Ancient Indian Treasure of Knowledge and the Arab Muslims

Introduction: The Arabs had strong relations with the Indians since ancient period. They first travelled to them in search of Indian products; swords, medicines, horses and herbs. They were so impressed with the beauty of the Indian women even they used a simile of them to theirs’. Here are some Arabic verses, from Pre-Islamic period, which prove to be strong evidence for these long historical relations.

The Pre-Islamic poet Ṭarfah s/o al-‘Abd says:

على المرء من وقع الحسام المهنّد

وظلم ذوي القربى أشدّ مضاضة

Tr.: The oppression done by the nears and dears is more painful for a man than a wound met with by the Indian sword.

Here the word ‘المهنّد ’ has been used for the sword imported from India.

Another poet ‘Antarah s/o Shaddād says:

مني وبيض الهند تقطر من دمي

ولقد ذكرتك والرمـاح نواهل

Tr.: I remembered you while the spears were pierced into my body and the Indian swords were dropping with my blood.

Here the word ‘بيض الهند ’ is used for Indian swords.

Imru-Ul-Qais, the famous Pre-Islamic poet, says:

نسيم الصبا جاءت بريّا القرنفل

إذا قامتا تضـوّع المسك منهما

Tr.: When she stands musk bursts profusely from her body as if the Breeze has come with the sweet smell of the Clove.

Here the word ‘القرنفل ’ has been taken from India.

A poet says concluding Indian’s distinction:

إذاما مدح الهند وسهم الهند في المقتـل	لقد أنكر أصحابي وما ذلك بالأمثـل
يصير الدر والياقـوت والدر لمن يعطل	لعمري إنها أرض إذا القطر بها ينزل
وأصناف من الطيب ليستعمل من يتفل	فمنها المسك والكافور والعنبر والمندل
ومنها العاج والساج ومنها الفيل والدغفل	وأنواع الأفاويه وجوز الطيب والسنبل
ومنها شجـر الرائج والساسم والفلفل	ومنها الكرك والببغاء والطاؤوس والحوزل
وأرماح إذاما هزّت اهتزّ بها الجحفل	سيوف ما لها مثل قد استغنت عن الصيقل

فهل ينكر هذا الفضل إلا الرجل الأخطل

In this poem, the poet has mentioned all Indian products including pearls, camphor, campherena, spikenard, snakes, coconut, odoriferous wood, ivory, teak, elephant, wolf, parrot, peacock, short, sīsam, pepper, sword, and spears.

Not only this the Arabs translated the books of Indians into poetic form. ‘Abd al-Ḥamīd al-Lāḥiqui who belongs to the Abbasside period translated the famous Indian story book ‘Kalīlah wa Dimnah’ into poetic form. He says:

وهو الذي يدعى كليلة ودمنة	هذا كتاب أدب ومهنـة
وهو كتاب وضعته الهند	فيه دلالات وفيه رشد
حكاية على ألسن البهائم	فوصفوا آداب كل عالم
والسخفاء يشتهون البهائم	فالحكماء يعرفون فضله

Not only this even their poets prayed their God for development of India and its long life. Abul ‘Abbās al-Zabbi says:

سماء من المزن غير السماح	سقى الله بلد الهند مغناهما
بنسل مباح وخير متاح	ولا زال وكراهما عامرين

Aspects of Impact of Indian Treasure of Knowledge upon the Arabs: The Arabs got impressed with the Indians in two fields; language & literature and the sciences. Here we wish to discuss each field separately:

• Language & Literature

In the field language & literature the Arabs got impressed with the Indians in four ways; words & terminologies, proverbs & wise sayings, rhetorics and short & long stories. Here we wish to shed some lights on each way:

1. Words & Terminologies: There are numerous Sanskrit words which got place in the Arabic language and literature after being Arabiacised. I am giving a list of some words with pointing out their origin and meanings:
2. Barūṣ (بروص): It is originally ‘Bharūch’ which is a famous city of Gujrāt. The famous author al-Balādhri says in his book ‘Futūḥ al-Buldān’:

“The king sent also him to Barūs while he sent his brother al-Mughīrah bin Abi al-‘Ās to the heart of a-Dībal where he faced the enemy and got victory”[1].

Al-Mas’ūdi says:

“There is al-Dībal city through which Indian cost is united with Barūṣ which is famous in making spears”[2].

The Arabs used it in their poetry. One Arab poet says:

جاء بها جالب برصاء

ألفت قوساً ذا انتقاء

Another Arab poet says:

صفر اللجاء والخلوقيات

من شفق خضر بروصات

1. Al-Nīlaj (النيلج) & al-Nainīlaj (النينيلج): This is Arabiacised form of Nīl which is an Indian word used for blue powder to colour the clothes after wash. The famous Arab poet Ibn al-‘Arābi says:

سوداء لم تخطط به نينيلجا

1. Al-Mauz (الموز): It is a famous Indian fruit; banana. Its Indian origin is ‘Mūsha’. Al-Maqdisi says about Sindh:

“It a hot area where found date, coconut and mauz (banana)”[3]. 

1. Al-Fotah (الفوطة): Its origin is ‘pot’ which means trouser or turban. The famous traveler Sulaimān al-Tājir says:

“The Indians, both men and women, wear two fotas and decorate it with the bangles of gold and diamond”[4].

1. Al-Nārjīl (النارجيل): Its Arabiacised form of Nāriyal (coconut). The famous writer of the dictionary ‘Lisānul ‘Arab’ says:

“al-Nārjil is Indian coconut”[5].

The famous traveler Sulaimān al-Tājir says:

“These islands which are ruled by the woman are full of coconut tree”[6].

1. Al-Qust (القسط): It is originally ‘Kust’ (costus). In the famous dictionary ‘Lisānul ‘Arab’:

“al-Qust is a wood which is imported from India and used for perfume and medicine”[7].

1. Al-‘Ud (العود): Its origin is ‘Aud’. Ibn-e-Manzūr says:

“al-‘Ud is a wood found nearby sea and used for perfume”[8].

The Prophet Muḥammad says:

“Be stick with the Indian ‘Ud”[9]. 

1. Al-Filfil (الفلفل): It’s originally ‘Pipli’. It reached to the Arabs through the Persian language which is sister language of Sanskrit. The famous poet Imru-Ul-Qais says:

وقيعانها كأنه حبّ فلفل

ترى بعر الصيران في عرصاتها

He again says:

صبحن سلافاً من رحيق المفلفل

كأنّ مكاكي الجواء غدية

1. Al-Qaranfal (القرنفل): Its origin is ‘Karan fal’ or ‘Kiran fūl’. Ibn-e- Manzūr says:

“al-Qaranfal or al-Qaranful is Indian plant. It is not of the Arabia”[10].

The famous poet Imru-Ul-Qais says:

باتا بفيها وارياً منشورا

كأن القرنفـل والزنجبيل

1. Al-Rakh (الرخ): It is originally ‘Rath’. Al-Yaqūbi says:

“al-Rakh is of the horses”[11].

1. Al-Fīl (الفيل): Its origin is ‘Pilū’ but it came to Arabic through Persian which is sister language of Sanskrit. The Qur’an says:

"ألم تر كيف فعل ربك بأصحاب الفيل، ألم يجعل كيدهم في تضليل"[12].

1. Proverbs & Wise Sayings: The second thing in which India influenced Arabia was the proverbs and wise sayings. We know very well that the Arabs were fond of proverbs and wise sayings. When they met with the Indian wise men[13] they tried their best to take benefits from them. Consequently, Kalīlah wa Dimnah was translated into Arabic. In this book we find numerous proverbs and wise sayings.

For we have narrow space here we quote here only some Indian proverbs and wise sayings which the Arabs borrowed from the Indians mentioning them in their books that they took it from the Indians. The author ‘Uyūn al-Akhbār’ Ibn-e-Qutaiba quoted the following proverbs and wise sayings from the Indians:

Similarly Ibn-e-Duraid the author of ‘al-‘Iqd al-Farid’ has pointed out the richness of the Indians in this field and mentioned numerous proverbs and wise sayings of the Indians[15].

1. Rhetorics: It is also astonishing that the Indians help the Arabs to develop the Rhetorics. It was narrated by al-Jāhiz that he asked one of the Hindu Pandit about Rhetorics there in India. His name was Ṣāleḥ. He replied that he is not expert of this field except that he has one treatise of this field which he summarized to al-Jāhiz who in turn took benefit from it in developing the Rhetorics[16].
2. Short & Long Stories: In this field the Arabs also took benefits from the Indians. They not only translated Indian short stories but also rendered the Indian books of long stories. Here we mention a few of them:

• Forty Years: It is narrated by Muhammad bin ‘Abdūs al-Jahshiyāri that some clothes and ornaments were gifted to one of the Indian kings. Then he called his two wives and asked them to select. When one lady came the minister made his eye at the clothes. The lady took the ornaments so that the king should not know that the minister has made his eye at the clothes and on the other hand the minister used to put one of his eyes half-closed for the whole life of forty years. The king at the time of his death called upon his son and advised him to do good with the minister because he paid the price of one fault for forty years”.[17]

Similarly Ibn-e-Qutaibah has narrated one of the Indian stories of a priest who thought of making abundance of wealth with a little bit of butter[18].

• Alf Laila wa Lailah: This book is basically known among the readers of ‘Thousand Nights and One Night’ and in Urdu we know with the name of ‘Alif Laila’ whose correct pronunciation is ‘Alf Lailah’. Here ‘alf’ means thousand and ‘laila’ is night. It is said that several short stories of this collection of stories have been taken from the Indian sources.
• Al-Sindbad: It is in two parts; small and big. It has been translated from Sanskrit. Ibn-e-Nadīm says:

“Kitabus Sindbād is in two parts; Small and Big. It is made on the pattern of Kalīlah wa Dimnah. Keeping the majore parts of it into mind it looks that it is the handiworks of the Indians”[19].

Al-Masūdi sayd:

“He has seen Sindbād whose book is ‘Kitab al-Wozara al-Saba wa al-Muallim was Imratul Malik’. This book is known as ‘Kitāb al-Sindbād’. The author was employed in the medical factory”[20].

• Bozasf wa Balohar: Its Sanskrit name is Budhi Satu Pradhitra. It deals with the story of Budh who left his kingdom for search of spirituality. In his way to search for spirituality he met with a priest who put up some questions to him. This story has been rendered first into Pahlavi then into Arabic during the Abbasside period. It was also rendered into poetic form by Abbān bin ‘Abdul Ḥamīd[21].
• Ḥudud-o-Mantiqil Hind: Its topic, as looks from the title, is the conversation of the birds. It contains stories of good morals in the language of birds[22].
• Shānāq al-Hindi: Shānāq is Chanakya in Sanskrit. The book contains five chapters on morals and manners. In this books war and its ways have been mentioned in the way of story[23].
• Kalīlah wa Dimnah: The most famous Sanskrit book of stories is Kalīlah wa Dimnah who Sanskrit name is Panchtantra. It was written by Baidba for the king Dibshalīm. It was first translated into Pahlavi then into Arabic and from Arabic into all languages. The person who translated it into Arabic was ‘Abdullah bin al-Muqaffa. The book is available in the market and taught in the Arabic madrasas. It is full of wise saying and moral lessons in the language of animals and birds.
• Sciences

The Arabs took much benefit in the fields of different sciences like medical sciences, mathematics, astrology, astronomy, chemistry etc. Here we wish to shed some lights on each science in which the Arabs were benefitted by the Indians:

1. Medical Sciences: In this field the Arabs took much benefit even they developed it and made their own medical science named as ‘Arabian Medicine’. The books translated in this regard are as follows:

a)            Sushuriti Sanhita: This book was written by the famous Indian physician ‘Sushurat’ who learnt medicine from Dewdas in Varanasi. The book contains diseases, its symptoms and its treatment. It is in ten chapters. Ibn-e-Nadīm says:

“Kitāb-o-Susrad is in ten chapters. Yaḥya bin Khālid ordered to render it into Arabic”[24].

Al-Rāzi has took benefits from this book in his famous book of Unāni medicine[25].

b)            Chark Sanhita: It is the book written by famous Indian physician Chark who was in the courtyard of the king Kanishk. Al-Bairūni says about him:

“The Indians have a book in medicine which they give weightage. It is known with the name of its author, Chark. His family tree of knowledge reaches upto Perjapati the father of Indian medicine”[26].

‘Abdullāh bin ‘Alī translated this book into Arabic.

c)            Kitāb al-Sumūm: The author of this book is Chānakya whose Arabiacised form is ‘Shānāq’. Chānakya was the Minister of Chandragupt Mauriya. Ibn Abi Usaibi’a says about him:

“Among the famous Indian physicians is Shānāq. He has many experiments in the medical science”[27].

Abbās bin Sa`īd al-Jauhari translated it from its Persian version which was done by Kanka the famous Indian translator.

d)            Kitāb fi Ilājāt al-Nisā’: It was written by one of the Indian lady physicians. Al-Rāzi has taken benefits from this book.

e)            Kitāb fi Ajnās al-Hayyāt: It was written by Roy.

Similarly ‘Kitab al-Namuzar fi al-Amār’, ‘Kitāb fi al-Tawahhum’, ‘Kitāb Nidan’ and ‘Kitāb Tauqishnal’ were translated into Arabic.

1. Mathematics: In this field India not only did favour upon the Arabs but through the Arabs it did faour upon the whole world. Before the Indians the humanity was unaware of full numbers. It is the Indians who taught it to them and from them the Arabs took and made it famous in the whole world. Till the date they named it as ‘al-Arqām al-Hindiyyah’ (Indian Numbers). Its story has been narrated by al-Bairūni in details. See his book ‘Taḥqīq-o-Ma Lil Hind’, Page no. 82-84. Arabs not only took it from them but also they wrote original books on the topic. Among some Arabs who wrote books on the topic are Abu Naṣr Moḥammad bin ‘Abdullāh al-Kaluzani, Abu Yūsuf Yaqūb bin Is.ḥāq al-Kindi, Aḥmad bin ‘Umer al-Karabisi, Sinān bin al-Fat.h, Abul Qāsim Ali bin Aḥmad al-Mujtaba and Muḥammad bin Aḥmad bin Yūsuf al-Khawārzmi.

To this science Algebra is related. Though it was invented by the Arabs themselves they based it upon the Indian numbers. The famous book on this topic is ‘Kitāb al-Jabr wa al-Muqābala’ by al-Khawārzmi.

1. Astronomy & Astrology: These two sciences are related to the Indians. The Arabs did not anything about this science before their contact with the Indians. They had only ‘al-Tanjīm’ (Natural Astronomy). The Indians were expert of this science as al-Bairūni said[28].

The famous book on this topic translated by the Arabs was ‘Barham Sidhdhānt’ which was written by ‘Barham Gupt’. He wrote this book at the age of 30 and presented it to the king Dayagharmukha. It was translated in the period of Abu Jafar al-Mansūr as al-Qifti said[29].

Al-Bairūni has mentioned it in details and pointed out its contents[30].

The second Indian book translated into Arabic from Sanskrit is Arjubhuz. It was written by Arya Bhat. He was born in 471AD and hailed from Patna. He started writing books at the age of 23. This is his last book which contains 12 chapters.

There is another book translated on the topic is Khanda Khadyaka. It is known in Arabic as ‘al-Arkand’. It was also written by Braham Gupt. It was translated into Arabic by Yāqūb bin Tāriq. The translation has been revised by al-Bairūni.

There is another Sanskrit book ‘Panchasidhdhanta’ written by Virahamira.  It was also rendered into Arabic among his other books on the topic.

1. Horoscope: Its Sanskrit name is Jātuk. On this topic several books were translated such as ‘Asrārul Mawālīd’ of Kanka al-Hindi[31], ‘Kitābul Mawālīd’ of Ghaudar al-Hindi[32], ‘Kitābul Mawālid al-Kabīr’ of Sanghal al-Hindi[33] and ‘Kitābul Mawālīd’ of Brahmur who wrote two books on the topic[34].

Not only this, but the Arabs have developed this science writing books on the topic. Among some famous Arabs writers on the topic are Muḥammad bin ‘Umer al-Ṭabri, Abu Sahl Fazl bin Naubakht, Sahl bin Bashīr, al-Ḥasan bin Ibrāhīm al-Asajj and al-Ḥasan bin al-Khatīb.

1. Chemistry: Though Arabs developed this science they took benefits in this regard from the non-Arabs including the Indians whom Ibn-e-Nadīm considers among its inventors[35].

Among the Indian books translated on the topic is ‘Kitāb-o-Khātif AL-Hindi’. It was written by Khātif al-Hindi whose two books were translated on the topic[36].

Arabs did not translate much on the topic and started writing original books from which the Europeans took benefits.

 

 

Bibliography

1.    Abu ‘Uthmān al-Jāhiz: al-Bāyan wa al-Tabyīn, Dār-o-Ṣādir, Beirūt, 1997
2.    Al-Yāqūbi: Tārīkh al-Yāqūbi, Dār-o-Ṣādir, Beirūt, 1990
3.    Ibn Abi Usaibiah: ‘Uyūn al-Anba fi Tabaqāt al-Atibba, Beirūt, 1965
4.    Ibn al-Nadīm: al-Fihrist, Dār al-Marifah, Beirūt, 1978
5.    Maḥmūd Ḥasan Qaisar Amrohawi: al-Maṣādir al-Hindiyyah li al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah, Dārul Fikr, Syria, 2010
6.    Muḥammad ‘Abdur Razzāq Kanpūri: al-Barāmikah, Navalkishore Press, Lahore
7.    Sa’īd al-Undulusi: Ṭabaqāt al-Umam, al-Matba al-Katholikiyyah, Beirūt, 1912
8.    Shibli No’māni: al-Mamūn, Afzalul Matabe, Delhi, 1889
9.    Wasīm Aḥmad Azmi: Baitul Ḥikmat ki Tibbi Khidmāt, 1988
10.    Zakriya al-Qazweni: Āthārul Bilād wa Akhbārul ‘Ibād, Dār-o-Ṣādir, Beirūt, 1380H