The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History

“Throughout history many nations have suffered a physical defeat, but that has never marked the end of a nation. But when a nation has become the victim of a psychological defeat, then that marks the end of a nation.”

“الكامل في المعرفة محروم من الحظ...لأنه حوسب بما رزق من المعرفة , و أقتطع له ذلك من الحظ ..”

“اعلم أن الدنيا كلها و أحوالها (عند الشارع) مطية للآخرة، و من فقد المطية فقد الوصول.”

“النفس إذا ألفت شيئا ً صار من جبلتها وطبيعتها ...لأنها كثيرة التلون .”

“عوائد كل جيل تابعة لعوائد سلطانه.”

“من كان مرباه بالعسف والقهر من المتعلمين أو المماليك أو الخدم سطا به القهر، وضيّق على النفس فى انبساطها، وذهب بنشاطها، ودعاه إلى الكسل، وحُمِلَ على الكذب والخبث وهو التظاهر بغير ما فى ضميره خوفـًا من انبساط الأيدى بالقهر عليه، وعلّمه المكر والخديعة لذلك، وصارت له هذه عادةً وخُلُقـًا، وفسدت معانى الإنسانية التى له من حيث الاجتماع والتمرن، وهى الحَمِية والمدافعة عن نفسه ومنزله، وصار عيالاً على غيره فى ذلك، بل وكسلت النفس عن اكتساب الفضائل والخُلُق الجميل، فانقبضت عن غايتها ومدى إنسانيتها، فارتكس وعاد فى أسفل السافلين.”

“قال المولي مخاطباً بني إسرائيل علي لسان موسى {يَا قَوْمِ ادْخُلُوا الأَرْضَ المُقَدَّسَةَ} فكان جوابهم {إِنَّ فِيهَا قَوْمًا جَبَّارِينَ وَإِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَا حَتَّىَ يَخْرُجُواْ مِنْهَا فَإِن يَخْرُجُواْ مِنْهَا} وقالوا له {فَاذْهَبْ أَنتَ وَرَبُّكَ فَقَاتِلا} = فعاقبهم بالتيه أربعين سنة، والمقصود منه فناء الجيل الذين ألفوا الذل والقهر وتخلقوا به، حتى نشأ في ذلك التيه جيل آخر عزيز لا يعرف القهر والمذلة، ويظهر من ذلك أن الأربعين سنة أقل ما يأتي به فناء جيل ونشأه جيل آخر.”

“في الدول التي يؤسسها البدو لابد من اللجوء الى العجم في كل ما يختص بشأن البناء”

“ولكون هذه النفوس مفطورة على النقص والقصور عن الكمال كان إدراكها في الجزئيات أكثر من الكليات”

“People justify their own subservience to pleasure by citing men and women of the past who allegedly did the same things they are doing.”

“No one can stand up against the authority of truth, and the evil of falsehood is to be fought with enlightening speculation.”

“History, therefore, is firmly rooted in philosophy. It deserves to be accounted a branch of philosophy.”

“الفصل الثالث و العشرون : في أنالمغلوب مولع ابدا بالاقتداء بالغالب في شعاره, و زيه,و نحلته, و سائر أحواله و عوائده:و السبب في ذلك: أن النفس أبدا تعتقد الكمال في من غلبها و انقادت إليه. إما لنظره بالكمال بما وقر عندها من تعظيمه, أو لما تغالط به من أن انقيادها ليس لغلب طبيعي, أنمت هو لكمال غالب, فإذا غالطت بذلك و اتصل لها, حصل اعتقادا, فانتحلت جميع مذاهب الغالب, و تشبهت به, و ذلك هو الاقتداء. أو لما تراه-و الله أعلم- من أن غلب الغالب لها ليس بعصبية و لا قوة بأس, و أنما هو بما انتحله من العوائد و المذاهب, تغالط أيضا بذلك عن الغلب,و هذا راجع للأول, و لذلك ترى المغلوب يتشبه أبدا بالغالب في ملبسه و مركبه و سلاحه في اتخاذها و أشكالها, بل و في سائر أحواله.”

“When trouble arose between 'All and Mu'awiyah as a necessary consequence of group feeling, they were guided in (their dissensions) by the truth and by independent judgment. They did not fight for any worldly purpose or over preferences of no value, or for reasons of personal enmity. This might be suspected, and heretics might like to think so. However, what caused their difference was their independent judgment as to where the truth lay. It was on this matter that each side opposed the point of view of the other. It was for this that they fought. Even though 'Ali was in the right, Mu'awiyah's intentions were not bad ones. He wanted the truth, but he missed (it). Each was right in so far as his intentions were concerned.”

“[T]he purpose of human beings is not only their worldly welfare. This entire world is trifling and futile. It ends in death and annihilation. The purpose of human beings is their religion, which leads them to happiness in the other world.”

“Muhammad said: Every infant is born in the natural state. It is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a heathen.”

“Dynasty and government serve as the world's market place, attracting to it the products of scholarship and craftsmanship alike. Wayward wisdom and forgotten lore turn up there. In this market stories are told and items of historical information are delivered. Whatever is in demand on this market is in general demand everywhere else. Now, whenever the established dynasty avoids injustice, prejudice, weakness, and double-dealing, with determination keeping to the right path and never swerving from it, the wares on its market are as pure silver and fine gold. However, when it is influenced by selfish interests and rivalries, or swayed by vendors of tyranny and dishonesty, the wares of its market place become as dross and debased metals. The intelligent critic must judge for himself as he looks around, examining this, admiring that, and choosing this.”

“Government decisions are as a rule unjust, because pure justice is found only in the legal caliphate that lasted only a short while.”

“[I]njustice can be committed only by persons who cannot be touched, only by persons who have power and authority.”

“In the case of all human qualities, the extremes are reprehensible, and the middle road is praiseworthy.”

“The knowledge that has not come down to us is larger than the knowledge that has.”

“Every realm may have as large a militia as it can hold and support, but no more.”

“الموجودات التي وراء الحس و هي الروحانيات و يسمونه العلم الإلهي و علم ما بعد الطبيعة فإن ذواتها مجهولة رأسا و لا يمكن التوصل إليها و لا البرهان عليها لأن تجريد المعقولات من الموجودات”

“People justify their own subservience to pleasure by citing the supposed doings of men and women of the past.”

“The capital of knowledge that an individual scholar has to offer is small. Admission (of one’s shortcomings) saves from censure.”

“We, on the other hand, were inspired by God. He led us to a science whose truth we ruthlessly set forth. If I have succeeded in presenting the problems of this science exhaustively and in showing how it differs in its various aspects and characteristics from all other crafts, this is due to divine guidance. If, on the other hand, I have omitted some point, or if the problems have got confused with something else, the task of correcting remains for the discerning critic, but the merit is mine since I cleared and marked the way.God guides with His light whom He will.”

“قُدم تعلم القرآن للولدان في الأمصار الإسلامية دون غيره من العلوم خشية ما يعرض للولد من الآفات والقواطع عن العلم؛ فيفوته القرآن...فإذا تجاوز البلوغ ربما عصفت به رياح الشبيبة، فألقته بساحل البطالة؛ فيغتنمون تحصيله في زمان الحجر؛ لئلا يذهب خلوا منه”

“The intellect (mind), indeed, is a correct scale. Its indications are completely certain and in no way wrong. However, the intellect should not be used to weigh such matters as the oneness of God, the other world, the truth of prophecy, the real character of the divine attributes, or anything else that lies beyond the level of the intellect. That would mean to desire the impossible. One might compare it with a man who sees a scale in which gold is being weighed, and wants to weigh mountains in it. The (fact that this is impossible) does not prove that the indications of the scale are not true (when it is used for its proper purpose). However, there is a limit at which the intellect must stop. It cannot go beyond its own level. Thus, it cannot comprehend God and His attributes. It is but one of the atoms of the world of existence which results from (God). This shows that those who give the intellect preference over (traditional) information in such matters are wrong, deficient in understanding, and faulty in reasoning. This, then, explains the true situation in this respect.”

“اليمن إلى ساحل السويس قريباً من مصر و تحت باب المندب جزيرة سواكن و دهلك و قبالته من غربيه مجالات البخة من أمم السودان كما ذكرناه و من شرقيه في هذا الجزء تهائم اليمن و منها على ساحله بلد علي بن يعقوب و في جهة الجنوب من بلد زالع و على ساحل هذا البحر من غربيه ترى بربر يتلو بعضها بعضاً و”

“و من كلام عمر رضي الله عنه: من لم يؤدبه الشرع لا أدبه الله.”