استعمال المفاهيم العقدية في وصف الأديان: قراءة تحليلية لمفهوم التوحيد عند البيروني (تـ440هـ) في وصفه لأديان الهند

The Application of Islamic Theological Concepts in the Description of Other Religions: Al-Biruni’s Interpretation of Tawhid in His Analysis of Indian Religious Traditions

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which concepts originating within specific disciplinary domains can retain their original conceptual significance when employed in the description of religions. Adopting an analytical and comparative approach, the research investigates the concept of tawhid (divine unity), a notion rooted in Islamic theology, as utilized by al-Biruni in his account of the religions of India. Attention is given to the intellectual and religious factors that shaped his theological and historical outlook. The study explores al-Biruni’s formative intellectual environment, assessing his transposition of concepts across disciplinary boundaries and examining his primary sources, including theological (kalam), philosophical, and Sufi traditions. The findings demonstrate that theological concepts, such as tawhid, shifted from theological discourse to become anthropological and descriptive tools. The study concludes that al-Biruni’s employment of tawhid, within its philosophical and Sufi dimensions, constituted a conscious anthropological approach that separated objective historical description from theological bias. This conceptual invocation, shaped by his cultural milieu, served as an evaluative tool for cross-cultural understanding rather than reflecting his personal doctrinal choices, presenting a methodological pattern applicable to the broader field of the history of religions.