先前我们在关于《盖卜尔》（The Enfolded One）这一章中所阐述的关于其降示的背景与时间的内容，同样适用于本章。有些记载表明，本章是在第96章《凝血块》（The Germ Cell）之后最先降示的；另一些记载则表明，本章是在伊斯兰的讯息公开传播之后、不信者开始全面迫害信士之时降示的。

The information we expressed in the previous surah, The Enfolded One, about the occasion and timing of its revelation, also applies to this surah. Some reports suggest that it was the first to be revealed after Surah 96, The Germ Cell, while other reports suggest that it was revealed after the Islamic message went public, when the unbelievers began their persecution campaign against the believers in earnest.

布哈里在其《圣训实录》中转述了叶哈雅·本·阿布·凯希尔的一段传述：他问艾布·赛拉麦·本·阿卜杜·拉赫曼关于最早降示的古兰经启示。艾布·赛拉麦回答说，是《穆戴萨尔》章。叶哈雅说：“我告诉他，有人说是第96章，以‘你应当奉你的主之名而诵读’开始。”艾布·赛拉麦说，他就此事询问了哲比尔·本·阿卜杜拉，而哲比尔回答说是《穆戴萨尔》章，并对他说了你刚才所说的那些话。哲比尔回答说：“我只是把先知ﷺ亲自对众圣门弟子所说的话告诉你：‘我在希拉山独居，当我在那里的时限结束后，我下山了。我听到一个呼声，我向右看、向左看，却什么也看不见。我来到赫蒂彻那里，说：“请用外衣裹住我，并往我身上浇些冷水。”他们就这样做了。然后我接受了启示：{你这裹衣的人啊！你起来，你应当警告，你应当赞颂你的主的伟大。}”哲比尔转述说，他听见先知ﷺ谈论早期的启示。他说：“当我行走时，我听到一个声音从天上传来。我抬起眼睛望向天空，看见那在希拉山时来到我这里的天使坐在天地之间的一把椅子上。我跌倒在地。然后我急忙回到我的族人那里，说：”

Al-Bukhari mentions a report by Yahya ibn Abl Kathir who says that he asked Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman about the first Qur’anic revelation. He answered that it was Surah Al-Muddaththir. “I told him that people said that it was Surah 96, beginning with ‘Readin the name of your Lord.' Abu Salamah said that he asked Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah about this and when Jabir replied that it was al-Muddaththir, he said to him what you had just said. Jabir replied that he only gave me what the Prophet himself said to his Companions: ‘I went in seclusion at Hira’, and when I finished my time there, I came down. I heard a call, and I looked to my right and left but could see nothing. I came to Khadijah, saying: “Wrap me in a cloak and pour some cold water on me.” They did so. I then received the revelation: “You, wrapped in your cloak, arise and give warning Glorify your Lord's greatness." Jabir reports that he heard the Prophet speaking about early revelations. He said: “While I was walking, I heard a voice coming from the sky. I lifted my eyes to the sky and I saw the angel who came to me when I was at Hira’ sitting on a chair in between the sky and the earth. I fell to the ground. Then I came hurriedly to my people, saying:

"包裹我，覆盖我。"随后，我领受了启示："披着衣服的人啊，起来警告吧！要赞颂你主的伟大，洁净你的衣服，远离一切污秽。"此后，启示接连不断地降临。

‘Wrap me. Cover me.’ I then received the revelation: 'You, wrapped in your cloak, arise and give warning. Glorify your Lord's greatness; clean your garments; stay away from all filth' Then more revelations came in succession.

我，伊本·凯西尔，在其对《古兰经》的注释中评述这段圣训时说："这是被普遍接受的记载。它的意思是，启示在此之前就已开始，因为先知说：'我在希拉山时，看见了来到我这里的天使。'那位天使显然就是哲卜拉伊勒，他来到先知面前说：'你要奉你的造物主的名而诵读，他曾用凝血造人。你应当诵读，你的主是最尊贵的，他曾以笔教人，教人所不知道的。'（96：1-5）随后启示曾有一段间歇，之后天使又来到他那里。为了调和不同的记载，我们说：间歇之后先知所接受的第一次启示，就是这章经文。"另有一则记载，由泰伯拉尼依据伊本·阿拔斯传述："瓦利德·本·穆吉拉为古莱氏的一些人备办食物，他们用完餐后，他问他们对穆罕默德有何看法。有人说他是术士，也有人说不是；有人说他是占卜者，也有人否认；又有人说他是诗人，还有人提出异议。之后有人说，他所说的不过是'前人传下来的妖术'，大家都同意这一说法。先知得知此事后，深感忧伤，他蒙头裹身。真主启示他："裹衣的人啊！你起来警告吧！你要赞颂你的主的伟大，你要洁净你的衣服，你要远离污秽，你不要因施舍而求多报，你要为你的主而忍耐。"（1-7节）

Commenting on this hadith, I bn Kathir says in his commentary on the Qur’an: “This is the accepted report. It means that revelations started before this, because of the Prophet saying, ‘I saw the angel who came to me when I was at Hira’.’ That angel was obviously Gabriel who visited the Prophet saying: 'Read in the name of your Lord who has created - created man out of a clinging cell mass} Read - for your Lord is the most Bountiful One, who has taught the use of the pen, taught man what he did not know} (96: 1-5) A lull in revelation then took place, and thereafter the angel again came to him. To reconcile the different reports we say that the first revelation the Prophet received after the lull was this surah." A different report is given by al-Tabarani on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas: “Al-Walid ibn al-Mughlrah prepared food for a number of people from the Quraysh, and when they had finished their meal, he asked them what they thought of Muhammad. Some said that he was a sorcerer, but others said he was not. Some said he was a soothsayer, but others denied this. Others still said he was a poet, but yet others objected. Then some said that what he said was mere ‘sorcery handed down from olden times’. They all agreed to this. When the Prophet was informed of this, he felt very sad. He covered his head and wrapped himself up. God revealed to him: "You, wrapped in your cloak, arise and give warning. Glorify your Lord's greatness; clean your garments; stay away from all filth; do not hold up what you give away, showing it to be much; but to your Lord turn in patience." (Verses 1-7)

这份报告与前面提到的那一篇经文（章名为“裹衣者”）几乎完全相同。因此，我们无法确定这两章经文哪一章先降示，或者各自是在什么情况下降示的。

This report is almost identical to the one that refers to the preceding surah, The Enfolded One. Thus, we cannot be at all certain which of these two surahs preceded the other, or which was revealed on what occasion.

然而，仔细审视这一章的文本可以推断，它的前七节很可能是在伊斯兰使命最早期降示的。

Yet a close look at the text of the surah suggests that its first seven verses were probably revealed in the very early days of the Islamic message.

同样的情况也适用于第73章《裹衣者》的前九节经文。这两段开篇的目的都是为先知做好准备，尤其是在他需要公开行动、向整个社群传达信息的时候。他随后将面对强烈的反对和层层加重的困难，因此需要这样的准备。这也意味着，这两章的其余部分是在之后才启示的，那时先知遭遇了坚决的拒绝和关于他捏造信息的虚假指控。

The same may be said of the first nine verses of Surah 73, The Enfolded One. Both openings aimed to prepare the Prophet for his great task, particularly when he needed to go public and address all the community with his message. He would then have to face strong opposition and compounded trouble that required such preparations. This would mean that the rest of the two surahs was revealed later, when the Prophet faced determined rejection and false accusations of fabricating his message.

然而，这并不排除另一种可能：这两章的开头与其后的内容是一同降示的，目的是回应古莱什人的否认，并安慰先知ﷺ，因为他为古莱什人的阴谋而忧心。如此，这两章就像第68章《笔》一样，本卷也有讨论。

Nevertheless, this does not exclude the other possibility that the openings of the two surahs were revealed together with what followed them. This so as to reply to the denial by the Quraysh and to comfort the Prophet who took their scheming to heart. Thus, the two surahs would be like Surah 68, The Pen, which is also discussed in this volume.

尽管如此,这一章开篇便是来自至高之处的一段召唤,将一项重大的使命托付给先知,这使他必须起身、开始奋斗:“披着衣服的人啊!起来警告吧!”(第1-2节)他被指示为这项重大的任务做好准备,遵行章中向他所列明的各项要求。“你要颂扬你主的伟大,洗净你的衣服,远离一切污秽,不要因施舍而求多,为主而忍耐。”(第3-7节)与前一章一样,这一指示以忍耐的必要性作结。

Be that as it may, the surah begins with an address from on high assigning a great mission to the Prophet, one that required he get out of bed and start striving: “ You, wrapped in your cloak, arise and give warning” (Verses 1-2) He is directed to prepare himself for his great task, taking the measures outlined to him in the surah'. “Glorify your Lord*s greatness; clean your garments; stay away from all filth; do not hold up what you give away, showing it to be much; but to your Lord turn in patience” (Verses 3-7) Like the one in the preceding surah, this directive ends with the need to be patient.

随后,该章包含对否认审判日之人的严厉警告,威胁他们将遭受真主亲自发动的战争,这与前一章的警告如出一辙:“当号角吹响,那将是艰难的一日,对不信道者而言绝不轻松。让我独自处置我所创造的那人吧,我赐予他丰厚的财富,赐予他身边的众子,为他铺平生活之路;然而他仍贪求我再赐予他更多。不!他对我的启示顽固抗拒。我将迫使他忍受痛苦的攀登。”(第8至17节)

The surah then includes a strong warning to those who deny the Day of Judgement, threatening them with a war directly waged by God, on the same lines as the warning given in the preceding surah: “When the trumpet is sounded that will be a day of anguish, far from easy for the unbelievers. Leave to me the one I created alone, to whom I have granted vast wealth, and sons by his side, making life smooth and easy for him; yet he greedily desires that I give him more. No! He has set himself stubbornly against Our revelations. I will constrain him to endure a painful uphill climb.” (Verses 8-17)

该章特别提到了这样一个人：他对伊斯兰的使命极为敌视，但经文没有点名。经文描绘了他如何图谋反对伊斯兰，与我们在第68章中所见的情形相同。两章或许说的是同一个人，据说就是Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah，但对此我们稍后再谈。 该章提到了安拉警告此人的原因："他思量，他谋划。该诅咒他，他怎样谋划！再一次，该诅咒他，他怎样谋划！他环顾四周，然后皱眉怒视，接着转身离去，自负地傲慢起来，说：‘这不过是从古代传下来的魔法！这只不过是凡人的言辞！’"*（第18-25节）随后，该章说明了他的归宿："我将把他投入烈火之中。你怎能知道烈火是什么？它什么也不留，什么也不放过；它炙烤着人类，由十九位天使看守。"（第26-30节）

The surah makes special mention of this person who was particularly hostile to the Islamic message, but without naming him. It paints an image of his scheming against Islam, in the same way as we have seen in Surah 68. It may be that both surahs talk of the same person, said to be al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, but more of this later. The surah mentions the reason for Gods warning to this person: "He thought and he schemed. Damn him, how he schemed! Again, damn him, how he schemed! He looked around, then he frowned and glared, then he turned his back and gloried in his arrogance, and said, ‘This is just sorcery handed down from olden times! This is nothing but the word of a mere mortal!”* (Verses 18-25) The surah then specifies his destiny: ‘7 will cast him into the scorching fire. Would that you knew what the scorching fire is like! It leaves nothing, and spares nothing; it appears before mankind, guarded by nineteen.” (Verses 26-30)

"地狱之火"以及掌管它的十九位守卫，引起了不信者的诸多质疑，他们还加以嘲弄和讥讽，也使信仰不坚定的人心生疑虑。这一章阐明了神在提及这一数字时的智慧，让我们得以窥见超出我们感知范围的世界，并认识到关于这个世界的知识唯有神独自掌握。这一瞥也揭示了伊斯兰教关于后世的一些观念： "我only appointed none other than angels to guard the fire" Correction to the translation of the verse, rendered faithfully: "我所设置的守卫火狱的，只有天使；我以他们的数目作为对不信道者的考验。这样，曾经领受天启的人会确信，信道的人会更加坚定其信仰；领受天启的人和信道的人都不会再有疑惑。而心中有病的人和不信道者则会问：'真主以这个比喻究竟是要表达什么？'真主就这样使他所意欲的人迷误，使他所意欲的人遵循正道。除他之外，没有人知道你的主的军队。这不过是对世人的一种警示。"（第31节）

The mention of the 'scorching fire and the nineteen guards in charge of it invited much questioning from the unbelievers who also added to it ridicule and sarcastic remarks, and raised doubts among those who were not firm in faith. The surah outlines Gods wisdom in mentioning this number, giving us a glimpse of the world beyond our perception and the fact that knowledge of this world is Gods own preserve. This glimpse sheds light on some aspects of the Islamic concept of this world beyond: “ We have appointed none other than angels to guard the fire, and We have made their number a test for the unbelievers. Thus those who have been granted revelations in the past may be convinced and the believers may grow yet more firm in their faith; and so those who have been granted revelations and the believers will entertain no doubt; but the sick at heart and the unbelievers will ask, 'What could God mean by this image?* Thus God lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills. No one knows your Lord’s forces except Him. This is all but a reminder for mankind.” (Verse 31)

关于火狱和后世的整个问题，便与众人都能看到的宇宙景象联系在一起。因此，这一章将这些景象所激发的感受，与前面的警示所唤起的心绪结合起来："不然！我指月亮起誓。以夜起誓，当它逝去的时候；以晨曦起誓，当它明亮的时候。这确是重大的事件之一，是对人类的警告，对你们中间想要前进的人或想要落后的人的警告。"（第32至37节）

The whole question of hell and the life to come is then related to some scenes of the universe which all people see. Thus the surah combines the inspiration of these scenes with the feelings aroused by the earlier warnings: "No! By the moon! By the night when it departs, and the shining dawn! It is indeed one of the mighty things, a warning to all mankind, to those of you who choose to go ahead or to lag behind.” (Verses 32-37)

该章展示了不信道者与正道者各自的地位。在清算与报应的那一日，不信道者将作出一番漫长的忏悔，阐明他们为何应得这样的结局。随后是关于他们的最终判决：那时，任何为他们求情的话都将毫无用处：“每个灵魂都为其所行而被抵押，唯有右手边的人除外。他们在乐园中，会询问罪人：‘是什么使你们投入烈火之中？’他们将回答：‘我们不曾是礼拜的人，也不曾供养贫困者；我们与人一同陷入无益的闲谈，并否认审判之日，直到那确定的事降临到我们身上。’因此，任何说情者的求情对他们都毫无益处。”（第38至48节）

The surah shows the respective positions of the unbelievers and the righteous. The unbelievers will make a long confession explaining the reasons why they deserved their fate on that day of reckoning and requital. This is followed by a final word about them, when no word of intercession on their behalf will be of any use: “Every soul is held in pledge for what it has wrought, except for those on the right hand. They will be in gardens, and will ask about the guilty ones: 'What brought you into the scorching fire?’ They will answer: 'We were not among those who prayed, neither did we feed the needy; but we indulged with others in vain talk, and we denied the Day of Judgement until there came upon us that which is certain' So, of no benefit to them could be the pleas of any intercessors.” (Verses 38-48)

在描绘了他们屈辱与可耻的认罪情景之后，本章对不信者对于那劝诫他们、指引他们得救之道的召唤所持的态度感到惊讶。它描绘了一幅讽刺的画面，嘲讽他们狂妄的抗拒：“他们怎么了，竟然避开劝诫，就像受惊的驴子逃避狮子一样？”（第49-51节）它揭露了他们的傲慢，这才是他们顽固拒绝一切善意劝告的真正原因：“他们每个人都要求降示给他一部展开的经典。”（第52节）他们十分嫉妒先知，认为自己比他更配得到天启的信息。然而，还有另一个更深层的原因：“不！他们不畏惧后世吗？”（第53节）

Having painted this image of their position of humiliation and shameful confession, the surah wonders at the unbelievers attitude to the call that seeks to remind them of the way to save themselves. It paints a sarcastic picture that invites ridicule at their wild resistance: "What is the matter with them that they turn away from all admonition like terrified asses fleeing from a lion?” (Verses 49-51) It exposes their arrogance, which is the true reason for their obstinate rejection of every caring advice: "Every one of them demands to be given revelations unfolded before him.” (Verse 52) They are so envious of the Prophet, thinking that they were more deserving of being given the divine message. There is, however, another deep reason: "No! They do not fear the life to come? (Verse 53)

最后,本章以一句斩钉截铁的话作结,不为任何人留下侥幸的余地:"不然!这确是一个教训。谁愿意,谁就可以接受它。"(第54—55节)一切都取决于真主的意志:"除非真主意欲,他们是不会接受教训的。他是应当敬畏的主,是至为宽恕的主。"(第56节)

Finally, the surah makes a categorical statement that leaves no room for favours for anyone: "No! This is indeed an admonition. Let him who will, take heed.” (Verses 54—55) All is left up to Gods will: " They, however, will not take heed unless God so wills. He is the Lord to be feared, the Lord of forgiveness.” (Verse 56)

该章代表了《古兰经》与蒙昧时代（jahiliyyah）及其根深蒂固的观念和概念展开的艰苦斗争中的一个阶段。它还运用各种方法，对抗顽固而蓄意的拒绝。本章与第73章和第68章在处理方式上有许多相似之处，这表明这三章都是在同一时期降示的，针对的是类似的情况。当然，唯一的例外是第73章的第二部分，正如我们所见，它处理的是另一类内容。

The surah represents a stage of the hard fought struggle in which the Qur’an is in combat with jahiliyyah and its ingrained notions and concepts. It was also combating headstrong and deliberate rejection using diverse methods. There are many similarities of approach between this surah and Surahs 73 and 68, which suggests that all three were revealed within the same period, dealing with similar situations. The only exception, of course, is the second part of Surah 73, which as we have seen deals with something different.

本章的特点是经文简短，节奏明快。

The present surah is characterized by short verses and a fast flow.

它的经文有多种结尾和韵脚。其节奏有时舒缓，有时则非常急促，尤其是在描绘受到谴责之人时，或在描绘火狱烈焰的景象时。这种语调、节奏、韵脚、意象和场景的变化，赋予了这章经文独特的氛围；尤其是当它重新采用一个已经用过但已有变化的韵脚时，或是在同一段落中改变韵脚，以带来预期的惊讶效果。下面我们将对这一章进行详细的分析。

Its verses have a variety of endings and rhymes. Its beat moves slowly at times, but is very fast at others, particularly when it describes the individual who comes in for criticism, or when it paints the image of hells scorching fire. This variation of tone, beat, rhyme, images and scenery gives the surah a distinctive ambience, particularly as it picks up a rhyme that has already been used and changed, or when the rhyme changes in the same section to deliver an intended surprise. We will now look at the surah in detail.