless of circumstances. The concept was familiar in the pre-

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

era, but became popularized in

Ibn Khaldun Ibn Khaldun (27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732–808 Hijri year, AH) was an Arabs, Arab Islamic scholar, historian, philosopher and sociologist. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest social scientists of the Middle Ages, and cons ...

's '' Muqaddimah'', in which it is described as the fundamental bond of human society and the basic motive force of history, pure only in its nomadic form.Ibn Khaldun
The Muqaddimah
'', translated by F. Rosenthal. Ibn Khaldun argued that ''asabiyya'' is cyclical and directly relevant to the rise and fall of civilizations: it is strongest at the start of a civilization, declines as the civilization advances, and then another more compelling ''asabiyyah'' eventually takes its place to help establish a different civilization.

Hadith

Overview

Ibn Khaldun describes ''asabiyya'' as the bond of cohesion among humans in a group-forming community. The bond exists at any level of civilization, from nomadic society to states and empires. Tibi, Bassam. ''Arab nationalism''. 1997, p. 139 ''Asabiyyah'' is strongest in the nomadic phase, and decreases as civilization advances. As this declines, another more compelling ''asabiyyah'' may take its place; thus, civilizations rise and fall, and history describes these cycles as they play out. Ibn Khaldun argued that some

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

(or

civilization A civilization (also spelled civilisation in British English) is any complex society characterized by the development of state (polity), the state, social stratification, urban area, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyon ...

) has within itself the seeds of its own downfall. He explains that ruling houses tend to emerge on the peripheries of existing

empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

s and use the much stronger ''asabiyya'' present in their areas to their advantage, in order to bring about a change in leadership. This implies that the new rulers are at first considered '

barbarian A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

s' in comparison to the previous ones. As they establish themselves at the center of their empire, they become increasingly lax, less coordinated, disciplined and watchful, and more concerned with maintaining their new power and lifestyle. Their ''asabiyya'' dissolves into factionalism and individualism, diminishing their capacity as a political unit. Conditions are thus created wherein a new dynasty can emerge at the periphery of their control, grow strong, and effect a change in leadership, continuing the cycle. Ibn Khaldun also further states in the ''Muqaddimah'' that "dynasties have a natural life span like individuals", and that no dynasty generally lasts beyond three generations of about 40 years each.

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * Durkheim, Émile. 8931997. '' The Division of Labor in Society''. New York: The Free Press. * Gabrieli, F. 1930. ''Il concetto della 'asabiyyah nel pensiero storico di Ibn Khaldun'', Atti della R. Accad. delle scienze di Torino, lxv * *

.
The Muqaddimah
'', translated by F. Rosenthal.

External links

{{Islamic studies Sociological terminology Islamic terminology Arabic words and phrases