Which of the following statements are not correct regarding Al-Biruni?
(A) Al-Biruni was born in Tangier in Morocco.
(B) Al-Biruni was well versed in several languages.
(C) Muhammad bin Tughlaq appointed him the Qazi of Delhi.
(D) Al-Biruni spent years in the company of Brahman priests.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A) and (C) only
(A) Al-Biruni was born in Tangier in Morocco. Incorrect statement. Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in present-day Uzbekistan. Tangier was the birthplace of Ibn Battuta.
(B) Al-Biruni was well versed in several languages. Correct statement. He was well versed in Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Sanskrit.
(C) Muhammad bin Tughlaq appointed him the Qazi of Delhi. Incorrect statement. It was Ibn Battuta whom Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq appointed the qazi or judge of Delhi. Al-Biruni had been taken to Ghazni by Sultan Mahmud, who invaded Khwarizm in 1017.
(D) Al-Biruni spent years in the company of Brahman priests. Correct statement. He spent years in the company of Brahmana priests and scholars, learning Sanskrit and studying religious and philosophical texts.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.1 From Khwarizm to the Punjab … Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in presentday Uzbekistan. Khwarizm was an important centre of learning, and Al-Biruni received the best education available at the time. He was well versed in several languages: Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Sanskrit. Although he did not know Greek, he was familiar with the works of Plato and other Greek philosophers, having read them in Arabic translations. In 1017, when Sultan Mahmud invaded Khwarizm, he took several scholars and poets back to his capital, Ghazni; Al-Biruni was one of them.… 1.1 From Khwarizm to the Punjab … 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.… 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. This Moroccan traveller was born in Tangier into one of the most respectable and educated families known for their expertise in Islamic religious law or shari‘a. True to the tradition of his family, Ibn Battuta received literary and scholastic education when he was quite young.… 2.1 An early globe-trotter … Travelling overland through Central Asia, Ibn Battuta reached Sind in 1333. He had heard about Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi, and lured by his reputation as a generous patron of arts and letters, set off for Delhi, passing through Multan and Uch. The Sultan was impressed by his scholarship, and appointed him the qazi or judge of Delhi. He remained in that position for several years, until he fell out of favour and was thrown into prison.…” |