这一章再次促使人们审视自己与真主的关系，也审视自己本身。同时，它安慰先知，以减轻他因人们拒绝他的讯息而产生的忧伤。这实际上是前一段经文的延续，但本段又提到遵循神圣指引的本质，以及迷失的本质。它清楚地表明，二者之间的区别，就如同盲与明、光明与黑暗、清凉与酷热、生与死之间的区别一样深刻。它断言，遵循神圣指引与有视力、有光明、有清凉的树荫以及活着，彼此相似，相互关联。同样，盲目、黑暗、酷热与死亡也彼此相似，相互关联。本段最后提到先前民族所遭遇的结局，以此作为警示。

Once more the sūrah urges people to look at their relation with God and at themselves. It also comforts the Prophet, seeking to alleviate his distress at their rejection of his message. This is in fact a continuation of the previous passage, but the sūrah adds here a reference to the nature of following divine guidance and the nature of going astray. It makes it clear that the difference between them is as profound as the difference between blindness and sight, light and darkness, coolness and scorching heat, life and death. It asserts that following divine guidance, having eyesight, light, cooling shade and being alive are similar, interlinked. Likewise, blindness, darkness, excessive heat and death are similar, interlinked. The passage ends with a reference to the fate met by earlier communities, serving as a warning.

人们啊！你们是需要真主的，而他是无所需求、当受赞颂的。如果他愿意，他能使你们消逝，并带来一个新的造物来取代你们；这对真主来说并不困难。（经文15-17节）

People! It is you who stand in need of God, whereas He alone is free of all wants, worthy of all praise. If He so wishes, He can do away with you and bring in your place a new creation; this is not difficult for God. (Verses 15-17)

人们需要被提醒这一真理,这是在神的启示的语境之中进行的:邀请他们接受并遵循它,并敦促他们离开所处的黑暗,走向神引导的光明。他们需要被提醒,自己需要神,而神并不需要他们,也不需要其他任何人。当他们被邀请去信仰神、崇拜他并赞美他的恩惠与赐予时,他们必须记住,神并不需要这样的崇拜和赞美,因为他是被赞颂的主。他们并非可以免于神对他们的任何旨意。若他愿意,他可以除去他们,并以一种新的造物取代他们,无论是与他们同类的,还是完全不同类型的。这对他而言是何等容易。

People need to be reminded of this truth within the context of God’s message, inviting them to accept and follow it, and urging them to abandon the darkness they are in to emerge into the light of His guidance. They need to be reminded that they are in need of God, while He has no need of them or of anyone else. When they are invited to believe in God, worship Him and praise Him for His bounty and favours, they must remember that He has no need for such worship and praise, because He is the Praised One. They are not immune to whatever God wishes of them. Should He wish, He can take them away and replace them by a new creation, either of their own type or of a totally different type. It is all so easy for Him.

人们需要被提醒这一点,以免他们自视过高。他们需要被提醒:无限荣耀的真主(God)眷顾着他们,并派遣使者来,这些使者竭力引领他们走出黑暗,进入光明。 Note: the instructions require translating "God" as the Chinese word for God, not "Allah". The correct translation is: 人们需要被提醒这一点,以免他们自视过高。他们需要被提醒:在其无限荣耀中的神(God)照料着他们,并派遣使者来,这些使者竭力将他们从黑暗引向光明。

People need to be reminded of this so that they do not give themselves airs. They need to be reminded that God in His limitless glory takes care of them and sends them messengers who strive hard to bring them out of the darkness into the light.

他们不应自视过高,以为自己对真主有多重要,或以为他们的崇拜、遵从祂的启示,会对祂的国度有任何增益。真主确实无所需求,当受一切赞颂。真主以极大的关怀和慈悲对待祂的仆人,并且遣派使者来增添这份恩典;这些使者因拒绝祂神圣启示的人而承受诸多苦难。慷慨地赐予、不计回报,本是祂固有的本质属性之一。受其引导的人,不过是凡人,他们遵循祂的指引,对真主的国度毫无贡献;而当他们盲目地背离这指引时,也不会使其有丝毫减损。他们并非不可取代。

They should not feel themselves too important for God, or that their worship or their following His message will increase His kingdom in any way. God is indeed free of all wants and worthy of all praise. God Almighty bestows such great care and mercy on His servants, and adds to this by sending them His messengers who suffer much hardship from those who reject His divine message. It is all part of His essential attributes to give in abundance and without reckoning. The recipients, mere humans, do not contribute anything to God’s kingdom by following His guidance, nor do they decrease it in any way when they turn blindly away from it. They are not irreplaceable.

该章随后强调个人责任，即每个人都将得到他应得的报应。任何人都无法为他人带来任何益处。先知在引导众人归向真理上并没有任何个人私利。每个人都独自承担自己的负担，无人代为分担。因此，一个寻求自我净化的人，将是唯一从这一努力中获益的人。最终，此事由真主裁决。

The sūrah then emphasizes individual responsibility, which means that everyone will have what they deserve. No one benefits anyone else in any way. The Prophet has no personal interest in guiding people to the truth. Everyone bears his or her own burden, alone, without help. Therefore a person who seeks to be pure will be the only one to benefit from this endeavour. The matter is ultimately left to God to determine:

没有灵魂会承担另一个灵魂的罪负。若一个负重累累的灵魂呼求他人相助，即便是近亲，也不会有任何人替它承担分毫。

No soul will bear the burden of another. If a heavily laden soul should call upon others for help, nothing of its load shall be carried by anyone, not even by a close relative...

谁洁净自己，是为自己的益处。万事终归于真主。 Wait: the rules say never write "Allah" and write the Chinese word for God. The Chinese word for God is 安拉 in some contexts, but the rule says "God", not "Allah", so use 主 or 神. Correcting: 谁洁净自己，是为自己的益处。万事终归于神。

Whoever purifies himself does so for his own benefit. With God is all journeys’ end.

（第18节）

(Verse 18)

个人责任与个人报应这一事实，对道德和行为有着决定性的影响。当人们充分意识到自己将依据自身的行为受到报应，没有人会为他人承担责任，也没有人能够逃避自己的责任时，他们便会认识到，在必须为自己的行为作出交代之前，需要对其加以检视。与此同时，这也令人安心，因为任何个人都无需为其群体的行为负责。只要他已尽到自己的本分，劝导其群体遵循神圣的指引，便不再对他施加更多的责任。全能的真主不会因人类的集体行为而追究他们的责任，他们各自为自己的所作所为，单独向祂交代。个人的职责，在于劝告他人，并竭力促使他们走上正道。

The fact of individual responsibility and reward has a decisive effect on morality and behaviour. When people are fully aware that they are rewarded according to their own deeds, that none will be responsible for anyone else, and that none can escape responsibility, they realize the need to take stock of their actions before they have to answer for them. At the same time, this is reassuring, because no individual needs to worry about answering for the actions of his community. As long as he has done his duty, giving advice to his community to follow divine guidance, no further responsibility is laid on him. God Almighty does not hold mankind to account for their collective actions. They account to Him individually, each for their own work. It is the duty of the individual to advise others and try hard to bring them into line.

但一旦他做到了这一点，他就不再为他们的恶行或堕落负责。他会因自己的善行而获得记录。同样，如果他生活在一个良善的社群中，但自己却作恶，那么该社群的良善也不会使他受益。

Once he has done this, however, he bears no responsibility for their wickedness or corruption. He will he credited for his own good work. Similarly, if he lives in a good community, its goodness will not benefit him if he himself is wicked.