Desire is an essential concept in “The Muqaddimah”. Khaldun addresses this part of human existence throughout the text, describing its numerous embodiments. As portrayed by the scholar, the concept takes the form of wishes, wants, aspirations, impulses, and yearnings. Nevertheless, not depending on the shape that a desire takes, it is rarely a source of happiness and wellness in the work. To show the malignancy of desire, Khaldun uses metaphors, for instance, inexplicitly comparing a desire to a rope leading to misery. This symbolic portrayal of the emotion demonstrates a significant element of Khaldun’s worldview – asceticism and abstinence from worldly temptations. In the historian’s opinion, those that do not practice these traits will lose their spirituality and inevitably fail when they try to reach a position they are not qualified for.
The scholar describes desire as the root of misery and the failure to achieve fulfillment in life. He crystallizes attitude to the emotion in the passage about the craft of teaching. In the excerpt, Khaldun likens desire to “a rope which often slips from their hands [from hands of professional men and artisans] and precipitates them into the abyss of ruinous perdition” (Khaldun 78). In this case, the desire is an aspiration to occupy positions for which professional men and artisans are unfit. People’s desires continuously grow and eventually lead them to seek achievements beyond their capabilities, perverting their craft in futile attempts to match true masters.
In addition to deepening Khaldun’s attitude to ambitiousness, the metaphor obscures the significance of desire in spirituality. As an Islamic scholar, Khaldun highly esteems such role of this emotion. According to him, the “desire for divine worship” distinguishes virtuous, angelic souls from weak and easily tempted ones (Khaldun 144). This beneficial aspect of desire serves to elevate an individual and free them from worldly temptations. As such, the passage argues that the inherent problem with desire is its nature and what it targets; meanwhile, the metaphor in question highlights only its negative aspect.
Another part of the problem with desire, which Khaldun condemns, is the impossibility to realize it. Ruinous perdition stems from the contradiction of the reality of life and human aspirations. By using the metaphor of “slipping rope”, the scholar indirectly suggests that an essential quality for an Islamic person is to realize their place in life, be content with it, and find peace within. At one moment, the scholar even straightforwardly states that “God is our refuge from men’s desire” (71). By embracing God, one will free themselves from the troubles that affect them and reach happiness.
On the other hand, one can also argue that in the metaphor, Khaldun primarily considers professional ambitiousness and not desire as a larger phenomenon. This idea seems sound especially considering that the scholar emphasizes that problem with ambitiousness arises when “men and artisans who work for a living aspire to positions for which they are not fit” (Khaldun 78). However, the discourse with which the historian chooses to follow the metaphor contradicts this interpretation. Khaldun begins writing about the perversion of how some people see judges. In his opinion, people read about the powerful positions of past judges and desire the same power, striving for the position despite it not carrying the same prestige any longer (Khaldun 80). This phantom of past glory is the metaphorical rope that drags them away from virtue and into ruin. The issue is not that they are incapable but rather that they desire that which they cannot achieve, which lends credence to the metaphor.
In conclusion, the historian uses the “slipping rope” metaphor to demonstrate how a person can be misguided by their desires. The metaphor reflects the larger theme of “The Muqaddimah”: the author’s disapproval of frivolous lifestyle and call for religiosity. In addition to highlighting Khaldun’s position on the subject, the metaphor obscures another significant aspect of the issue – the nature of desire and its ability to be beneficial for one’s spirituality.
Reference
Khaldūn, Ibn. The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History. Abridged and edited by Nessim Joseph Dawood, translated and introduced by Franz Rosenthal, Princeton University Press, 2005.