User talk:Nepaheshgar/Biruni

This one was written because in the Biruni article the issue of Biruni's background occasionally pops up and occasionally a user pops out and removes links to Biruni Iranian (in the technical sense defining Iranic language speaker) background. In the current Muslim countries, the concept of nation state based upon language/ethnicity is relatively new and tremendous nation building ideologies with full government backing are taking place all over the region. This is specially true in Central Asia and the Caucus where the USSR legacy in conjunction with ultra-nationalistic sentiments (partially fueled through government propaganda and partially due to territorial disputes) has made some important historical figures as an issue of cultural pride. Rather than taking a joint approach (but one based on historical reality), the country of Uzbekistan calls him a Uzbek while the country of Tajikistan calls him a Tajik. The fact is Biruni was Iranic ethnically, but that does not cut him from Uzbeks either who are a Turkic speaking people today. The Iranian Khwarazmian language, which is spoken of in this article was spoken by most of the population of Khwarazm up to the Mongol Invasion. There was evena native Chorasmian speaking dynasty like the Afrighuni Khwarazmshahs. Khwarzmian was an Iranian language and sufficient samples of the language exist (some of it from Biruni). It later gave way to various Turkic languages. This is just another language from another family, once spoken in the area of Khwarazm (now modern Uzbekistan). In the course of history, many areas of the earth have experienced language shifts and replacements. So a language spoken today in a place is not necessarily the same as the one spoken 1000 years ago. In Egypt, they first spoke ancient Egyptian and then Coptic for thousands of years. Then these became extinct (although Coptic is still used by Egyptian Christians for Church liturgy). Now every Egyptians speak Arabic. But modern Egyptians have a share in their ancient Egyptian past. So while a native speaker of Iranian language, Biruni is shared cultural heritage of several countries. After-all this scholar, regardless of his background is a world class scholar belonging to all of humanity. Of course, others can argue that there was a cultural break with the Turkification of Khwarazm much like that of Anatolia. But we can see that even in the case of Anatolia, there is still much Greek influence and heritage (and of course the DNA of the bulk of the population being similar to the pre-Seljuq era) despite the language shift. So the issue of modern nation building should not come into play, but alas it does in regional countries and of course in Wikipedia (Indeed some of these countries in the Caucus and Central Asia might have government related users in Wikipedia! scary, but on modern political controversial issues, this might be the case and this might even hold for Western and other governments as well. Indeed there was a case I believe recently of CIA and Wikipedia.).

Anyhow the issue of Biruni's background is simple, since unlike many ancient figures, there is much evidence.

0) Pages from Athar al-Baqqiyah authored by Biruni:

Scholarly sources
.

Description of the people of Chorasmia
1) In Athar al-Baqqiyah (Chronology of Nations)(Āthār al-bāqiyah ʻan al-qurūn al-xāliyah), Biruni writes:

Original Arabic :

و أما أهل خوارزم، و إن کانوا غصنا ً من دوحة الفُرس

Translation: And the people of Khwarizm, they are a branch of the Persian tree.

The people of Chorasmia at the time of Biruni spoke the Iranian Chorasmian language. Both Encyclopedia Iranica and Encyclopedia of Islam entry on Chorasmia are fairly comprehensive. The region of Chorasmia before its Turkification was an Iranian speaking region with a long developed civilization. Another important article is about the Al-e-Afrigh dynasty. They were native Iranian Chorasmian rulers of the area until the Ghaznavid period. See here for the actual article: 

In Athar al-Baqqiyah (Chronology of Nations), Biruni states : Original Arabic

 و أما أهل خوارزم، و إن کانوا غصنا ً من دوحة الفُرس

Translation: And the people of Khwarizm, they are a branch of the Persian tree.

Biruni recorded some of the names, months and festivals in the Old Iranian Chorasmian language. There are also some other manuscripts in the Old Chorasmian language which is described in Encyclopedia of Islam and Iranica enteries.

I also quote the late eminent linguist Professor David Mackenzie on the old Iranian Chorasmian Language :The earliest examples have been left by the great Chorasmian scholar Abu Rayhan Biruni. In his works on chronology and astronomy (ca. 390-418/1000-28) he recorded such calendrical and astronomical terms as some of the tradi­tional names of days, months, feasts, and signs of the zodiac..

Biruni's own attestation about his native language
I refer to the short but very significant contribution of the late French Orientalist to the al-Biruni Commemoration Volume published in India : In a celebrated preface to the book of Drugs, Biruni says: It is through the Arabic language that the sciences have been transmitted by means of translations from all parts of the world. They have been enhanced by the translation into the Arabic language and have as a result insinuated themselves into men's hearts, and the beauty of this language has commingled with these sciences in our veins and arteries. And if it is true that in all nations one likes to adorn oneself by using the language to which one has remained loyal, having become accustomed to using it with friends and companions according to need, I must judge for myself that in my native Chorasmian, science has as much as chance of becoming perpetuated as a camel has of facing Kaaba.

We note that Biruni in his "Chronicle of ancient nations" has given us many terms in his native Chorasmian and specifically calls it in Chorasmian.

Chorasmian, Sogdian, Persian Calendars and Biruni's perfect knowledge
2) Biruni had perfect knowledge of Sogdian, Persian, Khwarzmian calendars as can be seen in the .pdf file (in the intro of the article). In his famous "chronology of ancient nations" he knows the iranian khwarezmian language, see also the the comments in kh(w)arizm in enc. of islam II. apparently he utilizes the extra letters of khwarizmin like v and *ts* (perhaps also *dz*) which is like *ch* except the three dots are above, as in Pashto. See Mackenzie's Iranica article for this unique Iranian language.

Lack of knowledge on Indian, China, Tibetan, Turkic, Khazars, Ethiopians, Zangs calendar, order, names
3) Note pg 77 of the .pdf file in the intro Biruni says:"

And the months of other nations including those of India, China, Tibet, Turks, Khazars, Ethiopians and Zangs. Although I know the name of some these months, but I am looking for further time in order to completely understand them. Because with the approach that I have taken so far, it is not correct for me to mix doubt and certainties and what I understand with what I do not understand "

further testament on lack of knowledge of Turkic calendars, names, order and meaning
4) Biruni collected the months and calendars of many nations, which are recorded in his book. On page 80 of (the .pdf file in the intro)  he has the order of  the old-turkic (old uighur, which he calls toquz-oghuz) month names, which are just ordinals (readily recognizable in any variety) jumbled and  adds a note that he doesn't know the correct order and doesn't know the origin and meanings of the names.

Detailed overview of Persian festivals
5) Finally in his very important Persian work al-Tafhim which he coins scientific concepts in new Persian, Biruni gives a detailed overview of Iranian festivals and he only provides such a detail for Sogdian, Chorasmian, Arabs, Jews and several other nations, but not Altaic ones :

ابوريحان بيروني» دانش‌مند نام‌دار ايراني (440-362 ق) در كتاب پارسي خود «التفهيم لاوائل صناعت التنجيم» گزارشي بسيار رسا و شيوا و حاوي نكاتي بي‌نظير و ارزش‌مند از جشن‌هاي ايرانيان عرضه داشته است. وي مي‌نويسد (2): «نوروز چيست؟ - نخستين روز است از فروردين ماه و از اين جهت، روز نو نام كرده‌اند؛ زيرا كه پيشاني سال نو است و آن چه از پس اوست از اين پنج روز [= پنج روز اول فروردين] همه جشن‌هاست. و ششم فروردين ماه را «نوروز بزرگ» دارند؛ زيرا كه خسروان بدان پنج روز حق‌هاي حشم و گروهان و بزرگان بگزاردندي و حاجت‌ها روا كردني، آن گاه بدين روز ششم خلوت كردندي خاصگان را. و اعتقاد پارسيان اندر نوروز نخستين آن است كه اول روزي است از زمانه و بدو، فلك آغازيد گشتن. تيرگان چيست؟ - سيزدهم روز است از تيرماه. و نام‌اش تير است هم نام ماه خويش، و همچنين است به هر ماهي آن روز كه همنام‌اش باشد، او را جشن دارند. و بدين تيرگان گفتند كه «آرش» تير انداخت از بهر صلح منوچهر كه با افراسياب تركي كرده است بر تير پرتابي از مملكت… مهرگان چيست؟ - شانزدهم روز است از مهرماه و نام‌اش مهر. و اندر اين روز «افريدون» ظفر يافت بر «بيوراسپ» جادو، آن كه معروف است به ضحاك. و به كوه دماوند بازداشت و روزها كه سپس [= پس از] مهرگان است، همه جشن‌اند بر كردار (= مانند) آن چه از پس نوروز بود. و ششم آن مهرگان بزرگ بود و «رام» روز نام است و بدين دانندش. پروردگان چيست؟ - پنج روز پسين اندر آبان ماه [است] و سبب نام كردن آن چنان است كه گبركان [= زرتشتيان] اندرين پنج روز خورش و شراب نهادند روان‌هاي مردگان را. و همي گويند كه جان مرده بيايد و از آن غذا گيرد. و چون از پس آبان ماه پنج روز افزوني بوده است، آنك [= اينك] «اندرگاه» خوانند. گروهي از ايشان پنداشتند كه اين روز «پروردگان» است و خلاف به ميان آمد و اندر كيش ايشان مهم چيزي بود. پس هر دو پنج [روز] را به كار بردند از جهت احتياط را. و بيست و ششم روزِ آبان ماه، فروردگان [= پروردگان] كردند و آخرشان، آخر دزديده. و جمله فروردگان ده روز گشت. (3) برنشستن كوسه [= سوار شدن مرد بدون موي صورت] چيست؟ - آذر ماه به روزگار خسروان، اولِ بهار بوده است (4). و نخستين روز از وي - از بهر فال - مردي بيامدي كوسه، برنشسته بر خري و به دست كلاغي گرفته و به بادبيزن خويشتن باد همي‌زدي و زمستان را وداع همي‌كردي و از مردمان بدان چيزي يافتي. و به زمانه‌ي ما به شيراز همي‌كرده‌اند و ضريبت [= خراج] پِذرفته از عامل،‌ تا هر چه ستاند از بامداد تا نيمروز به ضريبت دهد و تا نماز ديگر [= نماز عصر] از بهر خويشتن را بستاند (5) و اگر از پسِ نماز ديگر بيابندش، سيلي خورد از هر كسي. بهمنجه چيست؟ - بهمن روز است از بهمن ماه [= دومين روز ماه]. و بدين روز، بهمن [= برف] سپيد به شير خالص پاك خورند و گويند كه حفظ [= حافظه] فزايد مردم را و فرامشتي [= فراموشي] ببرد. و اما به خراسان مهماني كنند بر ديگي كه اندر او از هر دانه‌ي خوردني كنند [= بريزند] و گوشت هر حيواني و مرغي كه حلال‌اند و آن چه اندر آن وقت بدان بقعت [= ناحيه] يافته شود از تره و نبات. سده چيست؟ - آبان روز است از بهمن ماه و آن دهم روز بود. و اندر شب‌اش كه ميان روز دهم است و ميان روز يازدهم، آتش زنند به گوز [= درخت گردو] و بادام و گرد بر گرد آن شراب خورند و لهو و شادي كنند. و نيز گروهي از آن بگذرند بسوزانيدن جانوران. اما [وجه تسميه‌ي سده] چنان است كه از او [= روز سده] تا نوروز، پنجاه روز است و پنجاه شب. و نيز گفتند كه اندرين روز از فرزندان پدر نخستين [= گيومرث]، صد تن تمام شدند (6). گهنبار چيست؟ - روزگار سال، پارها كرده است زرادشت و گفته است كه به هر پاره‌اي [از سال]، ايزد تعالي گونه‌اي [از مخلوقات] را آفريده است؛ چون آسمان و زمين و آب و گياه و جانور و مردم، تا عالم به سالي تمام آفريده شد. و به اول هر يكي از اين پاره‌ها، پنج روز است، نام‌شان «گهنبار(Gahanbar).