本章经文向穆罕默德ﷺ(安拉的使者)报喜:安拉的援助必将降临,胜利随之而来,众人也将集体接受祂的宗教。经文指示他转向自己的主,以虔诚的崇拜并谦卑地祈求祂的宽恕。本章还阐述了这一信仰及其理念的本质与正直之处。这种信仰与理念将人类提升到尊严、奉献与自由的标准,而人类只有回应伊斯兰的召唤并践行伊斯兰的使命,才能达到这一境界。

This short sūrah brings the good news to Muĥammad, God’s Messenger, that God’s help will be forthcoming, as will victory and peoples’ collective acceptance of His religion. It instructs him to turn towards his Lord in devoted adoration coupled with a humble request for His forgiveness. The sūrah also presents the nature and the righteousness of this faith and its ideology, which elevates humanity to a standard of dignity, dedication and freedom that it can never attain except through responding to the call of Islam and implementing the Islamic message.

在关于本章启示的几种传闻中,我们引述伊玛目艾哈迈德所记载的一则,其内容如下:阿伊莎说,上主的使者在其生命的末期,经常反复念诵:"赞美归于真主,我求真主赦宥,我向祂忏悔。"他又说:

Of the several traditions regarding the revelation of this sūrah, we quote the one related by Imām Aĥmad which runs as follows: “`Ā’ishah said that God’s Messenger used to repeat very frequently, towards the end of his life: All glorification and praises are due to God. I seek His forgiveness; and I repent of my sins.’ He also said:

“我的主告诉我，我将在我的族人中看到一个迹象。祂命令我，当我看到这个迹象时，赞颂祂、赞美祂，祂是至宥的，并向祂求饶。” 的确，我已经看到了。

‘My Lord told me I would see a sign in my community. He ordered me to glorify and praise Him, the Forgiving, and ask His pardon when I see this sign. Indeed, I have.

"当神的帮助和胜利降临，你看见人们成群地进入神的宗教时，你就当赞颂你主的超绝完美，赞美祂，并求祂饶恕。祂确是至宏悔的。”{ } [由穆斯林以另一条传述链同样记载。] 伊本·凯西尔在其《古兰经注》中说："本章所提到的胜利，据一致的看法，是指攻克麦加。阿拉伯各部落原本在等待古莱氏与穆斯林之间冲突的结局，然后再决定是否接受伊斯兰，他们说：如果穆罕默德ﷺ战胜了他的族人，他确实就是先知。因此，当这一事件成就之后，他们便成群地皈依伊斯兰。攻克麦加后的两年之内，整个阿拉伯半岛都归于伊斯兰的统治之下，感谢真主，每一个阿拉伯部落都宣布信仰伊斯兰。" 布哈里在其《圣训实录》中引述阿慕尔·本·赛莱迈说："当麦加归顺伊斯兰时，每个部落都急忙到神的使者ﷺ那里宣布他们接受伊斯兰。"

When God’s help and victory come, and you see people embracing God’s religion in large numbers then extol your Lord’s limitless glory, and praise Him, and seek His forgiveness. He is the One who accepts repentance.’“ [Related also by Muslim with a different chain of transmission.] Ibn Kathīr says in his commentary on the Qur’ān: “The victory mentioned in this sūrah refers, as unanimously agreed, to the conquest of Makkah. The Arab tribes were awaiting the settlement of the conflict between the Quraysh and the Muslims, before making a decision about their acceptance of Islam, saying that if Muĥammad were to prevail over his people, he would indeed be a prophet. Consequently, when that was accomplished they accepted Islam in large numbers. Within two years of the conquest of Makkah, the whole Arabian Peninsula was dominated by Islam, and, all thanks to God, every Arab tribe declared its belief in Islam.” In his Şaĥīĥ al-Bukhārī quotes `Amr ibn Salamah as saying: “When Makkah fell to Islam, every tribe hastened to declare to God’s Messenger its acceptance of Islam.

他们在等待那件事发生，说：“让他和他的族人去吧。如果他战胜了他们，他确实就是一位先知了……”这些记载在时间顺序上与本章经文的内容相吻合，即本章的降示本身就是某件将要发生之事的预兆，同时包含了对先知的一些指示，告诉他当那件事发生时应当怎样做。

They were waiting for it to take place, saying, ‘Leave him alone with his people. He would indeed be a prophet if he prevailed over them...” These reports are chronologically in line with the wording of the sūrah, in the sense that its revelation was a sign of something to follow, with some instructions to the Prophet on what he should do when this event would take place.

然而,还有另一则传述,与我们前面讨论过的那一则并不难以调和。穆罕默德的堂弟、博学的圣门弟子阿卜杜拉·本·阿拔斯传述说:"欧麦尔过去常让我参加那些参加过白德尔战役的长者的聚会,但其中一些人心中不悦,问道:他为何要让我与他们同坐,而我的年纪与他们的孩子相仿?欧麦尔对他们说:'你们知道他出身于哪个家族。'有一天,欧麦尔召集了他们所有人,也召集了我。我感觉到他想向他们展示他给予我这份殊荣的理由。他问他们说:'你们如何理解真主的话:当真主的援助和胜利降临时?'他们中有人回答说:'这是一项命令,即当真主助我们取胜、赐我们恩惠时,我们应当赞颂他、求他饶恕。'另一些人则保持沉默。于是欧麦尔问我:'伊本·阿拔斯,你同意这种看法吗?'我回答说不。欧麦尔再问我:'那么,你怎么说?'我答道:'这是真主向他的使者发出的一个迹象,表明他的寿限将近。其意是:当真主的援助和胜利降临时,你应当知道你的终期已近,那就赞颂你主超绝万物的圣洁,赞美他,并求他饶恕。他是接受忏悔的主。'欧麦尔评论说:'据我所知,这经文的含义只是你刚才所说的那样。'"[布哈里辑录。]因此,真主的使者在目睹其主的这一迹象后,可能已经意识到自己在今世的使命已经完成,是时候离世了,这正是伊本·阿拔斯的本意。

There is, nevertheless, a different report which is not difficult to reconcile with the one we have already discussed. `Abdullāh ibn`Abbās, the Prophet’s cousin and learned Companion, reports: “Umar used to let me join the company of elders who were present at Badr, but some of them felt uneasy and asked why I should be allowed with them when I was of the same age as their own children. But `Umar said to them, ‘You know to what family he belongs.’ One day `Umar invited them all and invited me as well. I felt that he wanted to show them why he gave me such a privilege. He asked them, ‘What do you make of God’s saying: When God’s help and victory come?’ Some of them replied, ‘It is an order that we must praise Him and seek His forgiveness when He helps us to triumph and bestows His favours on us.’ Others remained silent. Then `Umar asked me, ‘Do you agree with this view, Ibn `Abbās?’ I answered in the negative. `Umar asked me again, ‘What, then, do you say?’ I replied, ‘It was a sign from God to His Messenger indicating the approach of the end of his life. It means: when God’s help and victory come, you should know that your end is near, then extol your Lord’s limitless glory, and praise Him, and seek His forgiveness. He is the One who accepts repentance.’“ `Umar commented, ‘To my knowledge, it only means what you have just said.” [Related by al-Bukhārī.] So it is possible that God’s Messenger, having witnessed his Lord’s sign, realized that he had fulfilled his mission in this life, and that it was time for him to depart, which was what Ibn `Abbās actually meant.

另一段由al-Bayhaqī转述、同样出自Ibn `Abbās的传述称,这章经文刚降示时,先知把女儿Fāţimah叫到身边,对她说:"我的死讯已经告诉我了。"她便哭了起来。不久之后她又笑了。过了一段时间,她解释说:"他告诉我他即将离世时,我哭了。但他随后对我说:'要有耐心,因为你将是我家人中第一个跟随我的人。'于是我笑了。"根据这段最后的圣训,这章经文的降示时间实际上被确定为晚于那个迹象,也就是胜利以及人们集体接受伊斯兰之后。事情按这种次序发生时,先知便知道自己的生命很快就要结束。但同样,前面那种说法更为可靠,也更符合这章经文的涵义,尤其是关于Fāţimah哭泣与微笑的那件事,另有一段传述是在不同的背景下讲述的,而那段传述与我们所倾向的版本相吻合。这段另一传述如下:先知的妻子Umm Salamah说:"在胜利之年的一天,先知ﷺ邀请Fāţimah,并与她私下交谈。她哭了。然后他又与她交谈,她便笑了。他去世后,我问她这件事,她解释道:'真主的使者告诉我他将很快离世,所以我哭了。然后他告诉我,我将是天堂里仅次于Maryam bint `Imrān的最尊贵的女性,所以我笑了。'"[由al-Tirmidhī转述。]这段传述与经文的总体含义相符,也与Imām Aĥmad所转述、同样见于Muslim的《Şaĥīĥ》中的内容相符。也就是说,真主与祂的使者之间存在一个迹象,这章经文对此有所说明。因此,当使麦加归顺伊斯兰的胜利实现时,先知ﷺ便知道自己很快就要去见他的主了。因此他才按Umm Salamah所描述的方式与Fāţimah交谈。

A different report related by al-Bayhaqī, also on Ibn `Abbās’s authority, mentions that when this sūrah was first revealed, the Prophet asked his daughter, Fāţimah, to come over and told her, ‘My death has been announced to me.’ She was seen to start crying. But a little later she smiled. Some time later she explained, “I cried when he told me of his approaching death. But he then said to me, Be patient, because you will be the first of my household to join me’, so I smiled.” According to this last ĥadīth, the time of the revelation of the sūrah is actually fixed as coming later than the sign. That is, the victory and the people’s collective acceptance of Islam. When events took place in this fashion the Prophet knew that his life would soon come to a close. But again the first account is more authentic and fits in more suitably with the import of the sūrah, especially as the incident concerning Fāţimah and her crying and smiling is related in a different context which agrees with the version we prefer. This other report goes as follows: “Umm Salamah, the Prophet’s wife, said: ‘The Prophet invited Fāţimah one day during the year of the victory and spoke to her in private. She cried. Then he spoke to her again and she was smiling. After he died, I asked her about the incident and she explained, God’s Messenger told me he was soon to die, so I cried. Then he told me that I would be the next most celebrated woman in heaven, next to Maryam bint `Imrān, so I smiled.’“ [Related by al-Tirmidhī.] This report agrees with the general meaning of the Qur’ānic text and with what Imām Aĥmad related, which also appears in Muslim’s Şaĥīĥ. That is, there was a sign between God and His Messenger, which the sūrah specifies. Hence, when the victory that secured Makkah to Islam was accomplished, the Prophet knew that he was soon to meet his Lord. Hence he spoke to Fāţimah in the manner described by Umm Salamah.

一件值得期待的事 我们现在来思考这篇短小章节所阐明的持久意义与教导:"当真主的援助与胜利降临,你看见人们成群结队地皈依真主的宗教时,那就应当赞颂你主的超绝圣洁,赞美祂,并向祂求饶。祂确是至大的悔恕者。"(第1-3节)

An Awaited Event We will now consider the permanent import and instructions outlined in this short sūrah: “When God’s help and victory come, and you see people embracing God’s religion in large numbers, then extol your Lord’s limitless glory, and praise Him, and seek His forgiveness. He is the One who accepts repentance.” (Verses 1-3)

这段经文的开头隐含地提出了一种关于这个宇宙所发生之事以及今生所发生之事的观念。它也涵盖了先知和他的追随者在伊斯兰教发展中的实际角色，以及这一发展在多大程度上依赖于他们的努力。"当真主的援助和胜利降临时……"，表明这是真主所赐予的援助，是祂按照自己的美意，在祂所决定的时机、以祂所决定的形式、为祂所确定的目的而带来胜利。先知和他的同伴对此毫无作为，也不因此获得任何个人的利益。对他们而言，真主通过他们成就此事，任命他们为其守卫，并将其托付给他们，便已足够。这就是他们从真主的援助、胜利以及人们成群地接受祂的宗教之中所获得的全部。

The beginning of the first verse implicitly presents a concept of what goes on in this universe and the events that take place in this life. It also covers the actual role of the Prophet and his followers in the progress of Islam, and to what extent it depends on their efforts. ‘When God’s help and victory...’, denotes that it is help granted by God, and it is He who brings about victory in His own good time, in the form He decides and for the purpose He determines. The Prophet and his Companions have nothing to do with it at all, and they obtain no personal gain from it. It suffices for them that He does it through them, appoints them as its guards and entrusts it to them. This is all they acquire from God’s help, the victory and people’s acceptance en masse of His religion.

根据这一理念，真主拣选了先知和他的同伴，赐予他们成为真主事业胜利之工具的荣幸。在胜利达到顶点之时，他们的责任是以赞美之辞转向真主，表达感恩并祈求宽恕。感恩与赞美，是因为真主慷慨地拣选了他们，使他们成为真主宗教的旗手；因为真主使他的宗教获得胜利，从而向全人类施恩布惠；也因为攻克麦加以及人们集体接受伊斯兰。

According to this concept, the duty of the Prophet and his Companions whom God chose and gave the privilege of being the instruments of victory for His cause, was to turn to Him at the climax of victory in praise, expressing gratitude and seeking forgiveness. Gratitude and praise are for His being so generous as to have chosen them to be the standard-bearers of His religion; for the mercy and favour He did to all humanity by making His religion victorious; and for the conquest of Makkah and people’s collective acceptance of Islam.

他为内心私下滋生的各种有缺陷的情绪寻求宽恕，例如虚荣心。当经过长期奋斗终于取得胜利时，这类情绪有时会悄然潜入人心。人几乎不可能完全阻止这种情况发生，因此必须寻求真主的宽恕。在漫长而残酷的斗争中，内心可能产生的低语，以及因预想胜利会迟来而生出的急躁，或因剧烈的绝望而产生的影响，也需要寻求宽恕，正如《古兰经》在别处所说："你们以为自己能进入乐园，而你们还未遭受那些在你们以前逝世的人所遭受的磨难吗？"

His forgiveness is sought for any defective feeling, privately entertained, such as vanity, which sometimes creep into one’s heart when victory is attained after a long struggle. It is almost impossible for human beings to prevent this happening and therefore God’s forgiveness is to be sought. Forgiveness also has to be sought for what might have been insinuated within one’s heart during the long and cruel struggle and for petulance resulting from a conceived delay of victory, or the effects of convulsive despair, as the Qur’ān mentions elsewhere: “Do you reckon that you will enter paradise while you have not suffered like those [believers] who passed away before you?

他们遭受了苦难和逆境，震撼之大，使得使者和与他同在的信士们都呼喊道："真主的援助何时才到？"诚然，真主的援助就在近旁。（2:214） Note: the Messenger here is the Prophet Muhammad, but the verse is quoted text, so no ﷺ is added inside the Qur'an verse per the rules.

Affliction and adversity befell them, and so terribly shaken were they that the Messenger and the believers with him would exclaim, ‘When will God’s help come?’ Surely, God’s help is close at hand.” (2: 214)

同样必要的是，为自己在赞颂真主、感谢祂无尽恩典方面的不足向真主求饶。这些恩典无时无刻不在赐予。"你们若要计算真主的恩典，就不能计算清楚。"（16：18）无论一个人在这方面如何努力，都永远不够。

It is also necessary to seek God’s forgiveness for one’s shortcomings in praising God and thanking Him for His infinite favours which are granted at all times. “If you were to count God’s favours, never will you be able to number them.” (16: 18) However great one’s efforts in this respect are, they are never adequate.

在胜利之时寻求宽恕，也会唤起一种软弱与不完美之感；而此时，人本应自然地生出骄傲与自负。所有这些因素共同保证，战败者不会遭受暴政的侵害。胜利的领袖被使其认识到：是真主委任了他，而他本是一个没有自身权能、毫无力量的人，为了某个预定的目的；因此，胜利与征服以及宗教，都属于祂，万事最终都归于祂。

Seeking forgiveness at a moment of triumph also arouses feelings of weakness and imperfection at a time when an attitude of pride and conceit seems natural. All these factors guarantee that no tyranny will afflict the vanquished. The victorious leader is made to realize that it is God who has appointed him, a man who has no power of his own and who is devoid of any strength, for a predetermined purpose; consequently the triumph and the conquest as well as the religion are all His, and to Him all things ultimately return.

这是《古兰经》劝勉人们为之努力的崇高而有尊严的理想：在这一理想中，人的尊荣在于摒弃自身的骄傲，人灵魂的自由在于对真主的顺服。所设定的目标是让人的灵魂彻底摆脱自我私欲的枷锁，其唯一的志向是求得上主的喜悦。

This is the lofty, dignified ideal the Qur’ān exhorts people to toil towards, an ideal in which man’s exaltation is in neglecting his own pride and where his soul’s freedom is in his subservience to God. The goal set is the total release of human souls from their egoistic shackles, their only ambition being to attain God’s pleasure.

伴随着这一主张，必须付出努力，帮助人在世界上繁荣发展，促进人类文明，并提供一种正确引导、纯洁无瑕、具有建设性、公正、并以上帝为依归的领导。

Along with this release there must be exerted effort which helps man flourish in the world, promotes human civilization and provides a rightly-guided, unblemished, constructive, just leadership devoted to God.

相比之下,人若在自我主义的掌控之下,被对世俗之物的热衷所束缚,或被自身的欲望所压倒,那么他为解放自己所作的种种努力,除非他从个人的私欲与野心中解脱出来,否则都将毫无用处。他对真主的忠诚必须凌驾于一切之上,尤其是在胜利的时刻和分取战利品的时候。这种品行正是真主希望人类所达到的,也是所有先知共同的显著特征。

By contrast, man’s efforts to liberate himself while in the grip of egoism, shackled by his zest for worldly things, or overpowered by his cravings, turn out to be absolutely useless unless he frees himself from personal desires and ambitions. His loyalty to God must be made to override everything else, particularly at the moment of triumph and the collection of booty. Such behaviour, which God wants humanity to attain, was the characteristic feature of all the Prophets.

正如先知约瑟夫的情形一样,当他所期望的一切都实现,他的梦也成真了:"他把父母接上宝座,他们都向他叩拜。他说:'父亲啊!这就是我以前所做之梦的真实含义。我的主已使它实现了。他确实曾对我施恩,使我脱离牢狱,并在撒旦离间我与兄弟们之后,把你们从沙漠中接来。我的主随意施恩于他所意欲的人。他确是全知的,确是至睿的。'"(12:100)

Such was the case with the Prophet Joseph, when all he wanted was achieved and his dream came true: “And he raised his parents to the highest place of honour, and they fell down on their knees, prostrating themselves before him. He said: ‘Father, this is the real meaning of my dream of long ago. My Lord has made it come true. He has been gracious to me, releasing me from prison, and bringing you all from the desert after Satan had sown discord between me and my brothers. My Lord is gracious in whatever way He wishes. He is All-Knowing, truly Wise.” (12: 100)

然后,在那个高潮时刻,约瑟远离了欢呼与拥抱的人群,转身向他的主,满怀纯洁的感恩之心赞颂祂:"我的主啊,祢赐予了我权柄,教导了我解释事情的真义。天地的创造者啊!祢是我今世和后世的保护者。求祢使我以顺从的身份死去,并使我归入善人之列。"(12:101)

Then, at that moment of climax, Joseph took himself away from the jubilations and embracing arms to turn towards his Lord, praising Him with a pure sense of gratitude: “My Lord, You have given me power and imparted to me some understanding of the real meaning of statements. Originator of the heavens and the earth! You are my guardian in this world and in the life to come. Let me die as one who has surrendered himself to You, and admit me among the righteous.” (12: 101)

于是，他对自身的任何自我膨胀以及因与家人团聚而产生的喜悦都消失了。我们所留下的图景，是约瑟夫这一个人在向真主祈祷，求祂帮助他始终顺服于祂，直到离世，并求祂凭着慈悯与恩惠，使他与祂的善人同在。

Thus any sense of his own egotism and happiness brought about by his reunion with his family vanished, and the picture we are left with is that of an individual, Joseph, praying to God to help him remain submissive to Him until he dies and to let him, out of His mercy and grace, join His righteous servants.

哦,这也发生在先知所罗门身上,当时他看见示巴女王的宝座被带到他面前:"当他看见它就在自己面前时,他说:'这是我的主的恩典,要考验我是感恩还是忘恩。感恩的人,是为自己的益处而感恩;忘恩的人,那么,我的主是自足的、尊贵的。'"(27:40)

o, it was also with the Prophet Solomon, when he saw the Queen of Sheba’s throne brought into his very reach: “When he saw it set in his presence he said: ‘This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or remain ungrateful. He who gives thanks does so for his own good, and he who is ungrateful, well, my Lord is all sufficient and bountiful.” (27: 40)

事实上,穆罕默德一生都是如此。在胜利的时刻,当征服麦加的事业完成时,他骑在骆驼背上进入这座城市,低垂着头。他忘记了胜利的喜悦,感恩地低下头,祈求主的宽恕,尽管他刚刚征服了麦加,而麦加人曾公然且肆无忌惮地迫害并驱逐过他。他的同伴们在他之后也遵循这一做法。

And so indeed it was with Muĥammad throughout his life. In the moment of triumph, as the conquest of Makkah was accomplished, he entered the city on the back of his camel with his head bowed low. He forgot the joy of victory and thankfully bowed his head seeking his Lord’s forgiveness, even though he had just conquered Makkah, whose people had openly and unashamedly persecuted and expelled him. This also was the practice of his Companions after him.

因此，正是由于对真主的信仰，那一代伟大的人类才被提升到极高的境界，达到了无与伦比的伟大、力量与自由的标准。

Thus, upon belief in God, was that great generation of humanity raised very high, reaching an unparalleled standard of greatness, power and freedom.