“Alif. Lām. Rā. 这些是充满智慧的天经之节。”（第1节）这是阿拉伯字母中的三个字母，《古兰经》中所有的节文都是由这些字母组成的，而这部充满智慧的天经正是由它们构成的。不信道者否认真主将此经启示给祂的使者。而且，尽管他们意识到这些是他们语言的字母，却无法写出一节与《古兰经》所包含的内容相似的经文。事实上，该章经文已向他们提出挑战，要他们这样做。然而，他们无法应对这一挑战，却没有因此而反思：真主的使者所拥有、而他们所缺乏的，正是他从天上所接受的启示。若没有启示，他也会遇到同样的困难，无法用人人都可取用的这些字母，组成一节如《古兰经》那样的经文。
“Alif. Lām. Rā. These are verses of the divine book, full of wisdom.” (Verse 1) These are three letters of the Arabic alphabet from which all the verses of this divine book that is full of wisdom are composed. The unbelievers deny that God revealed this book to His Messenger. Furthermore, whilst they realize that these are the letters of their language, they are unable to produce a single verse similar to what the Qur’ān contains. In fact the sūrah includes a challenge to them to do so. Yet their inability to take up that challenge does not lead them to reflect that the thing which God’s Messenger has and they lack is the revelation he receives from on high. Had it not been for revelation, he would have had the same difficulty, and would have been unable to compose out of these letters that are available to all a single verse like the Qur’ān.
“这些是充满智慧的神圣经典的经文。”（第1节）这确实是一部睿智的经典，它以契合人性的方式向人类说话。本章呈现了人性中始终存在的某些面向，在每一个世代都可以看到。它以其智慧呼吁那些仍然懵懂无知的人醒悟过来，去思考他们在广阔宇宙中随处可见的迹象：天上与地下的迹象，太阳与月亮的迹象，黑夜与白昼的迹象，以往民族的命运以及他们如何回应其使者的召唤的迹象，还有一切指向那支主宰并管理万物存在的伟大力量的迹象。
“These are verses of the divine book, full of wisdom.” (Verse 1) It is indeed a wise book which addresses human beings with what suits human nature. It portrays in the present sūrah some aspects that are always true of human nature, reflected across every generation. In its wisdom it calls on those who remain unaware to wake up and reflect on the signs they see all around them in the wide universe, in the heavens and the earth, in the sun and the moon, in the night and day, in the fate of earlier communities and how they had responded to the appeals of their messengers, and in everything that points to the great power that conducts and regulates all existence.
“难道人们觉得奇怪吗？我借启示给他们中间的一个人：‘你要警告众人，并向信道者报喜，说他们在主那里有稳固的地位。’不信道者说：‘这显然是一个有法术的人。’”（第2节）这是一个修辞性的疑问，它对那种认为启示这一概念本身都很奇怪的态度感到诧异。
“Does it seem strange to people that We have inspired a man from their own midst: ‘Warn all mankind, and give those who believe the glad tidings that they are on a sound footing with their Lord?’ The unbelievers say: ‘This is plainly a skilled enchanter.’” (Verse 2) This is a rhetorical question which wonders at the attitude which considers the very concept of revelation strange.
每一位真主的使者都曾遭遇同样的质疑之问：
Every one of God’s messengers was received with the same disbelieving question:
“难道真主派了一个凡人作使者吗？”（17：94）这一问题的产生，是因为人们不懂得他们自身所代表的“人性”的价值。他们难以相信，一个人竟会被选为真主的使者，真主会降示启示给他，并命令他为他人阐明引导之道。他们以为真主会派遣一位天使，或某种高于人类的其他造物。他们没有意识到真主是如何尊荣人类的；而这份尊荣的一部分，正在于人足以承担真主的使命，也在于真主从人类中拣选某些人，与他们建立这种特殊的关系。
“Has God sent a human being as His messenger?” (17: 94) This question stems from the fact that people do not appreciate the value of ‘humanity’ which they themselves represent. They find it hard to believe that a human being could be chosen as God’s messenger and that God sends down to him revelations, commanding him to make the way of guidance for others clear. They imagine that God would send an angel or some other creature belonging to a category superior to mankind. They do not realize how God has honoured man, and part of that honour is that man is well qualified to bear God’s message, and that God chooses certain human beings with whom He has this special relationship.
在先知穆罕默德ﷺ的时代，这是拒绝相信他的使命的不信道者之间的主要争议点。
At the time of the Prophet Muĥammad (peace be upon him), this was the main point of contention among the unbelievers who refused to believe in his message.
同样的情况也存在于前代的不信者与各个民族之中。在我们这个现代时代，有些人提出了一种同样荒谬的疑问。他们疑惑道：
The same was true of the unbelievers of earlier generations and communities. In this modern age of ours, some people invent a similarly absurd doubt. They wonder:
人作为有限的、有形体的存在，如何与神发生联系？神与一切受造之物截然不同，祂的本性也不同于祂所创造的一切事物，这又如何可能？
how does contact happen between a human being with his limited physical nature and God who is totally unlike everything else and whose nature is unlike the nature of everything He has created?
只有完全理解真主本体及其各个方面、并且也明白真主赋予人类的所有品性的人，才可能提出这样的问题。任何头脑清醒、并且意识到自身理性局限的人，都不会作出这样的断言。这样的人知道，人类本性的特征至今仍在被不断发现，科学的发现也远未终结。在人类的感知与理解所能触及的范围之外，将永远存在人类未知的世界。
Such a question cannot be asked except by one who fully comprehends the nature of God Himself with all its aspects, and who also understands all the characteristics God has given to man. No one in his right mind, aware of the limitations of his reason, would make such a claim. Such a person knows that the characteristics of human nature are still being discovered today, and that scientific discovery has not come to an end. Beyond the reach of human perception and understanding there will always remain worlds unknown to man.
这意味着人类拥有潜在的能力，而这些能力只有真主不知道……
Wait, that's wrong. Correct translation:
这意味着人类拥有潜在的能力，这些能力只有上帝才知道。
What this means is that human beings have latent potential known only to God.
真主最清楚该将他的启示托付给谁。这种能力远超常人的认知,甚至在选择完成之前,被选中承担此任的人自己也可能并不知晓。真主曾将他的灵魂吹入人身,因此他了解每一种天性的每一个细微之处。他能够赋予任何人以承担这种独特联结与纽带的能力,而这种联结只有亲身经历者才能真正体会。
God certainly knows best to whom to assign His message. Knowing this ability is beyond all people and it may even be unknown to the person who is chosen for the task, until that choice is made. God, who has breathed of His soul into man knows every little detail of every nature. He can endow any human being with the ability to undertake this unique contact and bond in a way which can be appreciated only by those who experience it.
一些当代的古兰经注释者曾努力借助科学手段来证明启示的事实，以使其更易于理解。然而，我们反对这种做法。科学有其自身的范围和领域，并且拥有适用于其领域、能够在其范围内运作的特定工具。
A number of contemporary commentators on the Qur’ān have endeavoured to prove the fact of revelation through scientific means so as to make it easier to understand. We however object to this approach. Science has its own scope and domain, and it has certain tools to suit its domain and to move within its scope.
科学从未声称已经对灵魂与人的精神有了确定的认识，因为这已远超出它的范围。精神不受科学实验所能施加的那种物质性实验的约束。因此，那些在公认的科学原则之内工作的学科，都避免讨论与精神有关的任何问题。所谓“精神研究”不过是一些方法可疑、目的十分可疑的尝试。要在这一领域获得任何确定性，唯一的途径是诉诸我们所拥有的唯一确定性来源，即《古兰经》和圣训。对于这两个来源中的任何陈述，我们都按其表面意义接受，不增添任何内容，也不加以修改，更不凭类比得出任何结论。增添、修改和类比都是心智的活动，而在这一领域，人的心智已超出其范围，没有适用的工具可供运用。
Science has not even claimed to have arrived at any certainty with regard to the spirit and human soul, because it is well beyond its domain. The spirit is not subject to the sort of material experiment which science can make. Therefore, those scientific disciplines that work within recognized scientific principles have avoided discussion of anything relating to the spirit. So-called ‘spiritual studies’ are merely attempts that have doubtful methods and very suspicious aims. The only way to arrive at any certainty in this area is to refer to the only sources of certainty which we have, namely, the Qur’ān and the Ĥadīth. We take any statement in these two sources at its face value, without adding anything to it or modifying it in any way and without drawing any conclusion on the basis of analogy. Addition, modification and analogy are all mental processes, but in this area the human mind is outside of its domain, and has no suitable tools to work with.
“难道人们会觉得奇怪吗？我从他们当中启示了一个人：‘你当警告众人，并向信道者报喜，他们在主那里享有稳固的地位。’”（第2节）这简要地说明了启示的目的：警告人们，他们的违抗将导致怎样的后果；并向信士们报告喜讯，告知他们顺从的结果。这自然包括应当履行的义务和应当避免的禁令。警告是对全人类说的，因为它应当传达给所有人，使他们知道自己行为的后果。而喜讯则只给予信士。
“Does it seem strange to people that We have inspired a man from their own midst: Warn all mankind, and give those who believe the glad tidings that they are on a sound footing with their Lord?” (Verse 2) This is in a nutshell the purpose of revelation: to warn people of the consequences of their disobedience and to deliver happy news to the believers as to the outcome of their obedience. This inevitably includes an outline of the duties that are to be fulfilled and the prohibitions to be avoided. The warning is addressed to all mankind, because it should be conveyed to all people, who must be made aware of the consequences of their actions. The happy news though is given only to the believers.
诚然，所有人都需要被警示，以便他们能够意识到，当他们拒绝真主的讯息、拒绝遵循祂的指引时，可能会遭遇什么。
Indeed all human beings need to be warned so that they are aware of what may happen to them when they reject God’s message and refuse to follow His guidance.
另一方面,只有信士才能获得安心与稳固立足的喜讯。这段阿拉伯文所暗含的意味,都指向一种普遍的警示氛围。信士是“立于稳固之地”的,这意味着他们步履笃定,毫不犹豫,即使在最令人担忧的时刻也坚定不移。他们“与其主同在稳固之地”,在这样的临在之中,信士得到安慰与安全,而其他人则在思考自己即将到来的毁灭时感到忧虑。
On the other hand, only the believers receive the happy news of reassurance and of being on firm ground. The connotations generated here by the Arabic text all point to a general atmosphere of warning. The believers are ‘on a sound footing’ which means that they are sure of their steps, unhesitating, unshakeable even during the most worrying of times. They are “on a sound footing with their Lord,” in a presence where believers find reassurance and safety while others worry as they contemplate their impending doom.