When the Punjab became a part of the Ghaznavid empire, contacts with the local population helped create an environment of mutual trust and understanding. Al-Biruni spent years in the company of Brahmana priests and scholars, learning Sanskrit, and studying religious and philosophical texts. While his itinerary is not clear, it is likely that he travelled widely in the Punjab and parts of northern India. Travel literature was already an accepted part of Arabic literature by the time he wrote. This literature dealt with lands as far apart as the Sahara desert in the west to the River Volga in the north.
The scholar in the passage wrote his Kitab-ul-Hind in Arabic. For whom did he probably intend this work?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Peoples living along the frontiers of the subcontinent
Option (1) Scholars and officials at the court of the Ghaznavid Sultan — Incorrect. Al-Biruni lived under the Ghaznavids, but his book is not linked to the Sultan's court as its readers. He aimed it at people on the edge of the subcontinent.
Option (2) Peoples living along the frontiers of the subcontinent — Correct. Al-Biruni wrote in Arabic, and he probably wrote his work for peoples living along the frontiers of the subcontinent. Arabic was a language they could read.
Option (3) Brahmana priests and scholars of northern India — Incorrect. He learnt Sanskrit from Brahmana priests and scholars, who were his teachers. Few people in India would have read his Arabic work for a long time.
Option (4) Merchants and travellers of the wider Arab world — Incorrect. Travel literature was popular in the Arab world, but the book is not described as written for merchants. Its readers were the peoples on the frontiers of the subcontinent.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.2 The Kitab-ul-Hind “Generally (though not always), Al-Biruni adopted a distinctive structure in each chapter, beginning with a question, following this up with a description based on Sanskritic traditions, and concluding with a comparison with other cultures. Some present-day scholars have argued that this almost geometric structure, remarkable for its precision and predictability, owed much to his mathematical orientation.” “Al-Biruni, who wrote in Arabic, probably intended his work for peoples living along the frontiers of the subcontinent. …” |