In summarizing the Third Book of the Laws ...

In summarizing the Third Book of the Laws , al-Farabi informs us that Plato explained that all the nomoi are subject to generation and corruption and regeneration, and that he explained the growth of cities, the development of the arts, and the origins and development of governments.[^8] In this context, al-Farabi employs the two central terms which have come to be associated with ibn Khaldun’s new science, i.e.

‘umran and ‘asabiyyah .[^9] Since al-Farabi indicates that generation and corruption are inherent in all the nomoi and in all cities all the time (i.e. they occurred in the past, occur now, and will occur in the future), he is also alluding to the fact that Muslim governments and laws are equally subject to these natural laws. The context within which this and…