[Solved] First Muslim to Study Puranas | Al-Biruni Scholarship

The first Muslim who studied Puranas was-

[U.P. Lower Sub. Special Prelims 2002]

Detailed Solution & Historical Context

Concept

Intellectual curiosity in medieval India often led foreign scholars to deeply engage with Indic texts. Al-Biruni is regarded as the first 'Indologist' for his objective study of Indian sciences and religion.

Authentic Source Evidence

Al-Biruni came to India with Mahmud of Ghazni in the 11th century. He learned Sanskrit and spent years studying the Puranas, the Gita, and the Vedas, documenting his findings in his monumental work Tahqiq-i-Hind.

Analytical Breakdown

Logic 1: Option C is correct. Unlike most invaders, Al-Biruni sought to understand the 'other' through direct study of primary religious and scientific texts.

Logic 2: While Dara Shikoh (D) also translated the Upanishads, Al-Biruni’s study of the Puranas happened nearly 600 years earlier.

Conceptual Deep Dive & Logic

"What is the primary subject of Al-Biruni's 'Tahqiq-i-Hind'?"

It is an encyclopedic account of Indian society, religion, philosophy, mathematics, and geography written from a rationalist perspective.

Examiner's Mindset & Pro-Tip

"Al-Biruni's work bridged the intellectual gap between the Islamic and Indian worlds, preserving a detailed snapshot of 11th-century Indian life."

Topic Clusters (click to see related topic questions)

Tahqiq-i-Hind 4 Mahmud of Ghazni 7 Sanskrit 2

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