Isnād of Ibn Khaldūn: Maghribi Tradition of Knowledge in Mamlūk Cairo

Abstract

In Muḥarram 791 H/January 1389 CE, Ibn Khaldūn (732–808 H/1332–1406 CE) was appointed as a professor of ḥadīth at the Ṣarghitmish madrasa in Cairo. He chose to lecture on al-Muwaṭṭaʾ, the famous ḥadīth collection compiled by Mālik ibn Anas (d. 179 H/795 CE). His first lecture, before starting on the body of the text, focused on his isnād and the brief introduction of the author and book. For his autobiography, Ibn Khaldūn reproduced the full text of his first lecture, including his isnād that traces back to the author Mālik.1 Figure 1 is the reconstructed isnād of Ibn Khaldūn based on his lecture text.2 One of the remarkable things in this figure is that it shows only Maghribi3 scholars’ names, and none of Mashriqi scholars’, except the author Mālik. It is true that Ibn Khaldūn was born in Tunis and lived in various cities and towns in al-Maghrib, such as Fez, Granada, and others, until he finally migrated to Cairo around the age of 50. Given that he learned from Maghribi scholars in the early stages of his life and inherited the Maghribi tradition of knowledge, it does not seem so surprising that his isnād does not include any Mashriqi scholars’ names.