当我们审视真主的使者们（愿平安降临他们所有人）为向顽固迷误的人类呈现正道所付出的巨大努力，并思考真主的旨意正是为此一位接一位地派遣他们，我们不能不为之深深震撼。
When we look at the great efforts exerted by Gods messengers (peace be upon them all) in presenting guidance to a stubbornly erroneous humanity, and consider that it has been Gods will to send them, one after another, for this purpose, we should be nothing less than overwhelmed.
人们或许会问：从努哈时代直到穆罕默德本人的时代，以及此后和其间信士们为真主的讯息所付出的长久努力与崇高牺牲，其结果是否值得？尽管如此，这些努力与牺牲仍在不断地被付出，而且是在嘲讽与辱骂之下进行的。事实上，有些使者曾遭受火刑，有些被锯成两半，有些则不得不逃离家乡、抛下家人。当最后的讯息降示时，先知穆罕默德ﷺ与追随他的人竭尽全力去确立它。此后，信士们又继续付出了更多的努力与牺牲。因此问题在于：这些结果是否足以证明这些努力与牺牲的价值？这场奋斗是否应当坚持下去？人类是否配得上这样的神圣眷顾？
One may well ask whether the results have justified such long efforts and noble sacrifices, from Noahs early time through to Muhammad’s own time, as well as the intervening and subsequent efforts and sacrifices made by believers in Gods message. Nonetheless such efforts and sacrifices have continuously been made and this in the face of ridicule and abuse. Indeed some messengers faced burning in the fire or were cut in halves with a saw, or had to flee their homeland and abandon their families. When the final message was given, the Prophet Muhammad and those who followed him made strenuous efforts to establish it. Further efforts and sacrifices have been made by believers ever since. The question is, then whether the results justify such efforts and sacrifices? Should this struggle be maintained? Does humanity deserve such divine care?
这个微不足道的造物——人，如此傲慢、固执，甚至仍然抗拒真理——他是否配得上真主一再派遣使者所展现的这般眷顾？
Does this insignificant creature called man, so arrogant and stubborn that he still resists the truth, deserve such care from God manifested in sending messenger after messenger?
答案经过深思熟虑后，无可争辩的是：“是的，确实如此。” 在大地上确立信仰的真理，值得神的使者及其追随者在每一个世代所付出的一切努力、奋斗与牺牲。也许这一真理的确立，比人类的存在更为重大，比大地以及生活在其上的一切更为重大。它确实比宇宙更为重大，而在宇宙之中，大地不过是一粒微小、几乎难以察觉的尘埃。
The answer based on much thought and reflection is unarguably ‘Yes, indeed/ To establish the truth of faith on earth merits all these efforts, struggles and sacrifices made by Gods messengers and their followers throughout every generation. Perhaps the establishment of this truth is greater than mans existence, and greater than the earth and all who live on it. It is indeed greater than the universe in which the earth is no more than a little, hardly visible particle.
真主意欲创造具有特殊品性的人，使这一真理在其良知和生活方式中的确立，取决于他自己的人类努力，并借助真主的佑助与引导。我们不知道真主为何如此创造人，为何让他获得信仰依赖于自身的努力，也不知道为何使他既不像天使那样天性顺从的信士，也不像撒旦那样彻底邪恶、悖逆的造物。然而，我们相信，以这样的本性和品性创造人，服务于一个与宇宙的创造及其运行体系相关的神圣目的。
God has willed to create man with special qualities that make the establishment of this truth in his conscience and way of life dependent on his own human effort, with God’s help and guidance. We do not know why God created man such, why He let his acquisition of faith be dependent on his own efforts, or why He made him neither a naturally obedient believer like the angels nor a completely evil, disobedient creature like Satan. We believe, however, that creating man with such a nature and qualities serves a divine purpose related to the creation of the universe and its operative system.
这意味着，要在人类世界中确立信仰的真理，需要人类的努力。真主从祂的众仆中挑选了最优秀者来承担这样的努力，他们是先知和使者，以及一些真正信从者的群体。他们被委以在地上确立这一真理的任务；这一真理值得付出如此艰辛的努力和巨大的牺牲。当这一真理在人心中牢牢扎根时，那颗心便享有真主之光的一缕光辉，承载着祂的一个奥秘，并成为实现祂旨意的途径，而那旨意必将实现。这一切都是事实，而非修辞上的说法。
This means that human efforts are needed to establish the truth of faith in man’s world. God has chosen some of the best of His servants to make such efforts. These are the prophets and the messengers, as well as select groups of true followers. These are the ones assigned the task of establishing this truth on earth; it deserves such strenuous efforts and great sacrifices. When this truth is firmly rooted in a human heart, then that heart enjoys a ray of God’s light. It harbours one of His secrets and becomes a means for the fulfilment of His will, a will that will inevitably be done. All this is fact, not just a figure of speech.
这是一个比人类及其世界，甚至整个宇宙都更伟大的真理。
It is a truth that is greater than man and his world, and even the whole universe.
此外,这一真理在人类生活中——或在人类的一部分中——得以确立,便在我们今世的生命与永恒的生命之间建立起联系。如此,人类的生活得以提升,从而维系起终将归于死亡者与永恒者之间的联系,部分与整体之间的联系,有缺陷者与绝对完美者之间的联系。这样的成果胜过一切努力与牺牲,即便它在人类于尘世的生活中只维持一日或一日之一部分。当这一真理如此确立,它便为人类的每一代人提供了一盏真光的明灯。此后,这盏明灯便会具体地显现于实践之中,并将努力使其得以延续。
Moreover, the establishment of this truth in the life of humanity, or a section of it, provides a link between this earthly life of ours and eternal life. Thus, human life is elevated to maintain the link between what ends in death and what is eternal, between the part and the whole, between the defective and the absolutely perfect. Such a result is greater than all efforts and sacrifices, even though it may last for a day or part of one day during human life on earth. When this truth is thus established, it provides all generations of humanity with a lantern of true light. This lantern then takes practical form which it will strive to maintain.
历史一再表明,只有当神的真理得以确立时,人类才能达到其所能企及的高度。没有其他任何途径能使人类攀上这样的巅峰。历史上那些真理得以如此确立、其倡导者执掌领导权的时期,确实是人类生活所达到的最高峰。这比人类最终的梦想更为伟大,却是一种活生生的现实。仅凭任何哲学、科学、艺术、信条或制度,人类都不可能提升到那样的水平,而这一水平是可以通过在人们的心灵、生活、道德、价值观和准则中确立信仰而实现,并且始终可以实现的。这一信仰真理为一种完整的生活方式提供了基础,无论它是以早期经典启示中的一般形式给出,还是以最终版本那样非常详尽的形式给出。
History has repeatedly shown that humanity only attained the heights it is able to reach when the truth of God was established. No other means enabled mankind to reach such summits. Those periods in history when truth was so established, and its advocates were in leadership, were indeed the highest summits reached in human life. This was greater than mans ultimate dreams, yet it was a living reality. It is simply not possible for humanity to rise with the help of any philosophy, science, art, creed or system to the level it attained and can always attain through the establishment of faith in peoples hearts, lives, morality, values and standards. This truth of faith provides the basis of a complete way of life, whether it is given in a general form as in the early messages, or in a very detailed one as is the case in its final version.
当人类失去了真正信士的领导，尽管它在文明的各个领域都取得了进步，却陷入了抑郁、思想混乱和神经方面的疾病。它或许拥有充裕的物质舒适、智识享受和物质富足，却始终无法获得真正的幸福。
When humanity lost the leadership of true believers, it suffered depression, intellectual confusion and nervous ailments, despite its progress in all spheres of civilization. It might have had abundance of the means of physical comfort, intellectual enjoyment and material affluence, but it could not achieve true happiness.
无疑，这份努力是值得的。我们应当竭尽所能，付出必要的牺牲，在大地上确立这一信仰真理。然而，人类仍将继续背离，正如他们当年面对诺亚、易卜拉欣、穆萨、尔撒以及穆罕默德ﷺ等真主的诸位尊贵使者时那样。他们将继续追随那些把他们引入歧途的人。领导者们将继续迫害信仰的倡导者，对他们施加一切残酷的对待。尽管如此，神圣的讯息仍将按照真主的意愿继续前行，因为其结果值得为之付出一切，即便这结果不过是一颗心接受了真主的光明。
Without doubt, then, the effort is worth it. We should strive with whatever we have and make what sacrifices are necessary to establish this truth of faith on earth. Mankind, however, will continue to turn away, as they did when they were addressed by Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and others of Gods noble messengers. They will continue to follow those who lead them far astray. Their leadership will continue to persecute the advocates of faith, inflicting on them whatever brutal treatment they can. Yet despite all this, the divine message will continue along its way, as God wants it to be, because the outcome deserves it all, even though it is no more than a single heart receiving Gods light.
这一事实表明，从挪亚时代直到穆罕默德时代，真主持续派遣使者，这正是真主的旨意：宣扬神圣的信仰应当延续下去，使其产生非凡的成果。最低限度的成果是，信仰的真理在传播者心中牢牢确立，使他们即便面临死亡，或比死亡更可怕的遭遇，依然坚守信仰。如此，他们便能超越今世的一切诱惑，这本身就是对传播者个人以及整个人类的巨大收获。的确，有这样的人存在，人类也因此增添了荣誉。人类由此配得上真主所赐予的尊荣，当真主命令天使向亚当俯首时，亚当这个会在大地上作恶、流血的受造物，凭借自己的努力与牺牲，依然能够配得上领受真主的一缕光明。
The fact that messengers continued to be sent by God, from the time of Noah to the time of Muhammad, (peace be upon both of them), confirms that it is Gods will that advocacy of the divine faith should continue so that it produces its extraordinary results. The minimum result is that the truth of faith becomes well settled in the hearts of its advocates so that they hold firmly to it even though they may be exposed to death or what is worse than death. In this way, they will rise above all the lure of this life, and this by itself is a great gain for those advocates in person and for humanity as a whole. Indeed, humanity gains in honour through the presence of such people. It becomes worthy of the honour God gave it when He commanded the angels to prostrate themselves before Adam, the creature who corrupts the earth and sheds blood but who can, nevertheless, through his own efforts and sacrifices, become worthy of receiving a ray of Gods light.