The Arabs Recognized about the Sacred Indian books: Rediscovering a Text by Al-Biruni

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to revive research in Indian culture and religious traditions in response to modern scientific, cultural, and strategic challenges by shedding light on aspects of the origins of Arab Indology, which took significant strides with distinguished scholars, notably Abu Rayhan al-Biruni (443 AH -1051 AD). Methods: The study primarily relied on expository research to gather and analyze data, resorting to historical analysis and comparison between what al-Biruni presented and what religious dictionaries have expanded upon. Results: The study highlighted the Arab scientific community's need to revive "Indology," established by scholars of the Islamic civilization during the Abbasid era. It also underscored the significance of al-Biruni's writings regarding sacred Brahmanic texts, contributing to bringing them closer to interested parties, a feat not accomplished before this study. Conclusions: Al-Biruni is considered the founder of Indology in our intellectual and cultural realm through his authored and translated religious books, notably his book "Verification of the Truth of the Hindu Saying Accepted in Reason or Rejected." He presented the most important sacred Sanskrit texts he could access during his journey to India, providing a detailed description of their names, content, and meanings. However, benefiting from al-Biruni's treasures in our era remains weak due to the difficulty of understanding his intended meaning without clarifying contexts, updating names and phrases, and providing necessary annotations and comments.