本章以描述伪信者试图掩饰其不信之实情开篇。他们自称是穆斯林，并作证先知是真主的使者。他们指着真主起誓，以求说服穆斯林，而他们自己心里清楚，他们是在撒谎。他们的誓言不过是一面盾牌，他们企图躲在它后面，隐藏其真实面目，欺骗穆斯林。

The surah begins with a description of the hypocrites’ attempt to disguise the truth of their unbelief. They declare themselves Muslim and testify that the Prophet is God’s Messenger. They swear by God so as to convince the Muslims, while they themselves know that they are lying. Their oaths are merely a shield behind which they hope to hide their true reality and deceive the Muslims:

当伪信者来到你这里时，他们说："我们作证，你确实是真主的使者。"9 真主知道你确实是祂的使者，祂也作证伪信者确实是说谎的人。他们以誓言作掩护［来掩饰他们的虚假］，并且阻止人们走上真主的道路。他们所做的，实在恶劣。（第1-2节）

When the hypocrites come to you, they say, 'We bear witness that you are indeed God's Messenger.9 God knows that you are truly His Messenger and He bears witness that the hypocrites are indeed liars. They use their oaths as a cover [for their falseness], and they turn people away from the path of God. Evil indeed is what they do. (Verses 1-2)

他们会去见先知，声称他们作证他是真主的使者，但他们的作证只是口头上的，毫无信念。他们不过是在欺骗，希望隐藏自己的真实想法，从而保护自己，使自己免受穆斯林群体的侵害。

They would go to the Prophet and state that they bore witness that he was God’s Messenger, but theirs was only a verbal testimony lacking all conviction. They were merely engaging in deception, hoping to hide their truth from the Muslim community and so protect themselves.

因此,真主表明他们在撒谎,同时明确了他的使命的真实性,向先知穆罕默德ﷺ启示:{真主知道你确实是他的使者,真主作证伪信者确实是骗子}(第1节)

Therefore, God states that they were lying while making clear the truth of His message to the Prophet Muhammad: "God knows that you are truly His Messenger and He bears witness that the hypocrites are indeed liars” (Verse 1)

这段经文的措辞既精确又审慎。我们注意到，经文先确认了先知所传信息的真实性，然后才指出伪信者的誓言是虚假的。如果措辞上不加这样的注意，经文可能会让人以为，对伪信者"说谎"的斥责针对的是他们陈述的内容，即先知的信息本身。而经文的用意并非如此。它要陈述的是真相，即明确表明他们并非真心相信先知的信息是真实的。换句话说，他们的陈述是不真诚的。

The phraseology here is both precise and precautionary. We note how the verse begins by confirming the truth of the Prophets message before it states that the hypocrites oaths were false. Without taking such care in its wording, the verse could suggest that denunciation of the hypocrites as liars applies to the subject matter of their statement, namely the Prophets message. The verse intends no such thing. What it aims to do is to state the truth, making it clear that they did not really believe that the Prophet’s message was true. In other words, they are not sincere in their statement.

“他们把自己的誓言当作掩护。”（第2节）这句简短的话表明，他们每当担心被揭穿，或某个阴谋被发觉，或有人转述了他们对穆斯林所说的话时，就会起誓。他们希望这些誓言能使自己免受暴露的后果。因此，他们把虚假的信仰当作盾牌，用来掩盖真相，并借此继续策划对穆斯林群体的阴谋。

该章continues描述他们的行为，揭示了他们心中的怨恨。经文显示，他们曾密谋策划对抗先知ﷺ，而当他们的阴谋被揭穿时，却又迅速编造谎言。以下是他们为人所熟知的品性：

The surah continues to describe their actions, revealing the rancour in their hearts. It shows how they schemed against the Prophet, yet were quick with their lies when exposed. These were their known qualities:

当有人对他们说："你们来吧，让真主的使者为你们求饶。"他们便转头不理，你会看见他们傲慢地转身离去。无论你为他们求饶还是不为他们求饶，对他们而言都是一样的，真主绝不赦宥他们；因为真主不引导悖逆的人众。他们就是那些说"不要给与真主的使者身边的人任何东西，好让他们离散"的人。天地的宝藏都属于真主，但伪信者却不明白。他们说："我们若回到麦地那，那尊贵的人必将把卑贱的人驱逐出去。"荣誉属于真主、祂的使者和信士们，但伪信者却不知道。（第5-8节）

When they are told, 'Come, so that God's Messenger may ask forgiveness for you, ’ they turn their heads away. You see them drawing back in arrogance. As for them, it is all the same whether you pray for their forgiveness or you do not pray. God will not forgive them; for God does not bestow His guidance on such transgressor folk. They are the ones who say [to one another]: 'Do not give anything to those who are with God's Messenger, so that they may abandon him.' To God belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites cannot understand. They say, 'When we return to Madinah, the more honourable will surely drive out those who are contemptible. 'All honour belongs to God, His Messenger and the believers, but the hypocrites do not know. (Verses 5-8)

多位早期学者证实，这些经文与一件事有关，而在这件事中，阿卜杜拉·本·乌班figure（‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy）扮演了突出的角色。伊本·易司哈格（Ibn Ishaq）在他关于穆萨利格部落（al-Mustalaq）计划袭击而先发制人的远征的记述中，对此作了详细的叙述。

Several early scholars confirm that these verses relate to an incident in which ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy featured prominently. Ibn Ishaq gives a detailed account of it in his report on the expedition to forestall a planned attack by the al-Mustalaq tribe:

穆斯林仍然驻扎在那处泉水旁，正是这里为他们的战役搭好了舞台。仆人们正牵着马匹到水边饮水。其中有一位是Jahjah，即‘Umar ibn al-Khattab的仆人。

The Muslims were still encamping at the spring which provided the stage for their battle. Servants were taking horses to the water to drink. Among them was Jahjah, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattabs servant.

据说，仆人们在水源处发生了一阵争抢。Jahjah与哈兹拉季部落的一名盟友Sinan ibn Wabr发生了冲突。这两个人似乎都不太有智慧：

Apparently, there was some scrambling at the water among the servants. Jahjah clashed with an ally’ of the Khazraj, named Sinan ibn Wabr. Neither man seemed to be endowed with much wisdom:

双方互相殴打，并各自向自己的“部族”求援。

punches were exchanged and each appealed to his ‘group’ for help.

贾哈贾呼吁麦加迁士保卫他，而西南则呼吁安萨尔人保卫。阿卜杜拉·伊本·乌baiy听到这件事后非常愤怒。他身边有一群族人围绕，其中有一个名叫宰德·伊本·阿尔格姆的年轻人。他对他们说："我从未经历过像今天这样的屈辱。他们（麦加迁士）如今在我们自己的城镇里与我们对抗。他们忘恩负义，不念我们的恩惠。我们与古莱什难民的事情，正应了那句谚语：'养肥你的狗，它就会吃你。'等我们回到麦地那，那里的尊贵者必定会把卑贱者赶出去。这一切你们只能怪自己。你们把他们接进自己的家，把自己的钱财给他们，直到他们变得富有。我发誓，如果你们停止用你们所有的来帮助他们，他们就会离开你们，去别的地方。"宰德·伊本·阿尔格姆把这一切都告诉了先知ﷺ，当时先知ﷺ身边有欧麦尔·伊本·胡塔卜陪伴。欧麦尔建议先知ﷺ命令阿巴德·伊本·比世尔去杀死阿卜杜拉·伊本·乌baiy。先知ﷺ说："欧麦尔啊，如果人们开始说穆罕默德在杀自己的同伴，你会怎么想？"

当我们审视这些事件，观察其中所涉及的人物，并结合《古兰经》的评述时，便能看到真主培育第一代穆斯林群体的神圣方法，也会惊叹于真主安排事务与事件的奥妙。

When we consider the events and look at the people involved, as also the Quranic comments, we see the divine method of cultivating the first Muslim community and we marvel at how God conducts matters and events.

因此，我们看到，第一个穆斯林社群中混入了伪信者，他们在先知在世期间，在社群之中生活了将近十年，而先知并没有将他们驱逐。事实上，直到他去世前不久，真主才让他知晓这些人的姓名和身份。

Thus, we see the first Muslim community infiltrated by hypocrites who live within its ranks for almost ten years, during the Prophets lifetime, and he does not expel them. In fact, God does not make them known to him by name or person until shortly before his own death.

他只能通过言语的语气、他们歪曲词句和试图掩饰事情的方式来识别这样的人。他也通过他们对事物和事件的反应来认识他们。真主有此安排，是为了不让人们去评判他人的意图和内心。对这些的裁决唯独属于真主。唯有祂知道人们心中藏着什么，唯有祂要求人们为此交代。至于我们，我们只根据眼前所见来评判人。因此，任何人都不得基于猜疑而受到评判。即便真主向祂的使者指明了那些直到临终前仍保持伪信的人，当他们继续装作穆斯林、履行伊斯兰义务时，先知ﷺ也没有将他们逐出穆斯林群体。

He would know such a one only by the tone of his speech, the way he twisted words and tried to hide things. He also knew them by their reactions to things and events. God had willed this so that people were not allowed to judge others’ intentions and hearts. Judgement on these is for God alone. He alone knows what people harbour in their hearts and He alone requires people to account for them. As for us, we judge people by what we see before our eyes. Thus, no one is judged on the basis of suspicion. Even when God identified for His Messenger those who remained hypocrites until shortly before his death, the Prophet did not expel them from the Muslim community when they continued to put up a show that they were Muslims and fulfilled Islamic obligations.

相反,他把这类知识藏在心中,只将他们的身份告诉了一位同伴,即胡宰法·本·叶玛尼。两人都没有公开这一信息。事实上,欧麦尔·本·哈塔卜希望连自己的情况也能确定。因此他去找胡宰法,询问先知是否曾提到他属于伪信者之列。

Instead, he kept such knowledge to himself, informing only one of his Companions, Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, of their identity. Neither of them publicized the information. Indeed, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab wanted to be sure even of himself. Hence he went to Hudhayfah to ask him whether the Prophet had mentioned him as being among the hypocrites.

胡宰法只会回答说他不在那些人之中,不再补充任何信息。先知还被命令不为任何可能已经去世的伪信者祈祷。因此,他的门徒们会从他没有参加殡礼(即为亡者举行的祷告)中得知,该亡者是伪信者之一。先知去世后,胡宰法也不再参加先知告知过他的任何伪信者的殡礼。欧麦尔也是如此,在确定某人的信仰未受玷污之前,他不会为该亡者主持殡礼。如果他看到胡宰法参加了祷告,他也会参加;如果没有,他也不会参加,但同时也不会对此发表任何言论。

Hudhayfah would only reply that he was not one of them, adding no further information. The Prophet was also ordered not to pray for any of them who might have died. His Companions would thus know by his absence from thtjandzah prayer [i.e. the prayer for a dead person] that the deceased was among the hypocrites. After the Prophets own death, Hudhayfah also refrained from attending the jandzah prayer of any hypocrite mentioned to him by the Prophet. ‘Umar too would not offer the janazah prayer for a dead person until he had made sure that their faith had remained untainted. If he saw Hudhayfah attending the prayer, he too would offer it. If not, he would not offer it either, but also would say nothing about this.

我们现在来讨论提及那些事件的古兰经经文。

We will now discuss the Qur’anic verses that refer to those events:

“当有人对他们说：‘你们来吧，让真主的使者为你们求饶。’他们便转过头去，你看见他们傲慢地走开。”（第5节）他们做了事，说了话，然而一旦意识到先知听到了他们的行为，便转而采取怯懦的手段。他们发誓以求保护自己。如果他们自以为无需面对先知而感到安全时，有人对他们说：“你们来吧，让真主的使者为你们求饶。”他们却傲慢地转身离去。怯懦与傲慢这两种特质，在伪信者身上总是相伴而生。

“ When they are told, 'Come, so that God's Messenger may ask forgiveness for you, 'they turn their heads away. You see them drawing back in arrogance.” (Verse 5) They perform their actions, say whatever they may say, and then if they realize that the Prophet heard of their behaviour they resort to cowardly ways. They swear an oath in an attempt to protect themselves. If, when feeling secure that they do not have to face the Prophet, someone says to them, 'Come, so that God's Messenger may ask forgiveness for you,' they turn away in arrogance. Both characteristics of cowardice and arrogance go hand in hand among hypocrites.

然而，这种行为通常属于那些在人群中有地位和影响力、却又觉得自己不足以正面对抗的人。只要不必直面真理，他们便以傲慢的姿态示人；而一旦被迫面对真理，怯懦和虚假的誓言便成了他们的标志。

However, such behaviour normally belongs to those who hold position and influence among people, yet feel themselves too weak for direct confrontation. They resort to arrogant behaviour as long as they do not have to confront the truth. Yet when they are confronted with it, cowardice and false oaths are their mark.

因此,该章是对先知说的,告诉他真主对伪信士的情况所作的裁定;既然真主的判决已经确定,为他们祈求宽恕便再无意义:"无论你为他们求饶,或不为他们求饶,对他们都是一样的。真主绝不宽恕他们;真主绝不引导悖逆的人民。"6)

Therefore, the surah addresses the Prophet, telling him what God has determined in the hypocrites case, and since Gods judgement has been passed, there is no longer any use in praying for their forgiveness: “As for them, it is all the same whether you pray for their forgiveness or you do not pray. God will notforgive them; for God does not bestow His guidance on such transgressor folk." 6)

该章接着叙述了他们的一些违逆行为，这些行为正是招致真主惩罚的原因："他们就是那些说这话的人：'不要施舍给与真主的使者在一起的人，好让他们离开他。'"他们所说的话暴露了他们的邪恶和怨恨。他们想要让穆罕默德ﷺ的同伴挨饿的计划，与历代各个社群中一切反对真理与信仰的人所采用的策略如出一辙。在他们扭曲的观念里，他们认为所有人都和他们一样，极其看重食物与生存。古莱什人在对哈希姆家族实行全面封锁时所采取的，正是这一计划。先知ﷺ正属于这一家族，他们想借此迫使其离弃先知ﷺ，并将他交给他们。正如本节经文所告诉我们的，伪信士们也持有这一计划。他们希望，一旦饥饿严重地侵袭信士，他们就会离弃先知ﷺ。共产主义者也做过同样的事，他们剥夺了本国信仰宗教之人领取配给的权利。

The surah goes on to relate some aspects of their transgression that were the cause of Gods judgement: “ They are the ones who say [to one another]: ‘Do not give anything to those who are with God's Messenger, so that they may abandon him ” What they say betrays their wickedness and spitefulness. Their plan to starve the Prophets Companions is the same strategy employed by all opponents of truth and faith in all generations and communities. In their perverted view, they think that all people are like them in giving paramount importance to food and survival. This was the plan the Quraysh followed when they imposed a total boycott on the Hashimite clan, to which the Prophet belonged, so that they would abandon him and hand him over to them. As we are told in this verse, it was also the plan upheld by the hypocrites. They hoped that it would ensure that, once hunger had bitten hard among the believers, they would abandon the Prophet. The communists did the same when they denied the religious among their people the right to their rations.

sūrah 最后这段劝诫是对信士们说的，真主把他们与祂的使者一同安置在祂自己的品位之中，使他们分享祂的尊荣与威严。祂希望他们攀登这一崇高的峰顶，摒除一切与伪信者相似的品性。他们应当将这样高尚的地位置于一切之上，包括他们的财产和子女。任何事物都不得分散他们的注意力，使他们无法追求这般崇高的境界。

The last address in the surah is made to the believers whom God placed, together with His Messenger, in His own rank, making them share in His honour and dignity. He wants them to climb to this high summit, ridding themselves of any characteristic that is akin to those of the hypocrites. They should prefer such superior elevation to everything else, including their property and offspring. Nothing must be allowed to divert their attention from aspiring to such lofty heights:

信士们啊！不要让你们的财富和子女使你们忘记对真主的纪念。凡这样做的人，必定是亏损者。

Believers! Do not let your riches or your children make you oblivious of the remembrance of God. Those who do so will surely be the losers.

{而你们应当从我所供给你们的财产中施舍，在你们中有人临死的时候，他就会说："我的主啊！你若让我再延迟一段短暂的时间，我就会施舍，并成为善人。"}9

Give, then, out of what We have provided for you, before death comes to any of you, and then he says, l My Lord, if You would grant me a delay for a short while, I would give in charity and be one of the righteous.9

真主绝不会延缓任何灵魂的期限，一旦其期限已到。真主完全知晓你们所做的一切。（第9-11节）

God does not grant a delay to any soul when its term has come. God is fully aware of all that you do. (Verses 9-11)

金钱和子女可能会让一个人分心，使他忽略其他一切，除非他的内心提醒他人生的目标，让他感到自己有一个更高的追求。这个目标必须配得上那位被神注入了自己灵魂的受造物，它激励他在自身的人性局限之内，去努力达到一些神圣的品质。神赐给他财富和子嗣，是为了让他完成在地上建设人类生活的任务，而不是让他完全沉迷于其中，以至于被它们分散了对神的记念，与人性之源失去联系。那些如此分心的人“必定是亏损者”（第9节）。他们首先失去的是自己的人性身份，而这身份取决于是否维系与人性之源的联结。无论一个人拥有多少财富、有多少子女，凡是失去了自我的人，便是失去了一切。

Money and children can preoccupy a person making him oblivious to everything else, that is, unless his heart alerts him to the aim of his existence, making him feel that he has a superior goal. This goal must be one that is worthy of the creature in whom God has blown of His own spirit, giving him the aspiration to achieve a few divine characteristics, albeit within his own human limitations. God has given him riches and offspring so as to fulfil his task of building human life on earth, but not so that he is so fully preoccupied with them that they distract him from remembering God and from being in contact with the source of his humanity. Those that are so distracted “will surely be the losers? (Verse 9) The first thing they lose is their human identity, which is dependent on maintaining the bond with the source of mans humanity. Whoever loses himself has lost everything, regardless of the size of his wealth and the number of his offspring.

关于慈善捐赠，这一章以几种方式触动人心："你们应当从我所供给你们的财产中施舍"（第10节）。这提醒我们，我们所拥有的一切都源自真主。一切都来自我们所信仰的真主，是祂教导我们要慷慨好施、行善济贫。这样的施舍应当在"你们中有人死亡之前……"时完成。它应当出于本人的主动行为，趁死亡降临、他撇下一切留给他人享用之前。如果他不这样做，那么等他回头一看，就会发现自己没有为自己的解救预先做任何准备。这是最愚蠢的行为，也是最大的损失。