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Muqaddimah, the theory of Asabiyyah, father of sociology and historiography
In the long theoretical introduction (Muqaddimah) to his history of the world, Ibn Khaldun argued dynasties rise and fall in cycles driven by Asabiyyah — the group solidarity and cohesion of a tribe or people — strongest among hardy, unified tribal groups, and which inevitably weakens as a dynasty settles into urban luxury and loses its unifying bond. This cyclical, causal analysis of social and political change, centuries ahead of similar European ideas, is why he is regarded as a founder of sociology and historiography.
North African statesman, judge and scholar who served multiple rulers across the Maghreb and Andalusia before settling in Cairo, where he wrote his most enduring work.