在这一轮新的启示中，有一段对先知（愿主赐福他并使他平安）的称呼。它以真主开始，祂的荣耀无限，抚慰并安慰他。

In this new round or wave, an address is made to the Prophet (peace be upon him). It begins with God, limitless is He in His glory, consoling and comforting him.

他诚实可信,尤其为人们加在他身上的虚假指控而深感痛心。在这里,主告诉他,那些人从未认为他是骗子,而是借此作为托词,以固执地否认神的迹象并拒绝信仰。主还安慰他,此前的神的使者也曾同样遭受虚假的指控和侮辱,他们都以耐心忍受了这一切。最终,按照神所设定的、始终如一的法则,他们获得了神的帮助而取得胜利。在安慰与宽慰之后,经文阐明了关于神的讯息的根本真理。它依照神的旨意和祂的法则运行。它的传播者所要做的,只是把它传达给人们并加以阐明,除此之外,其后的一切都由神来决定。因此,包括先知ﷺ本人在内的传播者,除了继续履行自己的职责之外别无他事,不должны催促其进程,也不得对神提出任何建议。他们不应理会人们关于其策略的建议、关于其真实性的证据,或是证明其真实所需的神迹。关键在于,那些活着、并具有听觉能力的人会作出回应;而那些心已死去的人则不会。最终的决定权属于神:祂可以使人复活,也可以让人保持死寂,直到他们在末日回归到祂那里。

He, honest and truthful, was particularly distressed ‘ at the charges of falsehood that were laid at his door. Here, he is told by his Lord that they never thought him a liar, but used this as a ploy to maintain their stubborn denial of God’s signs and their rejection of the faith. He is also comforted with the information that earlier messengers of God were similarly accused of falsehood and subjected to abuse, and that they endured all this with patience. Eventually, they were given God’s help to triumph, in accordance with the consistent laws He has set in operation. When the comforting and reassurance are over, the address makes clear the essential truth concerning God’s message. It moves according to God’s will and His laws. Its advocates have nothing to do with it other than to convey it to people and to make it clear. Other than that, it is God who decides what happens to it. Hence, its advocates, including the Prophet himself, have nothing to decide other than to continue with their task, without hastening its moves or suggesting anything to God. They are not to pay any attention to people’s suggestions concerning its strategy, the proofs that may be given of its truth or the miracles needed to prove it. The point is that those who are alive and have the power of hearing will respond. On the other hand, those whose hearts are dead will not. The ultimate decision belongs to God: He may give people life or keep them dead until they return to Him on the Day of Judgement.

那些与先知对话的人要求得到一个奇迹，如同先前的先知所得到的那样。真主当然能够赐予他们这样的奇迹，但祂凭着自己的智慧，并不愿意这样做。如果先知因他们的背离而如此忧伤，那就让他凭自己的人力，设法为他们带来这样的奇迹吧。真主是一切生灵的创造者，祂知道它们所有的隐秘，也知道它们本性的差异。对于拒绝祂的讯息的人，祂任他们在深重的黑暗中游荡，既聋又哑。祂任由一些人迷失，也引导另一些人走向真理，这是依据祂对各种受造物万无一失的全知。

The people the Prophet was addressing demanded a miracle like the ones granted earlier prophets. God is certainly able to give them such a miracle, but He, in His wisdom, does not wish to do so. If the Prophet is so distressed by their turning away, then let him try, by his own human effort, to bring them such a miracle. God is the Creator of all living creatures, and He knows all their secrets and the differences in their nature. He leaves those human beings who reject His message to wander in the deep darkness, deaf and dumb. He leaves some to go astray and guides others to the truth, according to His infallible knowledge of His different creatures.

我们确知他们所说的话令你忧伤。但他们否认的并不是你，而是不义者在否认真主的启示。（第33节）

We know too well that what they say grieves you. Yet it is not you that they charge with falsehood; but it is God’s revelations that the wrongdoers deny. (Verse 33)

异教的阿拉伯人信奉偶像崇拜,其中特别是那些自不量力、承担起反对伊斯兰讯息任务的人,毫无疑问地知道穆罕默德ﷺ所说的是真话。他们知道他是诚实可靠的人。他们明白,在开始传达真主的讯息之前,他从未说过谎。那些对他反对得最为顽固的人,也不怀疑他讯息的真实性。他们知道《古兰经》不可能是人所写的。然而,他们仍然顽固地拒绝公开表明自己的信仰,也不肯皈依新的信仰。他们拒绝的原因并不是不能相信先知,而是他们意识到,他的讯息威胁到了他们的地位和影响力。因此,他们决定否认神的启示,坚持自己的偶像崇拜信仰。有许多记载清楚地说明了古莱氏人这种态度背后的原因。现在我们只看其中的几个。

The pagan Arabs with their idolatrous beliefs, particularly those of them who took upon themselves the unworthy task of opposing the message of Islam, had no doubt that Muĥammad (peace be upon him) was telling the truth. They have known him to be truthful and honest. They knew that he had never told a lie before starting to convey God’s message. Those who were most hardened in their opposition to him did not doubt the truthfulness of his message either. They knew that the Qur’ān could not have been authored by a human being. They, nevertheless, stubbornly refused to declare their belief or to embrace a new faith. Their reason for rejecting it was not that they could not believe the Prophet; rather, it was their realisation that his message threatened their positions and influence. Hence, they decided to deny God’s revelations and to stick to their idolatrous beliefs. There are numerous reports that clearly state the reasons behind the Quraysh’s attitude. We will now look at just a few of these.

伊本·伊斯哈格引述祖哈里的说法称，古莱氏的三位显要人物，即艾布·苏福扬、艾布·贾赫勒和阿赫纳斯·伊本·沙里格，趁着夜色的掩护，各自分头前往，去聆听真主的使者ﷺ在夜间礼拜时诵读《古兰经》。他们就坐在他的房屋外面，倾听他诵读《古兰经》。三人各自独行，以为无人会知道他们的行动。可以推测，他们的动机要么是想客观地评判穆罕默德ﷺ的使命，要么是想了解其中的真相，要么是为了欣赏《古兰经》卓越的文学风格。天色渐亮时，三人各自沿原路返回，以免他们这次秘密的行动被人发现。

Ibn Isĥāq reports on the authority of al-Zuhrī that three of the Quraysh’s notables, namely, Abū Sufyān, Abū Jahl and al-Akhnas ibn Sharīq, protected by the cover of darkness, took their separate ways to listen to God’s Messenger as he recited the Qur’ān during his night worship. They sat just outside his house, listening to his recitation of the Qur’ān. Each was on his own, thinking that no one would know about his action. One can only assume that their motivation was either to try to judge Muĥammad’s message objectively, or to learn the truth about it, or to listen to the superb literary style of the Qur’ān. As the day began to break, each of them returned the way they had come such that their clandestine activities would not be found out.

然而,三人偶然相遇,他们各自的计划就此落空。彼此无需询问对方在做什么。

However, their individual plans were foiled when the three happened, by chance, to meet with each other. There was no need to ask each other what they were doing.

关于《古兰经》中的经文："我们深知他们所说的话使你忧伤。"

Commenting on the Qur’ānic verse, “We know too well that what they say grieves you.

“它们否认的不是你，而是不义者在否认真主的启示”（第33节）。阿尔-塔巴里引述了阿尔-苏迪的一段记载：在白德尔战役当天，阿赫纳斯·伊本·舍里格对他的族人祖赫拉部落说：“穆罕默德是你们姐妹的儿子，你们却是保护他们侄子的人。如果他真是先知，你们今天为何要与他作战？如果他是骗子，你们也应当为了侄子而抵御侵犯。等我去见阿布·哈凯姆，即阿布·贾赫勒。若穆罕默德获胜，你们可以平安回家；若他失败，你们的族人也不会伤害你们。”〔他就是在那一天被称为阿赫纳斯的，而他的真名是乌拜伊。〕于是他去见阿布·贾赫勒，私下对他说：“跟我说说穆罕默德吧：他说的是真话，还是个骗子？这里没有古莱氏人在听我们的谈话。”阿布·贾赫勒说：“以真主起誓，穆罕默德说的是真话。”ﷺ

Yet it is not you that they charge with falsehood; but it is Gods revelations that the wrongdoers deny” (Verse 33), al- Ţabarī quotes the following report on the authority of al-Suddī: “On the day of the Battle of Badr, al-Akhnas ibn Sharīq said to his tribesmen, the Zuhārah people, `Muĥammad is your sister’s son, and you are the ones who defend their nephew. If he is truly a Prophet, why would you fight him today? And if he is a liar, you should repel aggression against your nephew. Wait until I meet Abū al-Ĥakam, i.e. Abū Jahl. Should Muĥammad be victorious, you will return home safely, but if he is defeated, your people will do you no harm.’ [It was on that day that he was nicknamed al-Akhnas, while his real name was Ubayy.] He went to meet Abū Jahl and spoke to him in private: `Tell me about Muĥammad: is he telling the truth, or is he a liar? There is no one from the Quraysh listening to this conversation between us.’ Abū Jahl said: `By God, Muĥammad is telling the truth.

穆罕默德一生从未说过谎。但如果古赛伊的后裔再把先知身份加在他们已有的其他荣誉之上，比如在战时持旗、为朝觐者供水等，那么古莱什其余的人还剩下什么呢？”⁶ 以上所述，正解释了前面经文中的那句话。

Muĥammad never told a lie in his life. But what would happen, should the descendants of Quşayy add prophethood to their other honours, such as holding the banner in war, providing water for the pilgrims, etc. What will remain for the rest of the Quraysh?’“6 All this then explains the statement made in the above verse.

在考察这则报道时，我们必须认识到：这一事件发生在白德尔战役之日，距先知迁居麦地那已近两年；而这一章及此节经文属于麦加时期的启示，也就是说它们早于该事件。

In considering this report, we have to realise that this incident took place on the day of the Battle of Badr, nearly two years after the Prophet had settled in Madinah, while the sūrah and this verse are Makkan revelations, i.e. they precede this incident.

为了说明这一点，我们必须理解：《古兰经》的注释者可能会叙述某件事，并引用某节经文与之相联系，但这并不意味着该节经文就是在那件事发生时降示的。相反，这是在具体的生活事件中对经文所作的解释。

To account for this, we have to understand that commentators on the Qur’ān might report an event and cite a particular verse in connection with it, but this is not to say that the verse in question was revealed on that occasion. Rather it explains the verse in relation to life events.

另一件事件由伊本·伊斯哈格记载，发生在朝觐季节前后。

Another incident reported by Ibn Isĥāq took place close to the pilgrimage season.

在麦加众多人士出席、并由阿勒-瓦利德·本-穆吉拉主持的一次会议上，他们确定了一场诋毁运动的策略。阿勒-瓦利德在开场讲话中说：“朝觐的季节即将到来，人们将从各地陆续赶来。他们一定听说过你们的朋友[指先知ﷺ]的事情。所以你们最好先商定，当别人问起他的时候该怎么说。我们必须防止观点过多，尤其是当这些观点互相矛盾的时候。”当他的听众询问他的建议该说些什么时，他宁愿先听取他们的意见。阿勒-瓦利德最担心的是，他们最终提出的看法必须考虑到这样一个事实：穆罕默德ﷺ要求人们聆听《古兰经》，即真主的启示，它以最优美的语言和最有力的文体表达。他们给穆罕默德ﷺ加上的描述，也必须顾及他那极具说服力、雄辩的论述。

A meeting attended by a large number of Makkans and chaired, as it were, by al- Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah, defined their strategy for a defamation campaign. In his opening address, al-Walīd said: “Now that the pilgrimage season is approaching, people will start arriving from all over the place. They must have heard about your friend [meaning the Prophet]. So you had better agree what to say when you are asked about him. We must guard against having too many opinions, particularly if they are mutually contradictory.” When his audience asked his advice as to what they should say, he preferred to listen to their suggestions first. What concerned al-Walīd most was that the opinion they would come out with should take account of the fact that Muĥammad was asking people to listen to the Qur’ān, God’s message, expressed in the most beautiful language and employing the most powerful of styles. The description they would attach to Muĥammad should also account for his persuasive, eloquent argument.

描述性词语如“算命先生”、“疯子”、“诗人”和“魔术师”被提了出来。

Descriptions like ‘fortune-teller’, ‘madman’, ‘poet’ and `magician’ were proposed.

没有一种说法令阿尔-瓦利德信服,他逐一指出每种说法的漏洞。他告诉他的族人,穆罕默德所说的话与那些人的言辞全然不同。当无人能提出更为可信的说法时,他们便请阿尔-瓦利德自己提出一个更好的说法。

None was considered convincing by al-Walīd, who pointed out weaknesses in each, one after the other. He told his people that what Muĥammad said was nothing like what was said by such men. When nobody could suggest anything more plausible, they asked al-Walīd to come up with a better suggestion.

他说:“穆罕默德所说的话确实优美。它就像一棵根深叶茂、果实累累的椰枣树。你们提出的这些建议,每一条都必定会被人识破为假。其中最无可争议的一条,是说他是一个施行巫术的人,念着能使人与父亲、母亲、妻子和宗族反目的咒语。”他们都赞同瓦利德的意见,随即着手准备宣传攻势,要让朝觐者对穆罕默德心存戒备,不愿与他相见。9

He said: “What Muĥammad says is certainly beautiful. It is like a date tree with solid roots and rich fruit. Every one of these suggestions you have made is bound to be recognized as false. The least disputable one is to claim that he is a magician who repeats magic words which make a man fall out with his father, mother, wife and clan”. They all approved of al-Walīd’s suggestion and set about preparing their propaganda campaign to make the pilgrims wary of Muĥammad and unwilling to meet him.9

在给予先知这份慰藉之后,本章提醒他古代使者的遭遇,《古兰经》中也记载了其中一些人的历史。他们忍受了辱骂与艰难,耐心坚持,沿着真主为他们指明的道路前行,直到真主赐予他们胜利。这说明,遭遇磨难对真主的使者而言本是常态。即使传播天启之道的人遭受酷刑、辱骂、否认和其他种种苦难,也绝不可急于求成。正如真主所说:"在你之前,使者们也曾被斥为说谎者,但他们忍受了这一切否认和辱骂,直到我的援助降临到他们身上。真主的言辞无人能够更改。你已经获知了那些使者的一些事迹。"(第34节)

Having given the Prophet this consolation, the sūrah reminds him of what happened to past messengers, some of whose history is given in the Qur’ān. They endured abuse and hardship with patience and moved along the way God had shown them until they were granted victory by God. This is, then, an assertion that meeting affliction was only natural for God’s messengers. The outcome must never be precipitated even though the advocates of the divine message may be subjected to torture, abuse, denial and other hardships: “Other messengers were charged with falsehood before your time, but they patiently endured all those charges and abuse, until Our help came to them. There is no power that can alter God’s words. You have already received some of the history of those messengers.” (Verse 34)

传播真理者的使命之路一直艰难,他们不断克服重重障碍。他们稳步前行,受到各类作恶者的反对,被那些选择迷途的人及其追随者所拒绝。这些传播者可能遭受伤害、压迫、酷刑,甚至死亡。然而,真理的传播者仍将继续前行,坚守自己的道路,毫不动摇。无论需要多长时间,结局始终不变。在道路的尽头,等待他们的是真主所赐予的胜利:"在你之前,也有使者被斥为撒谎者,但他们忍受了这一切指控和侮辱,直到我的援助降临他们。任何力量都无法改变真主的话语。你已经获知了那些使者的一些事迹。"(第34节)

Advocates of God’s message have continued along the same difficult way, overcoming numerous hurdles. They move along with steady steps, opposed by wrongdoers of all sorts, rejected by those who have chosen to go astray and their followers. Harm may be inflicted on some of those advocates, pressure, torture, and death. Yet the advocates of the truth will move on, maintaining their way, undeterred. The outcome remains the same, long as it may take. At the end of the road awaits victory, granted by God: “Other messengers were charged with falsehood before your time, but they patiently endured all those charges and abuse, until Our help came to them. There is no power that can alter God’s words. You have already received some of the history of those messengers.” (Verse 34)

这些话是神对他的使者穆罕默德ﷺ所说的。

These are words said by God to His Messenger, Muĥammad, (peace be upon him)

为了安慰和激励他。然而，这些话语向那些将在先知之后到来的伊斯兰的倡导者指明了他们必须走的道路和必须承担的角色。事实上，他们将会遇到的种种困难也被摆在他们眼前。这些话还告诉他们，在道路的尽头会有怎样的结果。这些经文表明，同样的规律适用于所有的神圣启示。实际上，这些启示构成一个单一而完整的统一体。大多数人将这一信息视为虚假而加以拒绝，并使其倡导者遭受苦难；而倡导者则以忍耐和坚毅面对这一切。然而，最终的结局是胜利，这胜利将在真主所定的时刻到来。

to remind and console him. However, these words show the advocates of Islam who will come after the Prophet the way they have to travel and the role they have to play. Indeed, the difficulties they are to expect are held up before their eyes. They are also told what to expect at the end of the road. These verses make clear that the same rules apply to all divine messages. In fact, these messages constitute a single and integral unity. The majority of people reject the message as false and inflict hardship on its advocates who, in turn, face all this with patience and perseverance. The ultimate outcome, however, is victory, which comes at the time determined by God.

该章接着提到不信道者要求降下某种超自然的迹象给先知ﷺ。它指出，这种请求显示出他们对真主之法的无知，而真主不回应他们的请求，正是对他们的一种慈悯。倘若他们在获得超自然的迹象之后仍然继续拒绝，他们就必将被毁灭。

The sūrah then refers to the unbelievers’ request that a sign in the form of something supernatural be sent down to the Prophet. It points out that such a request betrays ignorance of God’s law and the mercy He shows them by not responding to their request. Were they to continue with their rejection after a supernatural sign is given them, they would be destroyed.

他们所请求的是一种有形的神迹，就像先前的使者所获得的那些一样。他们并不满足于《古兰经》所体现的那一永恒的迹象，这一迹象预示着人类成熟的最终阶段。它是对人类成熟理性的最后一次宣谕。而且，它的意义并不局限于亲眼见到它的那一代人，不像物质性的神迹那样；它的神圣信息将持续向人类的理智发言，直至审判日。

What they requested was a physical miracle such as those given to earlier messengers. They were not satisfied with the permanent sign embodied in the Qur’ān, which heralds the ultimate stage of mankind’s maturity. It makes a final address to man’s mature mind. Moreover, its significance is not limited to the generation that sees it, as is the case with material miracles; its miraculous message will continue to address the human intellect until the Day of Judgement.

当他们提出要求神迹时,他们忽略了神的律法:那些在已经获得神迹之后仍然否认神的启示的人,会立即受到惩罚。他们并不懂得感恩神的仁慈,神没有回应他们的请求,因为祂知道他们会像先前的民族那样继续否认祂。那样做将会决定他们的命运。

As they made their requests for a miracle, they overlooked the divine law which brought immediate punishment to those who continued to deny divine messages after a miraculous sign had been given them. They simply did not appreciate God’s kindness by not responding to their request, when He knew that they would continue to deny Him, as earlier people had done. That would have sealed their fate.

真主想给他们一个更长的机会去信仰祂。那些持续拒绝信仰的人，他们的子女或许会成长为信士。不言而喻，他们并没有感谢真主给予他们如此长的机会的恩典。

God wanted to give them an extended chance to believe in Him. Those who continue to reject faith may have children who grow up as believers. Needless to say, they did not thank God for His grace in giving them such an extended chance.

该章提到了他们的请求，并指出他们大多数人并不知道这一请求意味着什么，也不知道它被拒绝的原因。经文说，真主完全能够赐予他们所要求的神迹，但祂的智慧与恩慈阻止了必然随之而来的可悲毁灭："他们说：'为什么没有一个迹象从他的主降给他呢？'你说：'真主完全能够降下任何迹象，但他们大多数人是无知的。'"（第37节）

The sūrah mentions their request and comments that most of them do not know what it entails or the reason for its rejection. It states that God is certainly able to give them the miraculous sign they want, but His wisdom and grace have stopped the woeful doom that is certain to follow: “They say: ‘Why has no sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say: God is well able to send down any sign, but most of them are devoid of knowledge.” (Verse 37)

有鉴于我们所看到的这段经文，我们需要稍作停顿，指出其中的指令对历代所有宣扬真主信仰之人的适用范围。这些指令超越了促使其颁布的历史情境。它们勾勒出一套宣扬真主信仰的体系，适用于所有宣教者，不受时间与地点的限制。在本注释中，我们无法详细阐述这一体系，只能指出其主要特征。

Having looked at this passage, we need to take a short pause to point out the extent of the directives it contains to all advocates of God’s message throughout all generations. These directives transcend the historical occasion which required them to be issued. They delineate a system of advocating God’s faith that applies to all advocates, free of all constraints of time and place. We cannot, in this commentary, speak about this system in detail. We will only indicate its main features.

伊斯兰的宣教者所要走的道路艰难重重，充满了磨难。

The road the advocates of Islam have to follow is tough and full of hardship.

虽然真主必定会使真理获胜，但这一胜利的时间，是真主依其智慧所选定的。此外，真主将这一胜利的时间保密，不告知任何人，甚至不告知他的使者。在这条道路上的艰辛有两个基本来源。第一个来源是伊斯兰信息一开始所遭遇的否认与拒绝，以及对其倡导者所施加的伤害。第二个来源是每位倡导者天生的人性渴望，即渴望把自己所亲身体验过的真理引导给世人，他对支持真理的热忱，以及他希望看到真理获胜的愿望。与这种渴望抗争，其难度并不亚于面对否认、拒绝和所遭受的伤害。

Although God will undoubtedly grant victory to the truth, this victory comes at the time God, in His wisdom, chooses. Moreover, God keeps the timing of this victory to Himself, giving no information of it to anyone, not even His Messenger. The hardship along this road has two basic sources. The first is the denial and rejection with which the message of Islam is confronted at the beginning, as well as the harm inflicted on its advocates. The second source is the natural human desire felt by every advocate to guide people to the truth he himself has experienced, his enthusiasm to support the truth and his desire to see it victorious. Contending with this desire is no less difficult than facing up to denial, rejection and the infliction of harm.

我们在这段经文中看到，《古兰经》同时论及了这两个方面。经文指出，那些拒绝这一信仰、试图压制它的人，完全清楚自己只被要求遵循真理。他们明白，向人类传达这一信仰的使者所说的是真话。然而，他们拒绝回应。事实上，出于某些不可告人的目的，他们固执地坚持拒绝。他们意识到，这一真理本身就有内在的证据作为支撑：它诉诸人的本性，而人的本性一旦保持鲜活并能够接受，就会对它作出积极的回应：“只有能听的人才会应答。”（第36节）而那些反对真理的人，心已死去，他们“聋、哑、瞎，所以不能领悟”。（第39节）使者无法让死者或聋者听见。真理的传播者不必使死者复活，这只有真主才能做到。另一方面，真主必定会使他的信息获胜。但这种胜利会在恰当的时候到来，遵循真主的法则，依照他的旨意。真主的法则在最终胜利的必然性及其时机方面，都不会因人的意愿而被加速或改变。真主并不会仅仅因为他的信息的传播者，甚至他的使者遭受拒绝、伤害和苦难，就急于求成。事实上，真主事业的传播者必须顺服真主的旨意，而不应试图催促它。他还必须在逆境中保持忍耐，并表现出对最终胜利的坚定信念。

We see in this passage how the Qur’ān tackles both aspects. It states that those who reject this faith and try to suppress it know full well that they are only called upon to follow the truth. They realise that the Messenger who conveys it to mankind tells the truth. Nevertheless, they refuse to respond. Indeed they persist, for certain ulterior motives, in their stubborn rejection. They realize that this truth has an intrinsic evidence to support it: it addresses human nature which responds to it positively once it is alive and receptive: “Only those that can hear will surely answer.” (Verse 36) Those, on the other hand, who oppose the truth have dead hearts and they themselves are “deaf and dumb, groping along in darkness”. (Verse 39) The Messenger cannot make those who are dead or deaf hear. An advocate of the truth is not required to bring the dead back to life. This is something only God can do. On the other hand, God is certain to grant victory to His message. But that victory comes at the right time, according to God’s law and by His will. God’s law cannot be precipitated or changed with regard either to the certainty of ultimate victory, or to its timing. God does not hasten things simply because the advocates of His message, or even His messengers are made to endure rejection, harm and suffering. Indeed, an advocate of God’s cause is required to submit himself to God’s will, without trying to precipitate it. He is also required to show patience in the face of adversity and to demonstrate his certainty of the ultimate victory.

阿拉伯的多神教徒在蒙昧时期所做的，无非是把某些受造之物当作保护者，希望它们能为他们在神面前说情、使他们得到神的喜悦。

All that the Arab idolaters did in their ignorant days was that they took for their patrons certain creatures hoping that the latter could win them favour with God:

“而那些舍真主而以他物为保护者的人说：‘我们崇拜他们，只是为了让他们使我们更接近真主。’”{39:3} 《古兰经》把这种借着依附真主的某些仆人来为自己谋求真主恩宠的做法，称为拜偶像。那么，对于那些更加可怕的行为，又该如何描述呢？这些人为了替真主赢得他的仆人的好感（愿他荣耀无限），竟将真主的讯息与人为制定的教义或行为准则混为一谈。

“And yet they who take for their protectors other beings beside Him, say: ‘We worship them for no other reason than that they bring us nearer to God.’“ (39: 3) This manner of seeking favour for oneself with God by being patronized by some of His servants is described in the Qur’ān as idolatrous. What description would then fit those who are guilty of a much more ghastly practice as they try to win favour for God, limitless is He in His glory, with His servants by associating His message with a man-made doctrine or code of practice?

伊斯兰教有其独特的特征，而社会主义和民主则各有其本质。伊斯兰教是由真主所制定的生活准则，它不接受除真主亲自所赋予之外的任何称谓或定义。社会主义和民主则是基于人类经验而建立的人造制度。如果人们选择它们，就必须充分了解其选择的依据。一位主张实行真主所选定之信仰的信士，绝不可让自己屈从于任何一时流行之事物的诱惑，也不可自欺地以为这是在为神圣的信仰做好事。

Islam has its own distinctive characteristics while socialism and democracy are what they are. Islam is a code of living devised by God and it admits no title or description other than that given to it by God Himself. Socialism and democracy are man-made systems based on human experience. If people want to choose them, then they must be fully aware of the basis of their choice. A believer who advocates the implementation of the faith chosen by God must never allow himself to yield to the temptation of anything that happens to be temporarily fashionable, deluding himself that he is doing the divine faith a favour.

我想向那些信仰在他们心目中已经衰落、对真主没有真正认识的人提出一个问题。如果你今天把伊斯兰与社会主义和民主联系起来，把它当作当下流行的潮流来介绍，那么你应当记住：资本主义也曾经在一段时间里是人们最喜爱的制度，当时它取代了封建制度。

I would like to put a question to those whose faith has sunk so low in their valuation and who have no true understanding of the Divine Being. If you present Islam to people today associating it with socialism and democracy because these are fashionable trends in this present time, you should remember that capitalism was, for a period of time, people’s favourite system when it replaced the feudal system.

同样地，历史上也曾有过一些时期，绝对权力被视为一种可取的统治模式，尤其是在目标是将若干小省份统一为一个国家体制的时候，例如德国和意大利在俾斯麦和马志尼的领导下实现统一的情形。未来将采用何种社会制度和统治方式，只有时间能够说明。那么，明天你们将给伊斯兰教涂上什么样的色彩，以便按照人们最喜欢的样子把它呈现给大众呢？

Similarly, there were periods of time when absolute power was a desirable pattern of government, particularly when the objective was the unification of small provinces into a national set-up as happened in the cases of Germany and Italy under Bismark and Mazzini. Only time will tell what sort of social system and method of government will be preferred in the future. So, what sort of colour will you be giving Islam tomorrow in order to present it to people in the guise they like most?