Question

Who wrote Kitab-ul-Hind?
a.) Amir Khusro
b.) Alberuni
c.) Ziauddin Barani
d.) Minhaj-us-Siraj

Answer 1

Hint:
> The author was the first Muslim scholar to research India and its Brahmanic tradition.
> He is recognised as the Founder of Indology and also as the first anthropologist.
> He was an Iranian scholar and polymath during the Golden Age of Islam.

Complete answer:
Al-Biruni practised almost all fields of science and was compensated for his hard work and study. Al-Biruni was influenced by other nations, such as the Greeks, whom he encouraged when he turned to the study of philosophy. He was an unbiased writer on customs & creeds of different nations, and was called al-Ustadh (Master) for his remarkable portrayal of early 11th-century India. Abu Rayhan Biruni's birthday is celebrated as the day of the surveying engineer in Iran.

Kitab-ul-Hind which is also known as Tarikh-ul-Hind was written during the early 11th century. The book studies the “caste system” in India and has a comparative nature.
Let us now figure out, who authored the Islamic classic-

Amir Khusro Dehlavī (1253-1325) is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the mediaeval cultural history of the Indian subcontinent. He was a Sufi artist, a poet, an Islamic scholar. His most famous work was Tughlaq Nama, and he was not related to Kitab-ul-Hind. Thus, Option A is incorrect.

Alberuni or Alberonius (Latin) was a prolific Persian scholar and polymath in the 11th century. He was a great scholar of Islam and a famous historian who visited the subcontinent during the Ghazvan dynasty in 1017. During his stay in India, he wrote the book Kitab-ul-Hind, which focuses on Indian faith, philosophy, customs and traditions. Thus, Option B is the right answer.

During the Delhi Sultanate ruled by Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah, Ziauddin Barani was a Muslim political thinker. His remarkable works include Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi (a work on mediaeval India) and Fatwa-i-Jahandari (an advisory book for the Muslim rulers). Thus, Option C is incorrect.

Minhaj-us-Siraj Juzjani was a 13th-century Persian historian born in the province of Ghor. He was the editor of the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri (account of historical events that happened during the time of the Slave dynasty of Delhi). He was not linked to the Kitab-ul-Hind book. Therefore, Option D is incorrect.

Therefore, the correct answer is b

Note:
> Abu Rayhan Biruni was a talented man; he was a versatile scholar, and besides his writing languages (Arabic and Persian), he was well versed in Sanskrit, Hebrew, Greek, etc.

> His other popular book, Ta akanqîq mā l'l-Hind (Indica), is a work, related to Indian philosophy and religion.

> He was one of the very few personalities who had been rewarded with a moon crater named after them 'Al-Beruni Crater.'