دار بيبليون
Introduction by Dr. Lwiis Saliba to his book Hinduism and its influence on Muslim thought according to al-Biruni
The study of the influence of Indian ideas on Arab-Muslim thought is a long and obviously difficult undertaking for several reasons.
1 – It lasted for several centuries and was manifested through the works of several Muslim thinkers.
2 – It was often indirect: its manifestation through close cultures such as Iranian thought or movements of thought such as Neoplatonism, for example, makes it difficult to isolate.
- It has never been the subject of specific research. There are only a few passing indications in the works that have dealt with the influences of foreign ideas and philosophies on Arab-Muslim thought.
This work is not intended to fill this gap, but in order to make my dissertation precise and well-defined, we thought of analysing the first work in Arabic that deals in a specific way with Indian thought. The choice of Kitâb al-Hind is therefore justified by the fact that it is the oldest written trace on this subject and is the subject of an entire book. Al-Biruni (365h-440/975-1048)( [1]) was fully aware of the originality of his project, as he said: “I was careful to preserve the primacy of this subject”( [2]). He wanted his book to be a reference for any Muslim who wants to discuss Indian philosophy with Indians. The author’s aim is therefore to introduce the Arab-Muslim reader to Indian thought, dogma and knowledge without criticizing or contradicting them, as he points out. He therefore tries to ensure a minimum of objectivity, which is clearly felt in the calm and neutral style he adopts to present his ideas.
But on first reading, several difficulties arose:
1 – This great manual not only expounds Indian religious and philosophical ideas but also deals with all Indian knowledge of its time.
2 – After a brief research, we noticed that in French the references (studies and translations) on Bîrûnî were almost absent, except for some articles and some fragments translated into French, and some fragments translated into Arabic. The English references are, on the other hand, very important as well as in Russian and German.
In view of this impossibility of embracing the entire content of the K.H., we have focused our work on the philosophy as seen by the people of India and by its scholars. Wasn’t the very objective of Bîrûnî to expose the Indian religions and doctrines by referring directly to their own books( [3])?
This work has three parts:
1 – The first part deals essentially with Bîrûnî, his life, his relationship to science in his country and in India. In my opinion, it is important to present a brief historical overview of the political and cultural relations between India and the Muslim world in order to better understand the circumstances in which K.H. came into being, especially between the two major reigns of Mahmud (387h-421/997-1031) ( [4]) and Muscud (421h-433/1031-1042) ( [5]).
2 – The second part is devoted to:
a – A technical analysis of the book and the reasons for its appearance.
b – The scientific spirit that Bîrûnî shows.
c – An analysis of the bibliographic content.
3 – The third part consists of a presentation of the main philosophical themes that he deals with. It is a study of the passages concerning Hindu philosophy and metaphysics that Bîrûnî exposes for the first time to Muslim intellectuals. He makes an important comparison with the Greek thought already known by them and sometimes with the nascent Muslim thought, the Christian and Jewish thought, he insists on the positions of the Sufis and the similarities which exist between their thought and Hinduism.
On the other hand, given that Bîrûnî’s thought has never been presented in French, an analysis faithfully attached to the original text seems necessary as the beginning of any further study. For this purpose, we have reproduced the quotations in Arabic, followed by an attempt at translation when possible.
In a forthcoming broader and more in-depth study, I will be able to explain the other parts, to clarify many points that I have not made sufficiently clear and to note the degree of influence of this book on the generations after Bîrûnî in the land of Islam.
Lwiis Saliba
Paris on 15/10/1994
[1] – From now on, to lighten my text, I will refer to al-Bîrûnî as Bîrûnî and his work Kitab al-Hind as K.H.
[2] – Al-Bîrûnî, Kitab al-Hind, ed. Dar Heydurabad, 1958, p5.
[3] – Ibid, p 4.
[4] – Mahmud, Turkish prince He launched the expeditions against India.
[5] – Mascûd, son and successor of Mahmûd.