A New Reading of the Ẓāhir and Bāṭin of History in Al-Muqaddima by Ibn Khaldun

This essay offers a new interpretation of the terms ẓāhir and bāṭin in Al-Muqaddima based on Ibn Khaldun's philosophy of language and rhetorical style. It shows that the figurative phrase fī bāṭinihi, followed by the term naẓar, implies that bāṭin is where historians should look to verify their information. On this reading, bāṭin denotes human association and its “essential conditions”. The terms also imply that there is reason in the bāṭin of history. Polities are at the core of history and its study, and politics requires reason to conduct. In this context, bāṭin is the content and substance of history, which refers to political organization and the range of rational actions required for the management of society. The ẓāhir of history, on the other hand, refers to the expression where the conditions of speech need to conform to the conditions in human association. This interpretation underscores the role of choice in Al-Muqaddima and challenges the determinism prevalent in the secondary literature.