Indian goods like ginger, pepper, musk and camphor have been extensively used among the Arabs3. Abu Rehan al Biruni was the first Islamic scientist who made a detailed study of Hindu sciences. He was also the first scholar to study India and the Hindu scientific literature. He wrote his famous ‘Description of India’, Kitāb fī Tahqīq mā li’l-Hind. He has been described as the founder of Indology. He studied Sanskrit diligently and was so proficient in it that he could translate into, as well as from, Sanskrit. He translated important works of astronomy, mathematics and Patanjali’s Yogasutra, as Tarjamat ketāb Bātanjalī fi’l-ḵalaṣ men al-ertebak. While Sanskrit texts on mathematics and astronomy were extensively used by Muslim scientists to develop new fields, it was numerology that left a more lasting impression on the Arab sciences. This is most significant in the use of the Indian numeral system which was adapted by Arab mathematicians like Al-Khwārizmī and disseminated by traders and merchants across the Mediterranean in the medieval period. In fact, the Arabic word for numbers is Hindsah, which means ‘from India’4. In the period of Abbasid Caliph Al Mamoon (813-33 CE), Al-Khwārizmī adapted Sanskrit numerals into Arabic mathematics5. As Europeans received this numeral system from the Arabs, this universal system is now referred to as Arabic numerals. Linguistic and literary affinities The regular interactions between Arabs and Indians throughout history culminated in influencing each other’s language as well. The Persian and later, Arab origins of India, Hind and Hindustan, can be traced back to the conquests of North-west India, along the Sindhū (Indus) river. By the time of the Arab conquests, al-Hind and al-Hindī were commonly used while the Persian rulers, including the Mughals used Hindu or Hindustani (plural Hunūd)6. Some Indian goods that entered into the Arab world were named after the place of origin, Al-Hind. There are some place names which refer to ‘Hind’, India. In Al Batinah coast of Oman, there is a Khour Al Hind (Bay of India) and another district is called Hilat Al Hind (District of India). There is also evidence to show the trade connections between Oman and Kerala, leading to linguistic influences. According to Ahmad, “The ancient Arab poet ‘Imr-ul-Khais’ in one of his famous poems compares the excretions of deer with the pepper that was available only in Kerala. The Arabic words like ‘narajeel’ (coconut) and ‘arus’ 3 Bhatt, A. M. (2019). ‘The medicinal use of Zanjabeel’. 4
Ahmad, A. (1964). Studies in Islamic Culture in the Indian Environment.
5 Ahmad, T. (2018) ‘The role of cultural interactions and resident Indian communities in the GCC countries in shaping Gulf-India ties’. 6 Qatar National Library. (2019). Qatar, India & the Gulf. 116
