Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) was the first theorist of political sociology. In the Muqaddimah, he identified asabiyyah — social solidarity, group cohesion, esprit de corps — as the engine of history. All dynasties follow the same cycle. All of them.
The Asabiyyah Meter
Watch solidarity rise and fall through the dynasty's life cycle (click each stage below to animate)
Desert tribes — maximum asabiyyah
Asabiyyah (عصبية)
Social solidarity / group cohesion
The bond that holds a group together and gives it the will to fight, sacrifice, and conquer. Built by hardship, shared danger, and common purpose. Destroyed by luxury.
Mulk (ملك)
Royal authority / kingship
The political form that asabiyyah produces — the state, the dynasty. Once achieved, mulk begins to consume the asabiyyah that created it.
Hadara (حضارة)
Urban civilization / sedentary culture
The luxurious, settled life of cities. The enjoyment of civilization is the poison that dissolves asabiyyah over generations.
Umran (عمران)
Human civilization / social organization
The overall study of human social development — Ibn Khaldun's subject. He was the first to treat it as a science with regular laws.