al-Muqaddima, often published in Arabic as Muqaddimat Ibn Khaldun or simply as al-Muqaddima, is a remarkable work of scholarship by the Muslim jurist, historian, philosopher, and thinker Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khaldun, widely known simply as Ibn Khaldūn (d. 1406 CE). In al-Muqaddima, Ibn Khaldun built an astounding body of knowledge covering broad areas of inquiry including history, philosophy, sociology, ethnography, economics, and other practical and abstract sciences.

This edition includes the Arabic text of al-Muqaddima, Book One, Chapter Five, Making a Living; and an introduction by the translator Ahmed E. Souaiaia, highlighting some of Ibn Khaldun's most significant theoretical contributions to economics.

About the translator: Dr. Souaiaia is a faculty member at the University of Iowa, with joint appointment in International Studies, Religious Studies, History, and College of Law.