The social classes in India through the book of Abu Rayhan al – Biruni

Abstract

This study focuses on the social classes of Indian society as presented by Abu Rayhan al-Biruni in his work Taḥqīq mā li-l-Hind min Maqūlah Maqbūlah fī al-ʿAql aw Mardhūlah (Verifying All That the Indians Recount, the Reasonable and the Unreasonable). The research is derived from a master’s thesis that aims to analyze the social structure of Indian society from a historical perspective. Al-Biruni based his presentation of Indian social classes on direct interaction, personal observation, and his profound knowledge of the Indian language and culture, which endowed his study with a distinctive scholarly character. The research examines the caste system that constituted the organizational foundation of Indian society, which was divided into principal classes: the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras, in addition to the category of the outcastes. Al-Biruni explains that this system was founded on fixed religious and social principles, inherited by birth and allowing no social mobility, a factor that contributed to the entrenchment of social inequality and discrimination among members of society. The study also highlights the impact of this class division on various aspects of social life, particularly social relations, marriage, the division of labor, and individuals’ social status. It concludes that al-Biruni’s treatment of Indian social classes represents an early and significant contribution to social studies, characterized by accuracy and objectivity, which makes his work a fundamental source for understanding Indian society in the medieval period.