Thursday, September 10, 2020
Alberuni's description of India
Al-Biruni, also known as Alberuni, was an influential Persian scholar, mathematician, astronomer, and historian who lived during the Islamic Golden Age. He made significant contributions to various fields of knowledge and wrote extensively about different cultures and civilizations. One of his notable works is "Kitab al-Hind" or "Alberuni's India," where he documented his observations and findings about the Indian subcontinent during the 11th century.
In "Alberuni's India," Al-Biruni provides a comprehensive account of the geography, culture, religion, science, and social practices of the Indian people. He was particularly interested in understanding the Hindu religion and Indian philosophy. Al-Biruni was proficient in Sanskrit, which allowed him to study Hindu texts and engage with Indian scholars directly.
His work is considered a valuable source for historians and scholars interested in the medieval history of India. Al-Biruni's open-minded approach and meticulous research methods have earned him respect among scholars of various cultures and religions. His writings continue to be studied and referenced in the study of Indian history and cultural exchange between the Islamic world and the Indian subcontinent.
Alberuni's description of India
The description that Alberuni has written about India is being written briefly below:
Social status
Alberuni writes that the entire Hindu society was stuck in rigid bonds of caste system. At that time there were bad practices of child marriage and sati. Widows were not allowed to remarry.
Religious status
According to his description, idolatry was prevalent in the whole country. People used to give a lot of donations to temples. There was a lot of money in the temples. The common people believed in many gods and goddesses while the well-educated and the scholars believed in only one God.
Political life
The whole of India was divided into small states. Among them, Kannauj, Malwa, Gujarat, Sindh, Kashmir and Bengal were more famous. They lacked the national spirit. They always fought due to jealousy among themselves.
Judicial system
Foreclosure laws were soft. Brahmins were not given death penalty. Only the hands and feet of the perpetrators were repeatedly cut off.
Indian philosophy
Alberuni was very impressed by Indian philosophy. He has praised the lofty philosophical views of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads freely,
Historical knowledge
Regarding writing history, he writes, "Indians have little knowledge about historical events to date and when they are pressed more for information, they start a story."
Nature
Indians boast falsely and are not willing to give their knowledge to others. He has written that, "Hindus are very stingy in imparting their knowledge to others, they give hard knowledge to the people of their caste, foreigners are far away. Hindus understand that there is no country like them, there is no religion in the world like them, no one has knowledge like them.