Abu Rayhan al-Biruni · Science

The India: A Civilization Studied on Its Own Terms

Al-Biruni&rsquo;s <em>Tahqiq ma li-l-Hind</em> - the book in which he learned Sanskrit, read the Hindu sages in the original, and set out to report their doctrines &lsquo;without prejudice,&rsquo; as a simple record of facts. It is a founding text of comparative religion and of Indology.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that al-Biruni studied India by mastering Sanskrit and reading Hindu texts at the source, and declared his book &lsquo;not a polemical one&rsquo; but a &lsquo;simple historic record of facts&rsquo; presenting Hindu theories &lsquo;exactly as they are.&rsquo; Explain his method and why it founds comparative…

Leads to Herodotus.

Begin this lesson →
← All lessons on Abu Rayhan al-Biruni

epoché — a humanities education that remembers you.