这一章以两个独立的字母“哈”和“米姆”开头，随后是以那部明白阐明事理的经典起誓。

The surah begins with the two separate letters Ha and Mim which are then followed by an oath by the book that makes things clear.

字母与书本的性质相同：就其口头形式而言，书本与字母属于同一类型。正如人类语言中的所有字母一样，这两个字母，或说这两种声音，都是真主的迹象之一：是他创造了人类，并赋予人类各种语言的声音。当提及这些字母时，就Qur'an而言，它们所承载的意义不止一种。

Both the letters and the book are of the same nature: in its spoken form, the book is of the same type as the letters. Just like all letters in human language, the two letters, or sounds, are of God’s signs: it is He who created people and gave them the sounds of their languages. When such letters are mentioned, they carry more than a single meaning with reference to the Qur’an.

上主以这两个字母和清晰的经典起誓,是为了确认这部古兰经以启示给阿拉伯人时的形式降下的目的:"我确已将它降为阿拉伯语的诵读,以便你们理解"(第3节)。因此,其目的在于让他们以自己的语言所构成的形式来理解它。

God states this oath by the two letters and the clear book so as to confirm the purpose of making this Qur’an in the form it was made when revealed to the Arabs: have made the Qur'an a discourse in Arabic so that you may understand” (Verse 3) The purpose, then, is that they should understand it as it is composed in their own tongue.

《古兰经》是真主的启示，真主以其口语形式将它降示为阿拉伯语，因为祂选择了阿拉伯人作为祂信息的承载者。

The Qur’an is God’s revelation which He has made, in its spoken form, Arabic as He chose the Arabs to be the bearers of His message.

我们在解释前一章时已经部分地说明了这一目的。

We explained this purpose partly in commenting on the previous surah.

此外,真主依据其全知,选定阿拉伯人作为合适的传信者,并认定他们的语言最能承载其启示。真主知道该将他的使命托付给谁。

Moreover, God made His choice on the basis of His knowledge that the Arabs were suitable message-bearers and that their language could best express it. God knows whom to entrust with His message.

然后，他界定了安拉为《古兰经》在祂那里所设定的地位，以及它在祂对宇宙整体规划中的价值："它源于保存在我们这里的启示之源，它确实崇高，充满智慧。"（第4节）我们只顺带提及短语 Umm al-Kitab 的字面含义，这里译为"启示之源"。它指的是《古兰经》其他地方提到的"受保护的板"¹，还是真主永恒的知识？两者在某种意义上是相同的，因为它们都不具有我们认知范围内的具体含义。

He then defines what position He has assigned for the Qur’an with Him and its value in His overall plan for the universe: “It originates in the source of revelation kept with Us; it is indeed sublime, full of wisdom.” (Verse 4) We will only in passing refer to the literal meaning of the phrase Umm al-Kitab, translated here as ‘the source of revelation’. Does it refer to the ‘imperishable tablet’1 mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’an, or to God’s eternal knowledge? Both are the same in the sense that they do not have a specific meaning within our sphere of knowledge.

令人惊讶的是,尽管阿拉伯人承认真主是天地的创造者,他们却没有将这一认识贯彻到其合乎逻辑的结论,即宣告真主的独一性并将一切崇拜归于祂。相反,他们给真主设立同伴,把祂所创造的一些牲畜分配给这些同伴。他们还断言天使是真主的女儿,并以偶像的形式崇拜她们。《古兰经》记载了他们对真主创造之事的承认,向他们陈述了他们所弃置的人类天性的逻辑,并说明他们在面对真主的恩典(尤其是船只和牲畜)时应当采取的行为。随后,经文描述了他们关于天使所说的话:

Amazingly, although the Arabs recognized that God was the Creator of the heavens and the earth, they did not follow this through to its logical conclusion, declaring His oneness and address all worship to Him. On the contrary, they attributed partners to Him, assigning to these some of the cattle He has created. They also alleged that the angels were God’s daughters whom they worshipped in the form of idols. The Qur’an reports their acknowledgement of God’s creation, puts before them the logic of human nature which they discard, and outlines the behaviour they should adopt in response to His blessings, particularly ships and cattle. It then describes what they claim about the angels:

但如果你问他们："是谁创造了天地？"他们必定回答："是那全能的、全知的主创造的。"他是为你们铺平大地、为你们在大地上开辟道路以便你们遵循方向的那一位；他依照定量从天空降下雨水，借它使死寂的土地重新复活；你们也将这样从坟墓中复活。他创造了一切成双成对的生物，为你们提供了你们乘坐的船只和牲畜，使你们骑在它们的背上时能够记念主的恩典，并说："赞美那使这一切为我们所驾驭的主超绝万物！我们自己本来无力做到这些。我们必定要回归我们的主。"（第9至14节）

Yet if you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they are sure to answer, ‘The Almighty, the All-Knowing created them. ’ It is He who has smoothed out the earth for you and has traced on it paths for you so that you can find your way. And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure. With it We raise dead land to life; and thus you will be raised from the dead. And He it is who created all living things in pairs, and provided for you the ships and animals on which you ride, so that when you are seated on their backs you remember your Lord's blessings and say: ‘Limitless in His glory is He who has made all this subservient to our use. We could not have done it by ourselves. To our Lord we shall most certainly return. (Verses 9-14)

阿拉伯人曾有一种信仰，可以设想它由亚伯拉罕原初纯正信仰的残留构成，那原初的光彩已经褪去，并与传说相互混杂。留存下来的，是人类天性无法否认的一点，即宇宙有一位造物主，这造物主就是真主：宇宙若无造物主便不可能存在，而造物主只能是真主。然而，阿拉伯人并没有将这一自然真理推到其逻辑的结论；他们只停留在那赤裸的事实上："你若问他们：'谁创造了天地？'他们必定回答：'全能的、全知的主创造了它们。'"（第9节）

The Arabs had a faith, which we can imagine as consisting of remnants of the original pure faith of Abraham, that had lost its original shining colours, intermingled with legends. What remained was something that human nature could not deny, namely that the universe has a Creator who is God: the universe could not have existed without a Creator and the Creator could only be God. Yet, the Arabs did not take this natural truth to its logical conclusion; they simply stopped at the bare fact: “Yet if you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they are sure to answer, 'The Almighty, the AIl-Knowing created them.’” (Verse 9)

接着，这一章又进一步探讨生命的进程以及生物的出现："他是降雨从天，依照定量的，我借它使死的土地复活；你们也要这样被复活。"（第11节）。水从天空降下，这是每个人都亲眼所见、知晓的事实，但大多数人因为过于熟悉，并未被这一奇妙的现象所触动。

The surah then looks a step further at the process of life and the emergence of living creatures: “And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure. With it We raise dead land to life; and thus you will be raised from the dead” (Verse 11) Water comes down from the skies, as every person sees and knows, but most people are not moved by this remarkable phenomenon because of over familiarity.

穆罕默德ﷺ是真主的使者,然而他的态度却有所不同。他怀着爱意和欢悦之心看待雨滴,因为知道它们来自真主;换言之,他的心灵在这些雨滴中认出了真主的创造。凡是觉察到自己与真主之间的联系,以及真主所设立运行的自然法则的心,都应当采取这种态度。每一滴雨水都是这些自然法则的结果,而这些法则是在真主的注视与掌控之下运行的。雨水源于从大地升起、在大气中冷却的水汽,这一事实丝毫不能削弱上述道理。是谁创造了大地,在其上置放了水,使它受热,使水自然蒸发、水汽上升并凝结?是谁赋予宇宙其他的特性,使凝结的水汽带上电荷,从而当云层聚集时,其电荷促使雨水降落?此外,电究竟是什么呢?

Muhammad, God’s messenger, (peace be upon him), however, held a different attitude. He looked at the drops of rain with love and welcoming delight, knowing that they came from God; in other words, his heart recognized God’s handiwork in these drops. Every heart that is aware of its bond with God and the laws of nature He has set in operation should adopt this attitude. Every raindrop is the result of these laws of nature which operate under God’s eye and control. That rain originates from the vapour that rises from the earth and cools down in the atmosphere in no way diminishes the implication of these facts. Who has brought the earth into being, placed water on it, subjected it to heat, made water naturally evaporate and vapour rise and condense? Who has given the universe its other characteristics which give the condensing vapour an electrical charge so that when clouds gather, their electric charges cause rain to fall? Besides, what is electricity?

这些能够共同促成降雨的其他特性是什么呢？然而，随着我们对自然了解得越来越多，这些知识也给我们的理解蒙上了沉重的阴影。我们不再欣赏宇宙现象所传递的信息，也不再让这些信息净化我们的情感与回应。

What are these other characteristics that produce the combined effect of rain falling down? As we learn more about nature, however, our knowledge casts a heavy weight over our understanding. We no longer appreciate the messages given by universal phenomena; we no longer allow these messages to refine our feelings and responses.

“而Ta是降水从天的，且按照定量降下”（第11节）。雨水的分量恰到好处，既不会多到淹没大片土地，也不会少到使土地荒芜。人类已经认识到，维持这种精妙的平衡对生命的延续至关重要。“我借此使死地复活。”生命在水源充足的地方繁盛。一切生物都源于水。“你们也将这样被复活。”（第11节）最初创造生命的那位，必将再次使生命复归。是Ta使荒芜之地有了生命，Ta也将在复活日使一切众生复活。对Ta而言，没有什么是困难的。

“And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure” (Verse 11) It is given in the right quantity, neither too much so as to flood large areas of land, nor too little to leave the land barren. Man has come to recognize the importance of maintaining this fine balance for the continuity of life. “ With it We raise dead land to life.” Life on earth flourishes where water is plentiful. It is from water that every living thing originates. “And thus you will be raised from the dead.” (Verse 11) The One who originated life in the first place will bring it back again. It is He who started life in a land that was dead, and He will raise all back to life on the Day of Resurrection. Nothing is difficult for Him.

这一章随后提到了那种荒谬的传说，即把天使奉为神明，声称他们是真主的女儿，而实际上他们不过是另一类造物而已。

The surah then refers to the absurd legend that makes deities of angels, alleging that they are Gods daughters when they are no more than a different type of creature:

然而,他们却把主的一些仆人当作主的子嗣。人确实明显地忘恩负义。难道主从他所创造的一切之中,为自己选择了女儿,却赐给你们儿子吗?他们之中,若有人被告知所谓归于至慈主的那个女儿降生了,他的脸便沉下来,充满忧愁。[他们竟把]一个在饰物中长大、言辞也说不清楚的人归于主吗?他们声称天使——而天使不过是至慈主的仆人——是女性!他们目睹了天使的创造吗?他们的见证将被记录下来,他们也将因此受到质问。他们说:“若至慈主愿意,我们就不会崇拜他们。”对此,他们毫无知识,他们只是在胡乱猜测。

Yet they assign to Him some of His own servants as offspring. Surely man is clearly bereft ofallgratitude. Would He, out of all His creation, choose for Himself daughters and favour you with sons? If any of them i. given the good news of the birth of what he so readily attributes to the Lord of Grace, his face darkens and he is filled with gloom. [Would they ascribe to God] someone who is brought up among trinkets and cannot put together a clear argument? They claim that the angels, who are themselves but servants of the Lord of Grace, are females! Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be put on record and they will be questioned about it. They say: 'Had it been the will of the Lord of Grace, we should never have worshipped them.9 Of that they have no knowledge:

他们明明是在撒谎。难道我们在这部经典之前赐给过他们一部经典，而他们仍然紧紧抓住不放吗？绝非如此！他们说："我们发现我们的祖先遵循着这种传统，我们只是循着他们的足迹而得到引导。"同样，在你之前，每当我们向某个社群派遣一位使者，其中的富人们便说："我们发现我们的祖先遵循着这种传统，我们只是循着他们的足迹而行。"他说："即使我带给你们的引导比你们所见祖先所遵循的更好，你们也要这样做吗？"他们回答："我们拒绝你们所奉派而来的讯息。"因此，我们降下了对他们的惩罚。你们当思考那些否认真理者的结局如何。（第15至25节）

they are blatantly lying. Or have We given them a book before this one to which they are still holding fast? No indeed! They say, 'We found our forefathers following this tradition and we find our guidance by following in their footsteps.9 And thus it is: whenever, before your time, We sent a messenger to any community, the wealthy among them said: 'We found our forefathers following this tradition and we are only following in their footsteps.9 He said: 'Even though I bring you a guidance better than what you saw your forefathers following?9 They replied: 'We reject the message you have been sent with.9 Therefore, We inflicted Our retribution on them. Reflect on how those who rejected the truth met their end. (Verses 15-25)

该章涵盖了这一迷信的方方面面，没有留下任何漏洞。全篇中，该章运用了不信者自己的逻辑，并借助他们自身的生活处境。它向他们陈述了曾采取与他们相似立场、提出几乎相同指控的早期民族的命运。开篇即指出这一迷信的荒谬，以及它明显拒绝真理的含义：“他们竟然把他的一些仆人当作他的子女。”

The surah addresses every aspect of this superstition, leaving no loophole unclosed. Throughout, the surah uses the unbelievers’ own logic and draws on their own life situations. It places before them the fate of earlier communities that adopted a similar stand to theirs, making almost identical allegations. It begins by highlighting the absurdity of this superstition and what it means of blatant rejection of the truth: “ Yet they assign to Him some of His own servants as offspring.