Should not the Muslims equip themselves in every way to...

Should not the Muslims equip themselves in every way to defend themselves against the non‑believers as stressed by the following verse?

**وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِّ‌بَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْ‌هِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّـهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَآخَرِ‌ينَ مِن دُونِهِمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ اللَّـهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِن شَيْءٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ** And prepare against them what force you can...so that you may dismay the enemy of God and your enemy and others beside them whom you know not; God knows them.

Whatever you spend in the way of God it will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be cheated. (8:60) And is it not true that in our world today, possession of defence facilities to face the enemies of Islam requires all kinds of scientific and technical know‑how? Then why don't the Muslims give the necessary attention to the issue of preparing themselves adequately for their self‑defence?

In the modern age, human life is inextricably linked with the effort for scientific advancement and the key to success in all affairs lies in knowledge. It is an obligation of Muslim scholars and researchers, living in the countries of the Eastern or Western block and are engaged in education, to acquire the latest and most complete scientific and technical knowledge. Otherwise their societies will inevitably remain under the domination of one superpower or another.

Imam Ja'far al‑Sadiq (A) says: العالم بزمانه لا تهجم عليه اللوابس A knowledgeable man who is abreast of his time will not be overwhelmed by unexpected problems.25 To sum up, if the Muslims want to succeed in their struggle against the evil powers of this age, they should equip themselves with the essentials of scientific advancement and endeavour to make up their lag in scientific and technical fields.

Whatever subject is essential for safeguarding the existence and vitality of the islamic societies should be learnt. The Holy Qur’an invites mankind to study the system and scheme of creation, the wonders of nature and the causes and effects of all things that exist, the conditions of living organisms, and in short all signs of God discernable in the external universe and the inner depths of the human soul.

The Qur’an enjoins thought and meditation about all aspects of creation and requires human beings to apply their reason and perceptual faculties for the discovery of the secrets of nature.

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