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Vol. 11 No. 4 (2026)
Special Issue: Sociology of the Islamic Golden Age

Special Issue: Sociology of the Islamic Golden Age

Ibn Mājid’s Kitāb Al-Fawā’id and the Concepts of ‘Trial and Error’ and ‘Methodological Doubt’ I: The Data

https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v11i4.1111

Published 18.09.2026

Andreas Eckart
University of Cologne

Mesut Idriz
University of Sharjah

Abstract

The well-established concepts of ‘trial and error’ and ‘methodological doubt’ can be compared to concepts found in the book of navigation “Kitāb al-Fawā’id” [The Book of Benefits] by the great Arabian navigator and writer Aḥmad ibn Mājid. While these concepts were developed in the 19th century by Conwy Lloyd Morgan and in the 17th century by René Descartes, respectively, we show that comparable concepts were developed and applied more than 200 years earlier by Ibn Mājid. We present textual evidence from his work highlighting how the observer’s psychological and physical characteristics are integral to the scientific process of accurate measurement, calculation, and the reliable transmission of knowledge. Specifically, we provide an exhaustive (complete) catalogue of the sections within the Kitāb al-Fawā’id where Ibn Mājid details his protocols for data collection, evaluation of inherited knowledge, and professional interactions with fellow navigators and mariners. This catalogue is required for later analysis.

Keywords

Ibn Mājid, Ibn al-Haytham, René Descartes, Conwy Morgan, Arabic astronomy, time keeping and navigation

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References

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