Most commentators on al-Bīrūnī's work emphasize the purity and strength of his desire for knowledge at a time when science and religion were deeply intertwined. His mastery of several languages in addition to Arabic, including Sanskrit, Greek, and Persian, enabled him to achieve a broader sense of historical and cultural knowledge and to compile information on the scientific achievements of a variety of thinkers and traditions. According to recent scholars, his unprejudiced view and critical alertness extended beyond his scientific observations and experiments to his work on history and religious beliefs. His wide range of knowledge and insistence on empirical verification are what distinguishes him from other Islamic scholars of the time. Al-Bīrūnī's work, though, tends more towards the compilation and testing of others' theoretical speculations, rather than the generation of original theories. He also is noted for his willingness to look...