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In contemporary
understanding in India, derived mostly from what is taught as
history in schools, the interaction of India with Arab-Muslim
countries after the advent of Islam is depicted purely in a
one-sided way, as one of conquest, loot, and plunder. No one denies the
presence of conquest and loot in history but it is hardly unique
to India or the Arab countries. By focusing on this alone, young
minds are taught, consciously in some cases and unconsciously in
others, to develop a mindset that is largely responsible for the
foundations of a communalist approach to our multi-cultural,
multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic society. By
stressing only what bad things THEY did to US, it brings about a
kind or dichotomous thinking that labels US and THEM, forgetting
it is WE who need to live together harmoniously in order to
prosper.
However, there is
another side to the story that is not simply one of conquest and
loot and sycophant court writers justifying the loot in the name
of Islam. In this series of articles we bring together writings
of very distinguished Arab men of letters in the post-Islamic
period of how they regarded India and Indians.
Al-Jahiz (c.
776-868), who was born in Basra in present-day Iraq and later
lived most of his life in Baghdad, is universally regarded as one
of the greatest early Arab writers. His Kitab al-Hayawan, Kitab
al-Bayan, and many other works running to thousands of pages
made him the pre-eminent Arab man of letters of his time. Below we
present an extract from his writings that specifically relates to
India, taken from the book “The Life and Works of Jahiz:
Translations of selected texts.”
Jahiz
on India
As regards the Indians, they are
among the leaders in astronomy, mathematics – in particular, they
have Indian numerals – and medicine; they alone possess the
secrets of the latter, and use them to practice some remarkable
forms of treatment. They have the art of carving statues and
painted figures. They possess the game of chess, which is the
noblest of games and requires more judgment and intelligence than
any other. They make Kedah swords, and excel in their use. They
have splendid music, including that of the kankala,
an instrument with a single string mounted on a gourd, which takes
the place of the many-stringed lute and cymbals. Theyknow a
number of sprightly dances…, and are versed in magic and
fumigation…They possess a script capable of expressing the sounds
of all languages, as well as many numerals. They have a great deal
of poetry, many long treatises, and a deep understanding of
philosophy and letters; the book KalilawaDimna
originated with them. They are intelligent and courageous, and
have more good qualities than the Chinese. Their sound judgment
and sensible habits led them to invent pins, cork, toothpicks, the
drape of clothes and the dyeing of hair. They are handsome,
attractive, and forbearing, their women are proverbial, and their
country produces the matchless Indian shoes which are supplied to
kings. They were the originators of the science of Fikr, by which
a poison can be counteracted after it has been used, and of
astronomical reckoning, subsequently adopted by the rest of the
world. When Adam descended from paradise, it was to their land
that he made his way.
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