伊斯兰教的理论基础可以概括为先知穆罕默德ﷺ所传述的一句话。他说："伊斯兰教建立在五项基础之上"：

The theoretical foundation of Islam is summarized in one statement reported by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). He said, “Islam is constructed upon five tenants”:

相信安拉是唯一的主，穆罕默德是祂的使者ﷺ。

Æ Believe that Allah is the only God and that Mohammad is his Messenger.

建立礼拜。

Æ Establish prayer.

缴纳天课的义务。

Æ Pay the Zakah dues.

斋戒斋月。

Æ Fast the month of Ramadan.

前往麦加朝觐天房。

Æ Perform pilgrimage to the Sacred House in Mecca.

这些信条中的第一条为伊斯兰的思想体系提供了理论基础。它是伊斯兰教其余一切所赖以建立的根基。此外，它还提供了所谓的思想引领，因为一旦这一根基确立，人的行为便会自然地被由此根基所产生的各种律法所塑造。

The first of these tenants provides the intellectual foundation of the ideology of Islam. It is the base upon which everything else in Islam is constructed. Furthermore, it provides what is called an intellectual leadership, because once this foundation is established, the human behavior is naturally molded by whatever laws that emanates from this foundation.

伊斯兰要求对真主存在的信仰建立在理性思考的基础之上。因此，伊斯兰轻视任何仅仅是模仿和沿袭前人信仰的信仰。《古兰经》多次批驳那些只依赖父辈和先代信仰的人。在第5章（《筵席章》）第104节中说：“当有人对他们说：你们应当遵循真主所降示的，应当遵循使者的教导。他们却说：我们只遵循我们父辈所信奉的就够了。即使他们的父辈毫无知识，也没有正道。”这一观点在《古兰经》的其他经文中也反复出现，例如参考经文第161、162和163节。

Islam requires the belief in the existence of god to be based upon a mental reasoning process. In this regard, Islam devalues any type of belief if it is a mere imitation and continuation of the beliefs of older generation. In numerous occasions, the Quran belittles the beliefs of people which simply rely on the beliefs of fathers and previous generations. In Surah Al-Maidah (chapter 5, verse 104), it says, “And when it is said to them: Come to what Allah has revealed and unto the Messenger. They say: Enough for us is that which we found our fathers following, even though their fathers had no knowledge whatsoever and no guidance.” This notion is repeated in other places in the Quran; see for example the verses in references.161, 162, and 163

不再盲目沿袭前人未经审视的信仰，《古兰经》邀请人们运用理智去思考，从而坚定地确信独一全能的造物主的存在。在《穆迪长章》（第88章，第17-20节）中，《古兰经》说："难道他们不观察骆驼，它是怎样被创造的吗？不观察天空，它是怎样被高举的吗？不观察山岳，它是怎样被树立的吗？不观察大地，它是怎样被铺展的吗？"循着这一思路，《古兰经》多次提及宇宙现象和自然实在，以激发人的思维，并引导人们关注创造的本质。例如，《黄牛章》（第2章，第164节）直接号召人们进行理性思考："天地的创造，黑夜和白昼的更替，船只在海洋中航行并载运对人类有益之物，真主从天上降下雨水，借它使死去的大地重新复活，地上散布的各种动物，以及悬于天地之间的风云的变化，对于能够理智的民众，确是有许多迹象的。"另有一段提及大地的出产，引导人们思考：同一座园圃中生长的果实和蔬菜，为何在种类和品质上各不相同。《古兰经》中有三百多处提及各种迹象、自然现象和天地间的事件，促使理智去思考和默察创造，从而使人坚定地确信唯一的造物主存在，他创造了人类、生命和宇宙。165

Instead of following a belief that has been simply inherited from older generation without careful scrutiny, the Quran invites the people to ponder and use their minds to establish a firm belief in the existence of one Almighty Creator. In Surah Al-Ghashiah (chapter 88, verse 17-20), the Quran says, “Do they not look at the camels, how they are created? And at the heaven, how it is raised? And at the mountains, how they are rooted (and fixed firm)? And at the earth, how it is outspread?” Along these lines, the Quran makes numerous references to universal phenomena and physical realities to instigate the human thought and draw the attention to the essence of creation. See for example the direct invitation to mental reasoning in Surah Al-Baqara (chapter 2, verse 164): “Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed proofs, evidences and signs for people who reason.” Another reference to the products of land draws the attention of the mind to ponder on the reason behind the variation in kind and quality of fruits and vegetables which grow in the same garden.164 There are more than three hundred references in the Quran to various signs, physical phenomena, and natural events which compel the mind to think and ponder about the creation, in order to establish a firm belief in the existence of the one Creator for man, life, and the universe.165

《古兰经》中大量的经文不断提醒人们注意：一切存在的事物都具有两个共同特性——在时间和空间上都是有限的，并且都是自身不足的。无论是外在的宇宙，还是生命的各个领域，任何存在的物体都不能自我维持其存在。一切存在的物质，都依赖外部因素才能存在并得以延续。由此可见，伊斯兰教希望人们体会创造的概念，并对信仰的核心理念抱有深刻而彻底的确信。

The numerous references in the Quran always draw the attention of the mind to the fact that all existing materials share the qualities of being limited in time and space, and in being self-insufficient. None of the existing bodies, whether in the outer universe or in the realms of life, can sustain its own existence. All existing material beings depend on external factors to exist and to be sustained. The idea is that Islam wants the people to appreciate the concept of creation and to have a deep and thorough conviction in the core idea of belief.

因为伊斯兰信仰的根基建立在理性之上,伊斯兰不强迫人们信仰,而是把信仰之事交由人的理性自行抉择。[^166] 对这一根基的确信是必要的,因为伊斯兰正是在这一根基之上构建起完整的生活体系。建立并维持这样的体系需要巨大的能量,而这种能量只有当人们的理智与内心都全身心地投入到这一体系之中时,才能被汇聚起来。

Because the belief in the foundation of Islam is based on reason, Islam does not force people into belief. It leaves the matter of belief for the human mental discretion.166 The conviction in the foundation of belief is required because upon this foundation, Islam builds an entire system for life. Building and sustaining such system requires a tremendous amount of energy, which can only be drawn if both the mind and the heart of the people are totally engaged in this system.

信仰真主，其重要方面之一是相信真主的属性。其中最主要的属性，也是使伊斯兰成为一种意识形态的根本原因，便是真主的主权。实质上，这一属性确立了真主是一切法律和规则的唯一来源，而这些法律和规则塑造着个人与社会的行为。这一观念在《古兰经》中有明确的阐述。经文说：“他是天上的独一的主宰，也是地上的独一的主宰；他是至睿的，是至知的。”167 另有经文说：“统治权只属于真主。他命令你们不要崇拜真主以外的任何东西，这是正教，但多数人不知道。”168

An important aspect of the belief in god is the belief in the attributes of god. The main attribute, which qualifies Islam as an ideology, is the notion of sovereignty of god. In essence, this attribute places god as the only source of laws and rules, which shape the behavior of individuals and societies. This notion is clearly stated in the Quran. In one verse, it says, “It is He (Allah) Who is the only God to be worshiped in the heaven and the only God to be worshiped on the earth. And He is the All-Wise, the All-Knower.”167 In another verse, it says, “The command (or the governance) is for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him; that is the (true) straight religion, but most men know not.”168

伊斯兰教的教义从造物主传递给世人,是通过启示的形式降给使者穆罕默德ﷺ的。古兰经反复强调,所启示的讯息是所有人都应遵循的唯一准则,包括先知本人。例如在第七章《高处》第203节中,古兰经说:“(穆罕默德ﷺ)你说:‘我只是遵从主所启示我的。这是从你们的主那里来的明证,是为信道的民众而降的指引和恩慈。’”古兰经因此受到了特别的关注,其词汇、句法和语义结构都极为独特。这种独特性使古兰经得以历经岁月而保存下来,未曾被改动或变化。此外,古兰经的独特性也被视为它确系真主所启示的明证与证据。古兰经中声明,无论何人都永远无法仿造古兰经或其中的任何一部分;这一挑战至今依然有效。在第十七章《夜行》第88节中,古兰经说:“即使人类和精灵联合起来,想要创造出像这部古兰经一样的经文,他们也绝不能创造出像它一样的经文,即使他们互相帮助。”自公元七世纪古兰经降示以来,从未有人能仿造出它的复本,而古兰经的原文也得以保存。直到今天,阿拉伯文的古兰经仍只有一个版本。古兰经的译本以其他语言出版的数量众多,但阿拉伯文原本却只有一个版本。

The delivery of the systems of Islam from the Creator to the people comes in the form of revelation to the messenger Mohammad (PBUH). Repeatedly, the Quran emphasizes that the revealed message is the only code which should be followed by all, including the Prophet himself. See for example Surah Al-Araf (chapter 7, verse 203), where the Quran says, “I (Mohammad) but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This (the Quran) is nothing but evidences from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe.” The Quran, in turn, received special attention such that it had a unique lexical, syntactic, and semantic structure. This uniqueness enabled the preservation of the Quran over time albeit unaltered and unchanged. Besides, the uniqueness of the Quran is perceived as an evidence and proof that the Quran is indeed revealed by god. It is stated in the Quran that no one will ever be able to replicate the Quran or any part of it; this challenge is valid until today. In Surah Al-Isra’a (chapter 17, verse 88), the Quran says, “If the mankind and the jinn were together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another.” Since the revelation of the Quran in the seventh century, no replica of the Quran had ever been made, and the original text of the Quran had been preserved. Until today, there is only one copy of the Quran in the Arabic language. The translations of the Quran into other languages are numerous, but there is only one version in Arabic.

除了《古兰经》之外，启示还包括先知穆罕默德ﷺ的逊奈（Sunnah），它由他的生平传记和传述的圣训构成。逊奈由一群学者汇编而成，这些学者为鉴别和验证先知穆罕默德ﷺ的逊奈而创立了新的方法。169

Besides the Quran, the revelation includes the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad which consists of his biography and narrated texts. The Sunnah was compiled by a group of scholars who devised new methods for authentication and validation of the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad.169

自伊斯兰教初期启示降临以来，人们就认识到，启示的经文（即《古兰经》和圣训）是推导律例与法规的基础。学者们对《古兰经》的经文进行分析和阐释，以便更准确地推导出律例与法规。自伊斯兰早期起，便出现了多部名为“泰夫西尔”（Tafseer）的《古兰经》注释著作。170 以《古兰经》和圣训的原文为基础，并借助这些注释著作，穆斯林学者发展出了伊斯兰法学（Fiqh）这一知识体系。从本质上讲，这一体系包括从《古兰经》和圣训中推导出的一整套规则、条例、法律、伦理准则、日常实践以及一般性理念。经过长时间的发展，形成了多种推导方法，依据这些方法又产生了若干法学学派。171 从七世纪起，直至伊斯兰教兴盛时期，直到十九世纪末，数以千计的关于注释学、圣训注解、法学（Fiqh）和信仰学的著作相继问世。尽管在蒙古人和十字军东征的战争中遭受了巨大损失，这些著作中的许多仍然流传了下来。172、173

Since the early days of revelation, it was recognized that the revealed text (in the form of Quran or Sunnah) provides a base for deriving rules and laws. The text of the Quran was analyzed and interpreted in a manner to allow more accurate derivation of rules and laws. Several books of the interpretation of the Quran, known as the Tafseer, were authored since the early days of Islam.170 Based on the original texts of the Quran and the Sunnah as well as the books of interpretation, Muslim scholars developed the knowledge base of jurisprudence, known in Islam as the science of Fiqh. Essentially, this base includes the set of rules, regulations, laws, ethics, daily practices, and general ideas derived from the Quran and the Sunnah. Over an extended period of time, several methods of derivation were developed. Based on these methods of derivation, several schools of Fiqh emerged.171 Since the seventh century and throughout the rise of Islam and until the end of the nineteenth century, thousands of books in the areas of Tafseer, Sunnah interpretation, jurisprudence (Fiqh), and creed were authored. Many of these books survived despite the great loss incurred during the Mogul and crusade wars.172, 173

伊斯兰意识形态的理论基础，在过去十三个世纪所积累的浩如烟海的文献中，得到了清晰且毫无歧义的阐述。该理论的正确性，通过一套明确的推理过程得以有力地确立，这一过程适用于信仰的根基：真主、使者以及《古兰经》。法律与制度体系的正确性，则建立在正确的推演方法之上。这一思想的力量在于：只需要推演所依据的根基有原始的证据即可。若法律体系所出之根基正确，且推导该体系的方法正确，则该体系即被视为正确。换言之，无需证明每日五次拜功本身是正确的做法；而是需要证明每日五次拜功确实载于有效的《古兰经》或圣训经文之中，并且解释该经文的方法遵循了健全而正确的途径。同样，也无需证明在金融交易中禁止高利贷这一法律本身的正确性；而是需要证明禁止高利贷的法律见于《古兰经》和圣训的经文之中，并且从这些经文中推导出该法律的方法是有效而正确的方法。

The theoretical foundation of the Islamic ideology is intelligibly and without any ambiguity detailed in the vast collection of literature produced over thirteen centuries. The soundness of the theory is vigorously established through a well-defined reasoning process which applies to the foundation of faith: God, Messenger, and the Quran. The correctness of the systems of laws and regulations is established on the basis of a correct derivation methodology. The power of this idea lies in the notion that only the base upon which the derivation is processed needs to have an original proof. The system of laws is deemed correct if the base from which it emanates is correct, and the method of deriving the system is correct. In other words, it is not required to prove that praying five times a day is a correct practice. Rather, it is required to prove that praying five times a day was revealed in a valid Quran or Sunnah text, and the method of interpreting that text follows a sound and correct method. By the same token, it is not required to prove the correctness of the law banning usury in financial transactions. Rather, it is required to prove that the antiusury law is found in the texts of Quran and Sunnah, and the method of generating the law from these texts is a valid and correct method.

伊斯兰教要求人们以理性思考来信仰其核心理念与原则，这一事实表明伊斯兰教对其思想基础之健全有充分的信心。法国历史学家和学者爱德华·蒙特（Edward Montet）承认并肯定了伊斯兰根基的理性本质。蒙特作出如下结论："伊斯兰教是一种从词源和历史角度广义来看本质上具有理性主义特征的宗教。"他进一步解释道："《古兰经》始终作为根本出发点而占据其地位，其中宣告真主独一的教义，始终以一种宏伟、庄严、恒久纯净并带有坚定信念的语调被宣示，这在伊斯兰教之外很难找到能与之相媲美的。"蒙特将这一信仰的理性特征描述为："一种如此精确、摆脱了一切神学复杂性、因而如此易于普通人理解的信仰，理应拥有并确实拥有一种非凡的力量，能够深入人心。"伊斯兰核心理念的详细论证超出了本书的范围，作者将在另一部著作中予以探讨。与此同时，读者可以参阅众多更为详尽探讨这一问题的出版物。

The fact that Islam demanded a mental reasoning for the belief in its core ideas and principles demonstrates the confidence of Islam in the soundness of the intellectual base of its ideology. The rationalistic nature of the Islamic foundation was recognized and acknowledged by French historian and scholar Edward Montet.174 Montet makes the following conclusion: “Islam is a religion that is essentially rationalistic in the widest sense of this term considered etymologically and historically.” He further explains, “The Qur’an has invariably kept its place as the fundamental starting point, and the dogma of unity of God has always been proclaimed therein with a grandeur a majesty, an invariable purity and with a note of sure conviction, which it is hard to find surpassed outside the pale of Islam.” Montet describes the rationality of the creed as “a creed so precise, so stripped of all theological complexities and consequently so accessible to the ordinary understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed possess a marvelous power of winning its way into the consciences of men.” The extended proofs of the core ideas of Islam are beyond the scope of this book. This will be dealt with in another publication by the author. In the meantime, the reader can refer to numerous publications which address this issue in greater details.