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GHAHAR ( MAQALA. ANTHROPOLOGY
telligencc he became king 'over ali animals, and brought all
things under his control." Thus from the mineral world he made
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jewels, gold and silver his adornment ; from iron, zinc, c'opper,
lead 'and tin he fashioned his utensils* and vessels; from the
vegetable k'ingdom he macjie his food, raiment and bedding ;
and
Jrom the animal world he obtained for himself steeds and beasts
of burden. An6 from all' three king'doms he chose out medica-
ments wherewith to heal himself. Whereby did there accrue to
him such pre-eminence? By this, that he understood abstract
ideas, and, by means oj these, recognized God. And whereby
did he know God ? By knowing himself; for "He who knoweth
himself, knoweth his Lord" ( .
So this kingdom [of man] became divided -into three classes.
The first is that which is proximate to t'ne Animal Kingdom,
such as the wild men of the waste and the mountain, whose
aspiration doth not more than suffice to secure their own livelihood
by seeking what is to their advantage and warding off
what is to their detriment. The second class compriseth the
inhabitants of towns and cities, who possess civilisation, power
of co-operation, (\ ) and aptitude to discover crafts and arts ;
but whose scientific attainments are limited to' the organisation
of such association as subsists between them, in order that the
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classes
different may continue to exist. The third class compfiseth
such as are independent of these things, and whose
occupation, by night and by day, in secret and in public, is to
reflect, "Who are we, for what reason did we come into existence,
and Who hath brought us into being?" In other words," they
hold debate concerning the real essences of things, reflect on
their coming, and anxiously consider their departure, saying,
" How 'nave we come ? Whither shall we go ? "
This class, again, is subdivided into two sorts ; first, those
who reach th^ essence of this object by the help of ^masters and
and such
by laborious toil, voracious study, reading and writing ;
are called "
Philosophers." But there is yet Another sort who,
without master or book, reach the extreme limit, of this problem,
and these are called " Prophets."
Now the peculiar virtues of the Prophet are three: first,
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that, without instruction, he khows all knowledges
; secondly,
that he gives information concerning yesterday and to-morrow
otherwise than by analogical reasoning and ; thirdly, that he
hath such psychical power that from whatever body he will he,
taketh the form and produceth another form, which thing pone
can do save such as are conformed to the Angelic W6rld. Therefore
in the Human World none is above him, and his c
command
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1 Or perhaps "races." The word is ft'^'j plural of ^J, "speVles." ,
2 This is what is called 'Ilm-i-Ladunni, or knowledge directly derived from God.
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