Kitab Al Hind -

At first, Al-Biruni tried to talk to the Hindu priests using an interpreter. But the priest grew angry. "You are a foreigner, a mlechchha ," the priest said. "You cannot understand our Vedas. You cannot eat with us. You are impure."

The Sultan laughed. "What is there to learn from a conquered land?" kitab al hind

Al-Biruni smiled. "A mirror does not judge the face it reflects. It simply shows it clearly. If I only see them through my own eyes, I will write a book of my own prejudices. I want to write a book of their truth." At first, Al-Biruni tried to talk to the

In the year 1017 CE, a brilliant scholar from Central Asia named Al-Biruni was brought to the court of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. The Sultan was a conqueror, famously raiding the wealthy lands of India seventeen times. He brought back gold, jewels, and elephants. "You cannot understand our Vedas

Al-Biruni replied, "A river does not conquer the rock it flows over, Your Majesty. It understands it."