要确定这一章经文的降示年代几乎是不可能的，无论是它的开头部分，还是整章经文，都是如此。我们也无法肯定地说，它的开头先降示，其余部分隔了一段时间之后才降示。即便说这种情形较有可能，也站不住脚，因为这一章的开头与结尾所论及的是同一件事，即不信道者对先知所作的粗鄙指控，斥责他为疯子。

It is practically impossible to date the revelation of this surah, and this applies to its opening as well as to the surah as a whole. Nor is it possible to say for certain that its opening was revealed first and the rest after the lapse of some time. We cannot even say that this was more probable, because the opening and the ending of the surah tackle the same point, namely, the unbelievers’ rude claims about the Prophet, denouncing him as a madman.

有许多报道认为，这是继第96章之后第二个被降示的章。各版本的《古兰经》在标明降示次序的地方，都指出这是第二章。然而，该章的风格、处理主题的方式以及其所指向的内容，却暗示了另一种情形。事实上，这些方面几乎可以证实，此章是在伊斯兰的呼召公开之后才降示的。众所周知，先知ﷺ在三年间是私下、逐个地向人们传达他的使命。换言之，此章很可能就是在那段时期降示的，当时古莱氏坚决反对伊斯兰的新使命，想尽一切办法阻止它，包括对先知ﷺ散布诽谤的指控。

There are many reports that suggest that this was the second surah to be revealed after Surah 96. Where different editions of the Qur’an mention an order of revelation, they all suggest that this is the second surah. Yet the style of the surah, the way it tackles its subject matter and its drift point to something else. In fact, these aspects almost confirm that it was revealed sometime after the call to Islam went public. It is well known that for three years the Prophet addressed his message to people privately, on an individual basis. In other words, this surah was most probably revealed during that time, when the Quraysh was determinedly opposed to the new message of Islam, resorting to all means to prevent it, including levelling defamatory allegations against the Prophet.

作为回应,《古兰经》开始谴责此类手段,驳斥毫无根据的指控,并发出本章所包含的那类威胁与警告。

Byway of response, the Qur’an began to denounce such tactics, repelling unfounded allegations and issuing threats and warnings of the type this surah includes.

正如我们之前所说，有人提出，只有这一章的开头部分在早期降示，即在第96章的首次启示之后不久。

As we have said, it has been suggested that only the opening of the surah was revealed early on, soon after the first revelation of Surah 96.

有人进一步提出,开篇中否定加在先知身上的任何疯癫之说,即“以你主的恩典,你并不是疯子”,是为了平息他自己对这些启示是否为疯癫征兆的恐惧。这种说法同样不太可能,因为关于先知可能有过此类恐惧的记载,在真实性上极其欠缺。此外,整章作为一个完整整体的结构表明,这一否定旨在驳斥章末提到的指控:“当他们听到这训诫时,不信道的人几乎要用他们的眼睛把你绊倒;他们说:‘他确是疯子。’”(第51节)正是这一指控,在章首被加以否定。当我们通读全章,体会其前后紧密相连的关系时,这一点便会清楚可见。

It is further suggested that the negation of any madness attributed to the Prophet, which occurs in the opening, “you are not, by your Lord's grace, a madman? was in order to calm his own fears about whether such revelations were signs of madness. This is again unlikely, because the reports mentioning any such fears the Prophet may have had are exceedingly lacking in authenticity. Moreover, the way the surah is built as a single whole makes it clear that this negation is meant to refute the allegation mentioned at its conclusion: “ The unbelievers well-nigh trip you up with their eyes when they hear this reminder. They say, 'He is surely mad?' (Verse 51) It is this allegation that is negated at the surah's very outset. This is clearly understood when we read all the surah and appreciate how closely interlinked it is throughout.

有一些报道认为，某些段落，具体来说是第17至23节和第42至52节，是在麦地那降示的。前一段提到了园主所遭受的考验，后一段提到了先知尤努斯。我们仍然认为情况并非如此。

Some reports also suggest that certain passages, specifically verses 17-23 and 42-52, were revealed in MadTnah. The first of these passages mentions the test endured by the owners of the garden, and the second refers to the Prophet Jonah. Again, we believe this not to be the case.

相反，我们认为整个苏拉是在麦加降示的，因为它的风格非常具有麦加特征。事实上，考虑到它的风格、特点以及整个苏拉的统一性，这一看法更为可信。

Instead, we suggest that the whole surah was revealed in Makkah, because its style is very much Makkan. Indeed, this is more likely, considering the style, the features and the overall unity of the surah.

我们的立场因此是:该章并非第二个被启示的章,而是在先知使命开始之后经过相当长一段时间才降示的。它肯定是在真主向先知下达"你当警告你的至亲"(26:214)这一命令之后,并且是在《古兰经》中大量讲述古代民族的部分降示之后才降示的。有些不信者曾把这类记载称为"古人的神话"。

Our own stance, therefore, is that the surah was not the second to be revealed, but rather that its revelation took place after the lapse of some considerable time after the start of the Prophets mission. It was certainly after the divine instruction was given to the Prophet to “warn your nearest kindred? (26: 214), and after the revelation of a substantial portion of the Qur’an speaking about earlier communities. Such reports have been described by some unbelievers as ‘fables of the ancients’.

它显然是在这样一个时期降示的：当时古莱氏人已经被号召接受伊斯兰，而他们也已开始抵制这一号召。确实，他们此时的反对已变得十分坚决，甚至毫不犹豫地对先知ﷺ及其使命提出不实的指控。正是这种反对，使本章对不信者做出了极为强烈的谴责，并在前后（开头和接近结尾处）发出了严厉的警告。本章降示的时间，也由其末尾所描绘的画面得到了证实：“当他们听到这训诫时，不信道者几乎要用他们的眼睛把你绊倒，他们说：‘他确是疯子。’”（第51节）这是一幅向大批民众发出接受使命号召的公开演说的画面。这样的集会在伊斯兰使命的早期岁月里肯定没有发生。事实上，第一次这样的公开演说，是在先知ﷺ开始领受古兰经启示三年之后才发生的。

It was clearly revealed then at a time when the Quraysh had already been called upon to accept Islam and whence it started its resistance to the call. Indeed, so determined had it become in its opposition at this point that it did not hesitate to level false allegations against the Prophet and his mission. It is such opposition that necessitated the very strong denunciation the surah makes of the unbelievers and the strong warnings it issues both early on and towards its end. Such timing of its revelation is also confirmed by the last image it portrays: “ The unbelievers well-nigh trip you up with their eyes when they hear this reminder. They say 'He is surely mad'" (Verse 51) This is an image of a public address calling on large groups of people to accept the message. Such gatherings most certainly did not take place during the early years of the Islamic message. Indeed, the first such public address was only made three years after the Prophet began to receive Quranic revelations.

该章提到了不信道者向先知提出的一些妥协建议，他们希望在信仰这一核心争议问题上达成折中。经文说："他们愿意你让步，他们也就让步。"（第9节）不必说，在这种信息仅在私下传播、只向少数人宣讲的时期，是不会有人提出这样的建议的。在那种情况下，人们不会觉得它构成任何威胁。更可能的情况是，这类提议是在后来才出现的，即当信息公开传播、不信道者意识到其深远意义之时。

The surah refers to some of the offers the unbelievers made to the Prophet, suggesting a compromise over the central issue in dispute, namely that of faith. It says: "They would love that you compromise with them, so that they will also compromise." (Verse 9) Needless to say, such an offer would not have been made at a time when the message was only advocated in private, presented to a few individuals. In such circumstances, it would not have been felt to represent any danger. It is more likely that such offers would only have been made later, when the message advocated itself in public and when the unbelievers realized its far-reaching significance.

我们可以看到，有若干迹象证实，这一章并非在伊斯兰讯息最初的日子里降示的，而且从其降示到之前至少已过去了三年。在这三年间完全没有古兰经启示，这几乎不可能。相反，更有可能的是，在这段期间降示了许多章和段落，它们阐述伊斯兰信仰，却没有像本章那样强烈地斥责不信道者。尽管如此，这一切说明之后，仍不能说这一章，以及第73章和第74章，是在伊斯兰时期的后期降示的。

We see how several indications confirm that the surah was not revealed in the very early days of the Islamic message, and that at least three years had passed before its revelation. It is highly unlikely that no Qur’anic revelations were made during these three years. On the contrary, it is much more likely that many surahs and passages were revealed in the intervening period, presenting the Islamic faith without strongly denouncing the unbelievers in the way we find in this surah. Having said all this, however, one can still not say that this surah, as well as Surahs 73 and 74, were revealed late into the Islamic period.

伊斯兰信仰之树,以其真实、纯净、清澈的本来面貌,正在大地上生根。它与当时弥漫的蒙昧状态(jahiliyyah)格格不入,这种蒙昧不仅存在于阿拉伯半岛,也遍布整个地球。的确,它与阿拉伯多神教徒所奉持的、已经偏离本源并掺杂了当地迷信、失去原有光彩的亚伯拉罕信仰之间,存在着巨大的鸿沟。穆罕默德(愿主祝福并赐他平安)所倡导的,是一种清晰、直接、简单,同时又全面而深刻的信仰。它与亚伯拉罕所传的原初纯正信仰完全一致,但其完善程度足以与他作为人类最后一次启示的身份相称,能够针对人类已趋成熟的阶段进行教导,并将永远保持完整,直至时间的尽头。以多神的观念为例,即给真主配上同伴。在这一点上,阿拉伯人崇拜天使、偶像、精灵和灵体。他们的信仰是一堆败坏而空洞的观念的混合体。请将这些与《古兰经》为真主以及祂那统管每一个受造物的威严权能所描绘的崇高图景相比较,二者之间的鸿沟是何等巨大。

The tree of the Islamic faith, in its real, clean and pure form, was being planted on earth. It was totally unfamiliar to the prevailing state of ignorance, or jahiliyyah, not only in the Arabian Peninsula but throughout the globe. Indeed there was a great gulf between it and the deviant and colourless form of the Abrahamic faith, mixed with local superstitions, which the Arab idolaters upheld. What Muhammad (peace be upon him) advocated was a clear, straightforward, simple, yet comprehensive and profound faith that was fully in line with the original pure faith preached by Abraham, but to a standard of perfection that fits its being the last message to mankind, addressing them in their stage of maturity and remaining intact to the end of time. Take, for example, the notion of multiple deities that assigns partners to God: in this respect, the Arabs worshipped angels, statues, the jinn and spirits. Their beliefs were a medley of corrupt and hollow notions. Compare these with the noble picture the Qur’an paints of God and His majestic power that takes care of every creature. The gulf between the two is immense.

与此同样悬殊的，是当时阿拉伯社会盛行的等级制度、宗教的教士化特征，以及对天房（Ka'bah）看管权等特权的垄断，与伊斯兰教所倡导的众生平等、以及《古兰经》所阐明的每个人与真主（God）之间的直接联系，二者之间的鸿沟。同样，穆罕默德先知ﷺ所倡导的道德，与贾希利亚社会中盛行的价值观也截然不同，判若云泥。

Similarly wide is the gulf between the class system that prevailed in Arabia, the clerical nature of its religion and the monopoly of privileges, such as custodianship of the Ka(bah, on the one hand and the equality of all people preached by Islam and every individual’s direct relation with God as explained in the Qur’an on the other. Likewise, the morality advocated by the Prophet Muhammad was a world apart from the values that prevailed in Arabia’s jahiliyyah society.

这种新信仰与古莱氏人的信仰、价值观和习俗之间的巨大鸿沟，足以引发两大阵营之间的直接冲突。然而，还有其他因素，对古莱氏人而言，或许比信仰问题更为严重。例如，存在一些社会因素，其中一些促使他们提出《古兰经》中所记载的说法："他们还说：'为什么这部《古兰经》不降示给两座城市中某个有地位的大人物呢？'"（43：31）这里提到的两座城市是麦加和塔伊夫。尽管先知ﷺ出身于古莱氏中最高贵的家族，但他并非部族的首领，这一事实使得他们的首领很难接受他的领导。在那样的社会环境中，个人在部族中的地位至关重要。

This great gulf between the new faith and the Quraysh’s beliefs, values and practices was sufficient to bring about direct conflict between the two camps. There were, however, other factors which perhaps were, to the Quraysh, more serious than the issue of faith. There were, for example, social factors, some of which prompted them to suggest what is reported in the Qur’an: “ They also say, 'Why was not this Quran revealed to some great man of the two cities?”' (43: 31) The two cities mentioned here are Makkah and Ta’if. Despite the fact that the Prophet was a descendent of the noblest family in the Quraysh, the very fact that he was not the chief of his clan made it very difficult for their chiefs to accept his leadership. In that social environment, position in one’s clan was of paramount importance.