Kitab Al — Hind

Al-Biruni was stung but not defeated. He went home and did something no other Muslim scholar of his time had done. Not just a few phrases, but deeply—grammar, poetry, philosophy. He spent years reading the Puranas , the Bhagavad Gita , and the works of Aryabhata (the mathematician).

But the most important chapter was the first: "On the Difficulty of Understanding Another Nation." kitab al hind

Al-Biruni smiled. "A mirror does not judge the face it reflects. It simply shows it clearly. If I only see them through my own eyes, I will write a book of my own prejudices. I want to write a book of their truth." Al-Biruni was stung but not defeated

At first, Al-Biruni tried to talk to the Hindu priests using an interpreter. But the priest grew angry. "You are a foreigner, a mlechchha ," the priest said. "You cannot understand our Vedas. You cannot eat with us. You are impure." He spent years reading the Puranas , the

Al-Biruni replied, "A river does not conquer the rock it flows over, Your Majesty. It understands it."