Who Were the Founders of Sociology?

Who Were the Founders of Sociology?

Dr. M. Basharat Ali

It is a common assertion that Comte was the first thinker, who introduced the modern sociology, but this point of view is not corroborated by the facts of the history. The European historians now openly admit their inferential mistakes. Hearan Show, Toyanbee, Sorokin, the most modern authorities in historicism and the social philosophy, on one hand, and the orientalists with Khaldun as their field of inquiry, on the other, admit that about more than six hundred years ago from Comte, it was Khaldun who discovered some of the laws, principles and procedures of the modern sociology and he propounded some of the theories, which stand valid even today. Among them which are to be mentioned here, are the most modern theories of space-time causality, Linear trend and micro and macro sociological approaches. The one discovered by Khaldun—the sociology of eschatology or metaphysics, still unknown to the modern sociologists.

Social thoughts are the common legacy of mankind. Their history is traceable since 400 B.C., but these thoughts were never systematized in terms of knowledge system. Inspired by the sociological thought patterns of the Qur’an, the Muslim thinkers took initiative to formulate them into definitive system of knowledge in fuller corroboration with the systems of knowledge, like humanities physical sciences and the sciences called by German thinkers as Geistcs Wissen Schaftcn of spiritual sciences. Under those circumstances it was not possible to bifurcate sociology with philosophy or theology. Kindi, Farabi, lbn-e-Maskaoai and host of others are the predecessors of lbn Khaldun. He was the person who systematized and synthesized this useful science, giving it the shape of system of knowledge.

The processes of systernatization and synthesization involve four things.

1.     The depth and levels approach

2.     Axiological existential base and the social determinants of thoughts.

3.     The scientific procedure, i.e. including empiricism, critical vision and insight.

4.     The unitary and totality concept of life.

In the first category the Qur‘anic terms Tafakkaraon, Yash’araon, Tanziraan and Ta’qiIaon which lead us to the constant reference of things created seen or unseen, are full of meanings. Their objectification is constantly referred to by the Qur’an under the term Sabaha with its derivatives. The object of man’s superiority over all things created is determined by an axiom referring to this fact that he was created to worship God. One of the source of realization of this end is the constant struggle to subjugate the nature and to be always absorbed in the pursuit of knowledge—empirical, supra-empirical or spiritual etc. These form the basis of the meaning system of the society, institutions and culture.

If the very terms of Yash’aro0n and Tanziruon etc., lead to the depth and levels approach to the problem, they and the very exclusive terms Sama. Basar and Fawad lead us to the inference that they definitely refer to the empirical scientific methodology with its interdependent constituents of induction, deduction, experience, experimentalism and analysis etc. In the all-embracing term of Tawheed, the very idea of the totality and unity of life is covered. Tawheed is the basis or more accurately, the source of all the value system. It is logicomeaningfully and causally related with the attributes of God, which are ninety-nine in number. These attributes to be designated as different types of values, are conglomerated into one composite-whole—the principle of Tawheed which forms the major premise of Islamic culture and the social order both horizontally and vertically on one hand and on the other structurally. These attributes of God, are involved in the very depth and levels of the society, personality, culture and nature. In one way or another one or more of them being demonstrated in the attitude, behaviour and action of both the persons and institutions.

Within the frame-work of these attributes, it is possible to determine the human typology. The constituent elements, necessarily found in every human type are the attributes of Aleem, Baseer and Raheem. With these attributes all possible human association and reciprocity are possible. The entire process in its minutest detail requires sufficient amount of cognizance and hence there is no escape from knowledge and experience. Those who fail to utilize these ingredients in the formation of their personality traits, they are condemned as simply ignorant and cruel (ظلوما جھولا). The acutest form of this sort of deviancy pattern, has been condemned in terms of sealing of the mind, hearing and seeing, the definitive form of the decay of the person.

In the modern times, it is said that the culture is the result of the meaningful orientation and combinations of the systems of religion and truth, knowledge and philosophy etc. The Qur‘an does not believe in the system of knowledge in its philosophical and simple frame-work of reference, except in terms of sociological and axiological orientations. Thus the Qur’anic theory of knowledge as analyzed in the story of Adam is the theory of the sociology of knowledge—a sociological discipline which came into being very recently. Adam was born in a social atmosphere and hence the endowed knowledge re—originates and develops in its right societal and socio-cultural surroundings. Knowledge thus developed fruitfully acts and reacts on the society and gives momentum for the further expansion of the society and the resultant culture in right direction.

The social determinants of knowledge in their elementals and composite whole are meaningful. Thus knowledge dislocated from its central theme is no knowledge at all.

The religion which forms one of the system of culture, is neither dichotomous, nor a simple spiritual entity, looking at the life as profane or negating the empirical and sensate realities. It is totality of life, leading towards unity, harmony and solidarity. It is very unfortunate that the principle of Tawheed is seen in its religious perspective, instead as a major premise of the human nature and Nature. The Qur’an constantly points out that everything refers to unity and harmony.

With the points of view of structural analysis and functionalism it is demanded that culture must necessarily have four ingredients, without them the origination and the configurationally growth of a culture is an impossibility. The four ingredients are as follows :

(a)   The system of meaning

(b)   The system of agency

(c)   The system of vehicle

(d)   The system of value orientation pattern.

These thoughts are fully in conformity with the Qur’anic sociological postulates and axioms. The Qur’an is the first to formulate them and will remain first in expounding them under the frame-work of meanings. As all names and attributes of God are ultimately combined into one category—the Principle of Tawheed, likewise the meanings are ultimately united into that category, as fully enunciated in the Sura lkhlas. This Sura in its dimension is most important from the points view of axiomatic and axiological sociology.

The system of meaning is the Names and Attributes of God, and on them alone the society, personality and culture is to be evolved, and on them alone they are to be institutionalized to be socialized. It is incumbent duty of the social and political organizations to take persistent care for the preservation and transformation of values. Transformation involves the processes of constant provision for the individuals and groups of each subsequent generations to internalize them. On prophethood, the system of agency rests. In the system of vehicle, the Qur’an is totally involved. It is a value system to meet the changing space-time conditions of life which are typified into two categories—fundamental and allegorical. Both are applied value patterns. There is no change possible in the Fundamentals, but the allegorical are liable to change, under the strict proviso that they should be interpreted in strict conformity with the form, content and meanings of the Fundamental value system.

Society in its preservation and transformation of value and meaning system is inevitably in the constant need of patterns. The Qur’an definitely lays emphasis that all life should be constructed on the life pattern of Muhammad (ﷺ). The problems of pattern, action, space-time dimensions and spiritual values are the focalized points on which the modern thinkers of sociology are concentrating their research attentions.

The Qur’anic sociology is the first to emphasize on Weltanschauung (world outlook) space-time realities and Zeitgeist (spirit of the age, the problems which are coming into lime light today). The entire socio-cultural system of Islam rests on action and the failure to action is simply condemned as Kufr. The inevitable corollary from such failure will lead to the personal and social disorganizations.

The Qur’an thus forms the source Book for the origination and development of social thought and sociology in Islam. Inspired by this source the philosophers, theologians and jurists etc., in their respective fields developed the social philosophy, sociology of religion and the sociology of law etc. These contributions which were developed along with the usual fields of their specialization, were overlooked by the following generations of scholars. It is also very unfortunate that the commentators of the Qur’an, who produced voluminous works comprising hundred’s of volumes, never attempted to magnify the sociological implications of the Qur’an. It was Ibn Khaldun who on the basis of the Qur’an systematized and developed the sociology, which is the first and the last. Last because, he with his idealistic cultural mentality of Islam, laid down the first foundation of the integrated idealistic sociology, which will remain unique and unprecedented for ages to come. Because of the inherent dualistic cultural mentality of the West, the modern sociology is either sensate or ideational. The predominant element of sensatism in the modern sociology has made it a curse rather than it blessing.

The Qur’anic sociology developed as an interdependent science of different fields of scholarship by the different Muslim thinkers and given an exclusive shape by Ibn Khaldun later on, remained in a state of obliviousness for centuries together after Khaldun. It was revived after a long time by Imam Waliullah of Delhi. He added new disciplines to it. The pathological and theromapatic portions of his Hujjat are the most significant contributions. After him, once more the Qur’anic sociology went to stupor and a condition of foreget-fulness. Neither the foreign nor the Muslims are fully in knowledge that the sociology was the field of activity of the Muslims. In terms of its typological orientations it was developed along two different but mutually reciprocal axiological lines as delineated by the Qur’an in the verse 3: 6, in terms of Muhkamats and Mumshabilzat, one permanent and the other in form flexible to meet the recurring changes of the space-time dimensions, but necessarily relevant in its axiological base to the non-flexible one the Muhkamat. This mutual reciprocity had its own causal relativity and axiological meaning, referring each in the depth and levels meanings involved in them. These problems are related to the Qur’anic micro-macro and etiological sociologies, which can be discussed in detail here. This cursory account of the Qur’anic sociology is simple to invite the best inquisitive minds both in the East and the West, to pay their research attention to the field which was previously discovered by the Muslims, and remains undiscovered and expanded through the lethargy of the Muslims. So long this atmosphere of darkness and incognizance will remain dominant, Comte will ever be called the first founder of the Science of Society.