187 
1892.] H. G. Raverty— The Milirdn of Sind and its Tributaries. 
after. He is extensively quoted by the author of the Jami’-ut-Tawarikh., 
and by the Fauakati, but honestly so ; for they both acknowledge what 
they have extracted from his “ Tahkik-ul-Hind. After him comes Abu- 
* Abdullah, Muhammad, surnamed Al-Idrisi, who wrote his work 
“ Nuzhat-ul-Mushtak,” about the middle of the twelfth century of our 
era, about 545 H. (1150-51 A. D.). The next is Zakariya, the Kazwlni, 
who wrote his “ Asar-ul-Bilad ” a century or more after Al-Idrisi, about 
661 H. (1263 A. D.), a short time only after the siege of U'chchh by the 
Mughals, before noticed. He, however, quotes chiefly from the “ ’Aja’ib- 
ul-Baladan ” of Mus’ir, 80 son of Muhalhil, the ’Arab, who travelled into 
India and China in 331 H. (942-43 A. D.), and these quotations may 
really be considered to refer to the places noticed as they existed when 
the latter wrote. Lastly, the work of Ibn-al-Wardi-al-Karshi, who wrote 
between 668 and 684 H. (1269-1285 A. D.), or about twenty years after 
the “ Tabakat-i-Nasiri ” was completed. 
Ahmad, son of Yahya, al-Balaziri , 81 states in his “ Futuh-ul- 
Baladan,” that Muhammad, son of Kasim, after his conquest of Sind, 
advanced to Multan, and, that “ the Muhammadans discovered there, 
beneath the idol-temple a Bait [*=*&], ten cubits in length and eio-ht in 
breadth, containing a considerable quantity of gold.” The ’Arabic word 
“ bait ” here used does not mean “ a house ” only, as some appear to 
have assumed, but it signifies also “ a vault,” “a chamber,” “recepta¬ 
cle,” “ repository,” and many other meanings of a similar kind, and 
here refers to a receptacle or repository for the treasure, such as was not 
visiting Hind, and instituting his inquiries respecting that country. He may have 
visited parts farther east along with the troops of those Sultans in their expeditions, 
hut he appears not to have dwelt any time in those parts, except at Multan, and 
Lahor—at that period the seat of Government of the Muhammadan territories 
recently conquered from the Hindus—aiid here he was enabled to institute his in¬ 
quiries (tahkikat, hence the title “ Tahkik-ul-Hind”) respecting Hind and its people. 
He is neither called “ Biruni ,” as in Elliot, nor “ Alheruni ,” as in Sachau, but was 
entitled Al-Beruni. He is not so entitled because of any place so called ; for he was 
a native of Khwarazm, and there was no place so called in that country. Being a 
foreigner, or rather a stranger—for, when he wrote, Khwarazm was an integral part 
of the Ghazniwi empire—when mentioned as Abu-Rihan, that being not an uncommon 
name by any means, by way of distinction, he was styled Abu-Rihan or Bu-Rihan, 
the Beruni, that is, the outsider—the stranger or alien. 
80 This name in ’Arabic signifies, ‘ one who notices any novelty,’ ‘ a spectator,’ 
‘ observer,’ ‘spy,’ etc. Mis’ar, as in Elliot, Yol. I, page 95, is meaningless. 
8J - He is so called because he was addicted to the use of a mixture—some say 
intoxicating—made from the balazir, or Malacca bean, which is used in medicine. 
The word is an ’Arabic one, and written with the letter 8, He is incorrectly called 
“ A1 Biladuri,” “ Beladsori,” “Biladori,” and the like, anything but by the coi’rect 
name. 
