Al-Biruni Quotes
Abu Rayhan al-Biruni was a Persian polymath of the Islamic Golden Age, often counted among the greatest scientific minds in the history of the medieval world. He worked extensively in mathematics, astronomy, geography, mineralogy, history, linguistics, and comparative religion, and accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni's campaigns to the Indian subcontinent, where he composed his celebrated Indica, the most careful study of Indian thought, religion, and society produced anywhere before the modern period. The quotes below are attributed to Al-Biruni, organized by topic.
Al-Biruni on God
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Attributed to Al-Biruni:
“The variety of religions is itself an object of philosophical study.”
Al-Biruni on Knowledge
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Attributed to Al-Biruni:
“All theories about the world should be tested against observation.”
Al-Biruni on Nature
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Attributed to Al-Biruni:
“Geography is the science of the earth as the home of mankind.”
Al-Biruni on Truth
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Attributed to Al-Biruni:
“We must distinguish between what we have seen and what we have heard.”
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Attributed to Al-Biruni:
“The Hindus differ from us in everything; we are dependent upon them, and they are independent of us.”