Genealogy or Asabiyya? Ibn Khaldun between Arab Nationalism and the Ottoman Caliphate.

The article discusses the influence of the historian Ibn Khaldun on the political debates on the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century between Arab nationalists', who believed in the importance of tribal affiliation, and the Ottoman Empire supporters, who held the Khaldunian theory based on asabiyaa, or group feeling. An overview of the role that the Qurʾan and hadiths played in the intellectual debate on the Ottoman Empire, including in regard to the authority of the Ottoman sultan, is provided. The relationship between European colonialism and the debate over the Ottoman Empire is discussed. The popular belief among Arab nationalists that the caliph should be a member of the Quraysh tribe is also discussed.