Philosophy of Mysticism from Ibn Khaldun’s Perspective

Ibn Khaldun (732-808 A.H.), as the founder of civil engineering, is often known as a philosopher of history, sociologist and civilizational scientist; however, his research is extended to many fields of knowledge of his era with valuable outcomes one of which is the philosophy of mysticism, which has not yet received due research attention. In this article, his specific point of view in this field is analyzed; the issues dealt with are originality, epistemology and mystical perceptions, and the unity of existence from the standpoint of his specefic mystic philosophy with a special analytic focus on his major views on these issues. The purpose of this descriptive study is to understand Ibn Khaldun’s sympathy with mysticism adopting a library research methos with reference to his major works. The results clearly show that Ibn Khaldun, though not a formal mystic, had a great tendency towards mysticism.