Kitab Al Hind 🏆

Once he understood the language, Al-Biruni began writing. He did not write to praise or to condemn India. He wrote to describe it. He used a brilliant method: he would explain a Hindu idea, then immediately compare it to a similar idea from Greek philosophy or Islamic science.

He finished his book in 1030 CE. He called it Kitab fi Tahqiq ma li'l-Hind —"The Book of Verifying What Belongs to India." It had 80 chapters covering: Hindu religion, caste, marriage, astronomy, geometry, medicine, law, festivals, and even the game of chess. kitab al hind

But the most important chapter was the first: "On the Difficulty of Understanding Another Nation." Once he understood the language, Al-Biruni began writing

The Sultan laughed. "What is there to learn from a conquered land?" He used a brilliant method: he would explain

Al-Biruni was not interested in treasure. When the Sultan returned from his raids, Al-Biruni asked only for one thing:

And so Al-Biruni went to India.