根据与本章启示有关的一则记载，古莱氏的长老们曾在宰相议事厅（Dar al-Nadwah）集会，那是他们惯常聚会商讨重大事件的地方。这一次，他们商议的是对待先知以及他所倡导的使命的策略。先知听到这次集会的消息后，心中忧虑。他裹起衣服，盖住自己，便睡下了。随后，天使哲卜拉伊勒带来了本章的第一段经文，共十九节，并命令他夜间起来礼拜。其最后一部分，即第二十节，则推迟了整整一年才降示；在这一年中，先知和他的一些门徒坚持夜间拜功，以至于双腿因用力过度而肿胀。直到那时，本章的第二部分才降示，减轻了他们的负担。

A report in connection with the revelation of this surah suggests that the Quraysh elders held a meeting in Dar akNadwah, a place where they normally gathered, in order to discuss any momentous event. This time they were discussing their strategy as regards the Prophet and the message he advocated. When the Prophet heard of this meeting, he was distressed. He wrapped himself in his clothes, covered himself and went to sleep. The Angel Gabriel then brought him the first passage of this surah, comprising 19 verses, with the command to stay up in worship at night. Its final part, consisting of Verse 20, was delayed for a full year, during which the Prophet and some of his Companions attended to their night worship until their legs were swollen from the effort. Only then was the surahs second part revealed reducing their burden.

另一则报道也讲述了这一章经文降示的背景，但它同样适用于下一章《裹衣者》的降示，我们将在那里讨论，真主willing。概括而言，这则报道提到：在他开始传达使命的三年前，先知常去希拉山上的一个山洞，那里距离麦加约两英里，他在那里度过斋月，专心崇拜。这样，他的家人离他不远，使他得以在洞中住满整个斋月。在这里，他会给路过的任何穷人食物，其余的时间则用于崇拜和沉思。

Another report also tells of the occasion of this surahs revelation, but it also applies to the revelation of the next surah, Wrapped in Cloak, as we will mention in our discussion there, God willing. In summary, this report mentions that three years before the start of his message, the Prophet used to go to a cave in Mount Hira, about two miles from Makkah, where he spent the month of Ramadan in worship. In this way, his family were not far from him, enabling him to stay in the cave for the whole month. Here, he would feed any poor person who happened to pass by, and spend the rest of his time in worship and contemplation.

他的思绪会飘向宇宙及其令人惊叹的景象，这些景象暗示着它是一种伟大力量的创造。他对其族人那些脆弱的信仰感到不满，他们是拜偶像者。然而，他并没有清晰的见解或想法。没有一条连贯的思路向他呈现。

His thoughts would go to the universe and its amazing scenes, suggesting that it is the creation of a great power. He was unhappy with the flimsy beliefs of his people who were idolaters. Yet he had no clear vision or thoughts. No consistent line presented itself to him.

这种独处是真主引导他的一个方面,实际上也是为他日后被托付的伟大使命所做的准备。他独自一人,远离生活的纷扰与种种俗务。他只是想开阔视野,感受宇宙之美,并尝试去理解它在一颗澄明的心灵面前所传达的讯息。凡是被选中承担影响并改变人类方向之任务的人,都需要这样的独处,使自己摆脱生活中的琐事与纷扰。他确实需要一段沉思的时期,在那里他可以仰望广阔的宇宙,努力领会它所昭示的真理。当一个人忙于生活的种种事务时,他身处熟悉的环境之中,会安于现状地接受它,而不会想要去改变它。只有远离眼前的环境及其事务,心灵才能获得辨识那些并非一目了然之事物的能力。独处为我们提供了一个训练场,使我们能够在不受流行观念影响的情况下,去欣赏我们周围的世界。

This seclusion was an aspect of how God guided him, indeed, prepared him, for the great task which was later to be assigned him. He was alone, away from the hassle of life and its preoccupations. He just wanted to broaden his scope, feel the beauty of the universe and try to understand what message it imparts to a clear mind. Whoever is chosen to carry out the task of influencing and changing the direction of humanity needs such seclusion where he is free from life’s minor concerns and preoccupations. He certainly needs a period of contemplation when he can look at the open universe and try to understand the truth it signifies. When a person is attending to life’s concerns, he finds himself in a familiar environment, which he will complacently accept. He does not think of changing it. It is only moving away from the immediate environment and its concerns that gives the soul its ability to discern what is not readily apparent. Seclusion provides the training ground to appreciate the world around us, without reference to prevailing concepts.

这正是真主为穆罕默德所安排的，以此为他承担最伟大的使命做准备。他将肩负改变人类生活乃至世界走向的任务。在他的使命开始之前的三年里，真主每年让先知独处闭关一个月。

This is, then, what God designed for Muhammad as He prepared him to shoulder the greatest trust. It would be his task to change the direction of human life and thus the world. For three years before the start of his mission, God sent the Prophet into seclusion for one month every year.

当真主欲将这一伟大的恩典赐予世间的居民时，天使吉卜利勒来到先知穆罕默德ﷺ在希拉山洞中。先知讲述了此后发生的事情：

When God willed to bestow this great aspect of His grace on the dwellers of the earth, the Angel Gabriel went to the Prophet Muhammad in the cave at Hira’. The Prophet gives this report about what then took place:

先知ﷺ说:“我正在睡觉时,他来到我面前,手里拿着一个用非常华贵的material包裹的盒子,里面有一本书。”他说: Wait — "material" should be translated, not left in English. Corrected: 先知ﷺ说:“我正在睡觉时,他来到我面前,手里拿着一个用非常华贵的织物包裹的盒子,里面有一本书。”他说:

The Prophet said: “While I was asleep he came to me carrying a case of a very rich material in which there was a book. He said:

“读！”我回答说：“我不是个会读的人。”他把我压得很紧，我觉得自己快要死了。然后他放开我，又说：“读！”我问：“我该读什么？”（我这样说，只是出于害怕他会再像之前那样对待我。）他说：“读：你的主，你要奉创造者的名义而读。他用凝血创造了人。你要读！你的主是最尊贵的，他曾教人用笔书写，教人知道他所不知道的。”（96：1-5）我读了。他停了下来，然后离开我，走了。我醒来时，感觉这些话仿佛已经写在了我的心里。”先知ﷺ接着说：“当我走到山的半腰时，我听到从天空传来一个声音，说：”

‘Read.’ I replied: ‘I am not a reader.’ He pressed me so hard that I felt that I was about to die. Then he released me and said, ‘Read.’ I asked: ‘What shall I read?’ (I said this only out of fear that he might repeat what he had done to me before.) He said: ‘Read: in the name of Your Lord Who created. It is He Who created man from a clinging cell mass . Read! Your Lord is the Most Bounteous, Who has taught the use of the pen. He has taught man what he did not know.’ (96: 1-5) I read it. He stopped. Then he left me and went away. I woke up feeling that it was actually written in my heart.” The Prophet went on to say: “When I was halfway up the mountain, I heard a voice coming from the heavens saying:

“穆罕默德，你是真主的使者，我是吉卜利勒。”我抬头望向天空，看见吉卜利勒以人的形象出现，双脚并立，悬在地平线上。他又说了一遍：“穆罕默德，你是真主的使者，我是吉卜利勒。”我站在原地仰望着他，这使我分心，忘记了原本的打算。我站在那里，动弹不得。我试图把脸转开，不再看他，望向天空，但无论我看向哪里，都见他在我面前。我站着一动不动，既不向前，也不向后。赫蒂彻ﷺ派出使者四处寻找我，而我始终站在原地，直到他们回去向她禀报。之后他离开了我，我便回到了家人身边。

‘Muhammad, you are the Messenger of God and I am Gabriel.’ I raised my head up to the sky and I saw Gabriel in the image of a man with his feet next to one another up on the horizon. He said again: ‘Muhammad, you are the Messenger of God and I am Gabriel.’ I stood in my place looking up at him; this distracted me from my intention. I was standing there unable to move. I tried to turn my face away from him and to look up at the sky, but wherever I looked I saw him in front of me. I stood still, moving neither forward nor backward. KhadTjah sent her messengers looking for me and I remained standing in my place all the while until they went back to her. He then left me and I went back to my family.

当我回到家中，我坐在赫底彻身旁，靠在她身上。她说："你去了哪里？我派人去找你，他们还到麦加郊外去寻找你。"我把发生的事告诉了她，她说："高兴起来吧！指着真主发誓，我确信真主只会给你带来好事。我真心希望你是这个民族的先知。"1

When I reached home I sat next to Khadijah, leaning on her. She said: ‘Where have you been? I sent people after you and they went to the outskirts of Makkah looking for you.’ I told her of what happened, and she said: ‘Rejoice! By God, I was certain that God would bring you only what is good. I certainly hope that you are the Prophet of this nation.’1

启示中断了一段时间。之后，先知再次前往山上，他抬起头，看见了天使吉卜利勒。他被一种极度的战栗所震慑，以致跌倒在地。随后他急忙回家，对家人说："给我盖上！给我裹上！"他们便照做了。他仍然因极度的恐惧而不停地颤抖。接着，吉卜利勒呼唤他："披衣的人啊！"（第1节）also有传述说，吉卜利勒对他说："裹着外衣的人啊。"（74：1）真主最清楚哪一种说法是原意。 Note: the Prophet's mention here is followed by ﷺ per the rules, so the text should read: 启示中断了一段时间。之后，先知ﷺ再次前往山上，他抬起头，看见了天使吉卜利勒。他被一种极度的战栗所震慑，以致跌倒在地。随后他急忙回家，对家人说："给我盖上！给我裹上！"他们便照做了。他仍然因极度的恐惧而不停地颤抖。接着，吉卜利勒呼唤他："披衣的人啊！"（第1节）也有传述说，吉卜利勒对他说："裹着外衣的人啊。"（74：1）真主最清楚哪一种说法是原意。

The revelation stopped for a while, and then when the Prophet went again to the mountain, he looked up and saw the Angel Gabriel. He was overwhelmed with such a shudder that he fell to the ground. He then hurriedly went home, saying to his family: ‘Cover me! Wrap me.’ They did so. He continued to shiver, so great was his fear. Then Gabriel called him: “You enfolded one!” (Verse 1) It is also reported that Gabriel called him: “You wrapped in your cloak. ” (74: 1) God knows best which of these statements was expressed.

无论关于本章启示的第一种还是第二种说法是否正确，先知得知，从此他只能少睡。他肩负着沉重的使命，需要长期的奋斗。他必须时刻保持警觉，准备以很少甚至没有休息的方式辛勤工作。先知被吩咐要彻夜不眠，他确实这样做了，长达二十多年。他从未懈怠，而是全身心地投入于自己的使命，履行其各项要求。他毫无怨言地承担着这沉重的负担。这是最伟大的托付的重担，即信仰真主以及它所要求的艰苦奋斗。

Regardless of whether the first or the second report about this surah's revelation is correct, the Prophet learnt that from now on he would only have a little sleep. He had a heavy duty to shoulder, requiring a long struggle. He was always to be on the alert, ready to work hard with little or no rest. The Prophet was told to stay up, and he did, for more than 20 years. He never slackened, but devoted himself completely to his message, attending to its requirements. He shouldered his very heavy burden without complaint. It was the burden of the greatest trust of all, the divine faith and the hard struggle it required.

他所面临的第一场斗争，是对人心的斗争。人心背负着大量错误的观念和错误的想法，并被个人的私欲与世俗的诱惑所束缚。当他洗净了部分门徒心中的这一沉重负担之后，另一场不同领域的战斗又随之而来。事实上，这场斗争最终演变为一系列针对神圣讯息之敌人的战役，这些敌人集结力量，企图在新讯息扎根、枝叶伸展之前将其摧毁并取而代之。他刚刚结束在阿拉伯半岛的这些战役，拜占庭帝国便开始准备，要给这个刚刚兴起于阿拉伯的伊斯兰新兴国家以沉重的打击。

His first area of struggle was the human mind burdened as it was with a great heap of erroneous concepts, wrong ideas and shackled with personal desires and earthly attractions. When he had purged the minds of some of his Companions of this heavy burden, another battle in a different field beckoned. In fact, this was to culminate in a series of battles against the enemies of the divine message, who marshalled their forces to crush the new message and supplant its tree before it could establish roots and send out its branches. He had hardly finished with these battles in the Arabian Peninsula when the Byzantine Empire began to prepare itself to deal a heavy defeat against this fledgling Islamic state in Arabia.

然而,在这场漫长的斗争中,争夺人心的第一场战役并未结束。这是一场持久的战斗,与撒旦之间的战斗,撒旦从不会有片刻停止引诱世人。尽管如此,先知ﷺ仍然继续守护安拉的讯息,纵然大量财富唾手可得,他却过着贫困的生活;他竭尽全力地付出,而他的同伴们却享受着舒适与安全。他的奋斗是持续而艰苦的,需要耐心、坚韧、夜间拜功、诵读《古兰经》,以及永恒地追求安拉的喜悦。

Yet throughout this long struggle, the first battle for the human mind was not over. This is a permanent battle against Satan who does not stop even for a moment in his attempts to lure people. Regardless, the Prophet continued to nurture Gods message, living in poverty when great riches were available to him, putting in strenuous efforts whilst his Companions enjoyed comfort and security. His was a continuous and hard struggle, one that required patience, perseverance, night worship, recitation of the Qur’an and the permanent pursuit of Gods pleasure.

这是对神圣命令的完整践行："你这裹着衣服的人啊！你当夜间起来礼拜，除了少部分时间以外，一半或者稍少于一半，或者多于一半，你当诵读《古兰经》，要清晰而从容。我将把重大的使命交付给你。夜间的时辰，踩踏最有力，言语最端正。白天你有许多漫长的事务要处理。"

It was a full implementation of divine orders: “You enfolded one! Stand in prayer at night, all but a small part of it, half of it, or a little less, or add to it. Recite the Quran calmly and distinctly. We shall bestow on you a weighty message. The night hours are strongest of tread and most upright of speech. During the day you have a long chain of things to attend to.

因此,你要记念你主的名,全心专一地奉献自己给祂。祂是东方和西方的主,除祂之外没有应当崇拜的神。你当以祂为保护者。对于人们所说的话,你要以忍耐承受,并以高尚的尊严离开他们。」(第1至10节) 穆罕默德ﷺ就是这样站立礼拜,也就是这样持续进行了二十多年激烈的奋斗。他不让任何事情分散他的注意力。从他听到赋予他使命的神圣召唤那一刻起,他便始终专注于自己的任务。愿神以祂最好的报酬来回报他。

Therefore, remember your Lord's name and devote yourself whole heartedly to Him. He is the Lord of the east and the west. There is no deity other than Him. Take Him for your guardian. Endure with patience what people may say, and leave their company with noble dignity.” (Verses 1-10) Thus did Muhammad stand in prayer, and thus did he continue to fight a raging battle for over 20 years. He let nothing distract him from this. From the moment he heard the divine call assigning his duty to him he remained focused on his task. May God reward him with His best reward.

前半部分的章节保持着同样的节奏，几乎全部押同样的韵，即以“1”后接长音“a”收尾。这赋予本章一种舒缓而庄严的韵律，与其威严的命令、使命的重大以及本章接连展现的震撼意象相得益彰。其中包括那沉重的启示和令人畏惧的警告：“你且任我去处置那些否认真理、沉溺于今世享乐的人，姑且容忍他们片刻。我确有沉重的枷锁、烈火、哽喉的食物和痛苦的刑罚。”（第11-13节）

The first half of the surah maintains the same rhythm, and almost the same rhyme, with an ‘1’ followed by a long a’, throughout. It gives the surah a relaxed but courtly beat, one that suits its majestic command, the seriousness of the duty and the successive and momentous images the surah portrays. These include the weighty message and the frightening warning: “Leave to Me those who deny the truth and enjoy the comforts of this life. Bear with them for a little while. We have heavy fetters and a blazing fire, food that chokes and painful suffering.” (Verses 11-13)

此外，还有取自广阔宇宙和人类灵魂深处的壮丽意象：“在大地和群山震动的那一日，群山将崩塌成流动的沙堆。”（第14节）“如果你们继续不信，那么，当那使孩童头发变白的日子来临时，你们将如何自保呢？那一日，天空将被撕裂。真主的应许必定实现。”（第17-18节）

There are also the awesome images drawn from the great universe and from the depths of the human soul: “on the day when the earth and the mountains will shake, and the mountains will crumble into heaps of shifting sand.” (Verse 14) “How will you, if you continue to disbelieve, guard yourselves against a day that will turn childrens hair grey? That is the day when the skies shall be rent asunder. God's promise will certainly be fulfilled.” (Verses 17-18)

这段经文是在一整年之后才降示的。在这一年里，先知和一些追随他的人每夜都在大部分时间里进行夜间礼拜。这是他们为履行真主所期望他们承担的使命所做的准备的一个方面。这一年过去之后，夜间礼拜的命令得到了放宽，但这种放宽伴随着一个保证：这是真主为他们作出的选择，依据的是祂的知识与智慧，并考虑到祂为他们所分配的责任。这节经文的风格与众不同：它很长，韵律富于变化、平和而稳定。结尾处"m"之前的长"e"音，恰好与这种沉稳的平静相契合。

The long verse that comes at the end of the surah was revealed a whole year later, during which time the Prophet and some of those who followed him maintained night worship for much of the night, every night. This was an aspect of their preparation for the role God wanted them to play. When this year had passed, the order of night worship was relaxed, but this relaxation was coupled with the reassurance that it was Gods choice for them, according to His knowledge and wisdom, taking into account the duties He had assigned to them. This verse runs in a different style: it is long, with a varied, calm and steady lilt. The ending, with its ‘m’ preceded by a long e’, perfectly suits this steady calmness.

在这一surah的两个部分中，它描绘了伊斯兰使命的一个阶段，始于来自高处的训示，阐明了这项重大的职责。

In its two parts, the surah portrays a stage of the Islamic message, beginning with the address from on high outlining the heavy assignment.

该章描述了为承担这项沉重使命所做的准备：夜间礼拜、持续祷告、诵读《古兰经》、赞颂真主，唯独依靠祂，以忍耐承受艰难，体面地远离不信者，并将他们交付给全能的真主——使命属于祂，战斗也由祂主持。章末以一种温和的笔调收尾，减轻了部分负担，放宽了职责，并吩咐人们去做那些能获得祂赏赐的自愿善功。最后，它展示了真主赦宥并施予恩典的前景：“真主确是至赦的，至慈的。”（第20节）

It describes the preparation for this heavy duty by night worship, constant prayer, recitation of the Qur’an, and glorifying God, relying on Him alone, enduring hardship with forbearance, withdrawing with dignity from the unbelievers and leaving them to God Almighty, to whom the message belongs and who conducts the battle. The surah ends with a kindly touch, relieving some of the burden and lightening the duty, with a directive to attend to voluntary tasks that earn His reward. Finally, it holds out the prospect of God granting forgiveness and bestowing grace: “ God is Much Forgiving, Ever Merciful." (Verse 20)

该章作为一个整体，体现了那一蒙受拣选的群体为引导迷途的人类重返其主所付出的高尚努力中的一个阶段，他们承受了其中的一切艰辛，且不求今世的任何回报。

The surah as a whole represents a stage in the noble efforts made by that chosen community to return erring humanity to its Lord, enduring all the hardship involved and looking for no gain in this life.