s own self. It is obvious
that this does not refer to protecting oneself from calamities and
material tests, for the Prophets and saints were, each and every one,
subjected to the bitterest afflictions that the world has to offer, and
were targets for all the cruelties and aggressions of mankind. They
sacrificed their lives for the welfare of the people, and with all their
hearts they hastened to the place of their martyrdom; and with their
inward and outward perfections they arrayed humanity in new garments of
excellent qualities, both acquired and inborn. The primary meaning of this
guarding of oneself is to acquire the attributes of spiritual and material
perfection.

The first attribute of perfection is learning and the cultural attainments
of the mind, and this eminent station is achieved when the individual
combines in himself a thorough knowledge of those complex and
transcendental realities pertaining to God, of the fundamental truths of
Qur'anic political and religious law, of the contents of the sacred
Scriptures of other faiths, and of those regulations and procedures which
would contribute to the progress and civilization of this distinguished
country. He should in addition be informed as to the laws and principles,
the customs, conditions and manners, and the material and moral virtues
characterizing the statecraft of other nations, and should be well versed
in all the useful branches of learning of the day, and study the
historical records of bygone governments and peoples. For if a learned
individual has no knowledge of the sacred Scriptures and the entire field
of divine and natural science, of religious jurisprudence and the arts of
government and the varied learning of the time and the great events of
history, he might prove unequal to an emergency, and this is inconsistent
with the necessary qualification of comprehensive knowledge.

If for example a spiritually learned Muslim is conducting a debate with a
Christian and he knows nothing of the glorious melodies of the Gospel, he
will, no matter how much he imparts of the Qur'an and its truths, be
unable to convince the Christian, and his words will fall on deaf ears.
Should, however, the Christian observe that the Muslim is better versed in
the fundamentals of Christianity than the Christian priests themselves,
and understands the purport of the Scriptures even better than they, he
will gladly accept the Muslim's arguments, and he would indeed have no