Choose the correct statement in relation to Al-Biruni:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → He was familiar with translations and adaptations of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit texts into Arabic
Option (1) He was familiar with translations and adaptations of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit texts into Arabic — Correct. Al-Biruni knew the Arabic translations and adaptations of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit texts, which ranged from fables to works on astronomy and medicine. He was also critical of the way these texts were written and wanted to improve on them.
Option (2) His book of travels is also called Rihla — Incorrect. The Rihla is the travel account of Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller of the fourteenth century.
Option (3) He wrote a Persian text called Kitab-ul-Hind — Incorrect. Al-Biruni wrote the Kitab-ul-Hind in Arabic, not in Persian, probably for people living along the frontiers of the subcontinent.
Option (4) Al-Biruni was born in 971 in Khwarizm — Incorrect. He was born in 973, in Khwarizm in present-day Uzbekistan, an important centre of learning.
NCERT (2025-26): “1.1 From Khwarizm to the Punjab … Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in present-day Uzbekistan. Khwarizm was an important centre of learning, and Al-Biruni received the best education available at the time.… 1.2 The Kitab-ul- Hind … Al-Biruni, who wrote in Arabic, probably intended his work for peoples living along the frontiers of the subcontinent. He was familiar with translations and adaptations of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit texts into Arabic – these ranged from fables to works on astronomy and medicine. However, he was also critical about the ways in which these texts were written, and clearly wanted to improve on them. 2.1 An early globe-trotter … Ibn Battuta’s book of travels, called Rihla, written in Arabic, provides extremely rich and interesting details about the social and cultural life in the subcontinent in the fourteenth century.…” |