The concern of prominent historians before Ibn Khaldun was to transmit reports and narratives, record them accurately, and compile abundant material to faithfully and clearly depict the past, making its reading both useful and instructive. While ancient historians excelled in transmitting and amassing material for their works, Ibn Khaldun added another merit. He distinguished between history as mere recording and the philosophy of history or analytical history. He persistently questioned the causes and reasons behind events and phenomena, seeking logical answers derived from his knowledge of the nature of human civilization. In doing so, he went beyond the prevailing methodology to demonstrate how to avoid historical fallacies and subjective biases as much as possible, despite the relativity inherent in the nature of human sciences.

Doubt, scrutiny, Ibn Khaldun.