Title: Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun

Author: Ibn Khaldun (Tunisian)

Translator: Chen Keli

Publisher: Huawen Publishing House

Edition: 1st Edition, July 2017

Printing: 3rd Printing, August 2022

Format: 16 - mo Binding: Hardcover

Printed Sheets: 26.5 Word Count: 220,000 characters

ISBN: 9787507547238

Price: 68.00 CNY

This book is a renowned masterpiece of historical philosophy, approximately completed in 1378. The majority of the book expounds on the roles and influences of civilization in different historical development stages in aspects such as religion, society, economy, art, and science. It contains both historical theories and philosophical issues. The whole book consists of a "Preface" and six chapters of the main text. The "Preface" is an introduction to historiography, mainly stating that history is not only a collection of political changes and records of dynasties but also a portrayal of the moral and cultural development of a nation. The main text covers aspects such as human civilization, primitive society, national politics, urban society, lifestyle, academic education, etc. The book also puts forward a new theory of historical development, affirming the effects of material conditions such as climate and geography on spiritual forces like morality. Since its publication, this work has attracted great attention from the world's historical academia, and the author has gained great prestige ever since.

Ibn Khaldun (1332 - 1406) was a famous medieval Arab philosopher, historian, and political activist. His original name was Abd al - Rahman ibn Muhammad. Born in Tunisia, he was a descendant of the Arab nobility in Seville. He was proficient in religious scriptures, doctrines, religious laws, philosophy, and history, and was well - versed in linguistics and literature. In 1352, he started his political career, first serving in the Hafsid Dynasty in Tunisia, and later working as a court secretary in the Sultan's court in Fez, Morocco. He was imprisoned due to slander. In 1374, he secluded himself in the Castle of Ibn Salamah and dedicated himself to research. He passed away in Cairo in 1406. Ibn Khaldun had many works, covering philosophy, logic, history, jurisprudence, mathematics, and poetry, but most of them have been lost. His extant famous historical - philosophical masterpiece is The History of the Arabs, Persians, and Berbers. Among them, Introduction to History (also translated as The Muqaddimah) has been translated into various languages and published. His theories are highly regarded by European philosophers, historians, and sociologists, who call him "one of the founders of the philosophy of human history and sociology". Arab scholars praise him as "an epoch - making Islamic historian and philosopher".

Chen Keli (1923 - 1970) was a renowned Chinese Islamic scholar and translator. From 1952 to 1957, he taught successively at the Department of Oriental Languages and Literatures of Peking University and the Chinese Islamic Institute. He had numerous translations, about 30 kinds, mainly including Islam as Seen from Muhammad, The Book of Hadith, Introduction to Arab Historiography, Islam and Society, The Red Letter, Introduction to History, The Shahnameh, The Relationship between China and Arabia, The Biography of Ibn Battuta, etc.