Social Life in India through the Writings of Muslim Travellers A Special Study of Al-Yaqoubi, Al-Masoudi, and Al-Bayruni

Abstract

India has acquired a great degree of attention to the Muslim travellers who visited this country and wrote what they witnessed in regard to political, economic, social, cultural, and religious conditions &settings. In this research paper, I will focus on the social life in India. The Sindh Country through the writings of three historians whose names are as follows: al-Yaquobi (d. 292 /9O5), al-Masoudi (d. 346/957), al-Bayruni (d. 440/1048). The present study is to identify the most important features and aspects of the social life in India through the writings of the Muslim travellers. This study will deal with the description of some Indian society's related features with focus on the customs and traditions. The research includes the following points: biographical information of al-Yaquobi, al-Masoudi and al-Bayruni. It also investigate how the Muslim travellers depicted and recorded the geography of India, its social life, class structure, eating and clothing habits, social customs and traditions. In preparation of this research, I followed the objective and analytic method, which is based on comparing the pieces of the information presented to each other; In addition to matching the information aforementioned in the books of the travellers along with the Islamic geography and historic facts and events for the purpose of discussing them, and analytically manifesting the opinions.