“你们是想让我们回到一千年前人们住帐篷的时代吗？伊斯兰教对于那些野蛮粗鲁的沙漠贝都因人或许还算合适，因为它足够简单，容易打动他们、吸引他们。但是，一个以神的观念为基础的文明，在今天这个超音速飞机、氢弹和电影院的时代还有什么用处呢？它跟不上当今先进文明的步伐，因为它是静止的。因此，如果我们想要真正文明、先进，与世界其他国家并驾齐驱，我们别无选择，只能摆脱它。”

“Do you want us to go back to the age when people lived in tents -a thousand years ago? Islam was all right for those savage and uncouth Bedouins of the desert, for it was simple enough to appeal to and attract them. But will a civilization based on the concept of God be of any use in the world of today, the age of supersonic planes, hydrogen bombs and movie cinemas. It cannot keep up pace with the advanced civilization of today, for it is static and, therefore, we have no other course but to shake it off if we are to become truly civilized and advanced like the rest of the world".

我想起了上面提到的那些疑虑。前不久，我遇到一位“受过教育”的英国人，他在过去两年里一直驻扎在埃及。1

I was reminded of the doubts such as mentioned above when some time back I came across an "educated" Englishman who bad been for the last two years stationed in Egypt.1

他是联合国一个专家小组的成员，该小组被派往埃及，协助埃及政府提高埃及农民的生活水平。但是，尽管他们对这个地区的人民怀有所谓的“爱”，却既不了解也不愿学习当地语言，于是埃及政府指派我担任他们与当地农民之间的翻译。因此，我结识了这位“受过教育”的英国人。

He was a member of a group of U.N.O. experts that had been sent to Egypt to help the Egyptian Government raise the standard of living of the Egyptian peasants. But as despite all their "love" for the people of this region they did not know or care to learn their language, the Egyptian Government assigned me the task to act as an interpreter between them and the local peasants. Thus I came across the "educated" Englishman.

一开始，我就坦率地告诉他，只要他们继续在东方任何地方实施侵略，我们埃及人就憎恨他们，并将一直憎恨下去。我还告诉他，我们也憎恨他们的盟友美国人以及其他国家，因为他们对埃及、巴勒斯坦等地采取不公正的态度。他颇为惊讶，注视了我许久，然后说：

At the very outset I told him frankly that we, Egyptians, hated them and would continue hating them so long as they continue committing aggression in any part of the East. I told him that we a1so hated their allies, the Americans and others, for their unjust attitude towards Egypt, Palestine etc. Taken aback he looked at me for a while and then said:

“你是共产主义者吗？”我告诉他，我不是共产主义者，而是一名穆斯林，我相信伊斯兰拥有远比他们的资本主义文明以及共产主义文明更为优越的文明；伊斯兰是人类迄今所尝试过的最卓越的制度，因为它涵盖了人的全部生活，并在人类存在的各个方面之间取得了合理的平衡。

“Are you a communist?” I told him that I was not a communist but a Muslim who believed that Islam had a far superior civilization to their capitalist civilization as well as the communist one and that Islam was the most excellent system yet tried by mankind as it embraced the whole of man's life and struck a reasonable balance between different aspects of his existence.

于是我们一起交谈了大约三个小时,最后他说:

Thus we continued talking together for about three hours at the end of which he said:

“也许你告诉我的关于伊斯兰的那些是对的，但我个人不愿放弃现代文明的成果。我喜欢乘坐飞机旅行，也喜欢收听广播中悦耳的音乐。我不愿舍弃这些乐趣。”听到这个回答，我深感惊讶，便说：“可是谁禁止你享受这些乐趣呢？”“接受伊斯兰难道意味着回到野蛮时代、过居住帐篷的生活吗？”奇怪的是，这类疑虑不断被加诸于伊斯兰之上，然而其实并无合理依据，凡是研究过这一宗教历史的人都能为此作证。伊斯兰从来没有哪怕一刻阻碍过文明与进步。

"Maybe that what you tell me about Islam is correct but 1 for one would not deprive myself of the fruits of the modem civilization. I like traveling in planes and enjoy listening to the charming music on the radio. I would not like to forego all these pleasures" Deeply surprised at this answer I said: "But who forbids you all these pleasures?" "Doesn't accepting Islam mean to go back to the age of barbarism and life in tents?" It is strange indeed that doubts such as these are continually cast against Islam although there is no reasonable basis for their existence as those who have gone through the history of this religion shall bear witness. Never even for a single moment did Islam stand in the way of civilization and progress.

伊斯兰教降临于一个大多由贝都因人组成的民族。他们粗野且心肠冷硬，以至于《古兰经》论及他们时说：

Islam was revealed to a people composed mostly of Bedouins who were so rough and cruel-hearted that the Qur'an said of them:

贝都因人更加伪善、更加无信仰。

"The Bedouins are more hypocritical and Godless".

伊斯兰教的伟大奇迹之一，在于它成功地将那些粗犷、野蛮的贝都因人改造成了一个真正的人的民族。他们不仅被引导走上正道，从兽性提升到人性的更高境界，还成为了引导人类走向主之道的向导。这清楚地说明了伊斯兰教改造人、净化灵魂的非凡能力。

One of the great miracles of Islam is that it succeeded in changing such rough and coarse Bedouins into a nation of human beings. Not only were they guided to the right path and elevated from animality to the loftier spheres of humanity, but they also became guides who directed humanity to the path of God. This is a clear illustration of Islam’s miraculous ability to civilize people and refine souls.

毫无疑问，灵魂的净化本身就是一个崇高的目标，值得人类向往和努力，它是文明的终极目标之一。但伊斯兰并不满足于仅仅追求灵魂的净化。它始终接纳当今引起大众兴趣、并被一些人视为生活核心的各种文明表现形式。伊斯兰扶持并培育了其所征服的各国的文明，只要这些文明不与一神信仰相违背，也不使人们偏离行善之道。

There is no doubt that the refinement of the soul is in itself a nob1e end worthy of human aspiration and striving; it is one of the ultimate goals of civilization. But Islam was not contented with mere refinement. It always adopted all the manifestations of civilization which capture popular interest nowadays and which are regarded by some as the core of life. Islam patronized and fostered civilizations of all the countries it conquered so long as such civilizations were not contrary to monotheism and did not divert people from doing good actions.

伊斯兰教也庇护并培育了希腊的科学遗产，包括医学、占星学、数学、物理学、化学和哲学。伊斯兰教不断add新的科学成就，这证明穆斯林对科学研究怀有深切而认真的兴趣。欧洲文艺复兴及其现代科学发明，正是建立在安达卢斯伊斯兰科学成就的精华之上。

Islam also patronized and fostered the Greek scientific heritage: including medicine, astrology, mathematics, physics, chemistry and philosophy. Islam continued to add new scientific achievements which bear witness that Muslims were deeply and seriously interested in scientific research. It was on the cream of the Islamic scientific achievement, of Andalusia that the European Renaissance and its modern scientific inventions were based.

伊斯兰何时反对过一个为人类服务的文明？

Now, when did Islam oppose a civilization which serves humanity?

I'm set up as a translator for Islamic books from English into Simplified Chinese, so I can only translate text you provide. I can't answer questions directly. If you paste a passage from an English book that discusses Islam's attitude towards Western civilization, I'll translate it into Simplified Chinese for you.

What is Islam's attitude towards the Western civilization of today?

伊斯兰对当今西方文明的态度，与其对以往每一种文明所持的态度相同。伊斯兰接纳这些文明所能带来的一切善果，同时拒绝其中的恶。伊斯兰从未主张任何科学或物质层面的孤立主义政策。它也不会出于个人或种族的考虑而与其他文明争斗，因为它相信人类的统一，相信不同种族与不同倾向的人们之间有着密切的联系。

The attitude of Islam towards the present western civilization is the same as that It manifested towards every past civilization. Islam accepts all the goodness that such civilizations can yield but at the same time it rejects their evils. Islam has never advocated any policy of scientific or materialistic isolationism. It does not fight against other civilizations for personal or racial considerations because it believes in the unity of humanity and the closeness of the relationship among people of different races and inclinations.

应当知道，伊斯兰事业并不反对现代发明，穆斯林也不要求器具和工具上必须刻有"以至仁至慈的真主之名"，然后才同意在家中、工厂、农场等处使用这些工具和器具。只要这些工具和器具是以真主之名、为真主的缘故而使用，就已经足够了。毕竟，工具和器具没有宗教，也没有祖国，但其使用方式会影响地球上的所有人。例如，枪是一项没有宗教、颜色或祖国之分的发明，但如果你用它来侵略他人，你就不是穆斯林。伊斯兰要求，枪只能用于击退侵略，或用于将真主的话语传播到世界各地。

It should be known that the Islamic cause does not oppose modern inventions nor do Muslims require that the appliances and tools should bear the inscription: In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful" before they agree to use such tools and appliances at their homes, factories and farms etc. It is quite sufficient if such tools and appliances should be used in the name of God and for His sake. After ail, tools and appliances do not have any religion or homeland, but the way of their use affects all the people on earth. A gun, for example, is an invention which has no religion, color or homeland but you will not be a Muslim if you use it in committing aggression against others. Islam require, that a gun shall only be used in repulsing aggression or in spreading the word of God throughout the world.

电影也是一项现代发明。若用它来表现纯洁的情感、高尚的人物，或描绘人们为善而展开的斗争，你依然可以是一名好穆斯林。但若用它来展示色情、放纵的情欲，或展现堕落之人沉溺于各种恶行——道德上、智识上或精神上的恶行——那么你就不再是一名穆斯林了。这类电影之所以恶劣而低俗，不仅因为它们煽动人的低级本能，还因为它们把生活呈现为廉价而琐碎的存在，局限于廉价而琐碎的目标之中，这永远不可能成为人类应有的精神养料。

The motion picture is a modern invention too. You can be a good Muslim if you use it in portraying clean emotions, noble characters or depicting the conflict among people for the sake of goodness. But you will not be a Muslim when you use it in exhibiting pornography, unruly passions or corrupted people wallowing in all kinds of vice--moral, intellectual or spiritual. Such motion pictures are bad and trivial not only because they excite the lower instincts of man but because they also represent life as cheap and trivial existence restricted to trivial and cheap ends which can never be a proper spiritual food for humanity.

伊斯兰教从未反对接纳全人类所取得的科学发明。穆斯林应当利用一切有益的科学成果。先知ﷺ说:“求知于科学是一项义务。”不言而喻,上述“科学”一词涵盖各种知识。先知ﷺ号召人们在任何地方学习各个领域的知识。

The Islamic faith has never opposed the adoption of scientific inventions achieved by humanity at large. Muslims should make use of all good scientific achievements. The Prophet says, "The study of science is an ordinance". It is needless to say that the study of science, as used above, includes all kinds of knowledge. The Prophet called on people to study all branches of knowledge everywhere.

总之，可以说伊斯兰并不反对文明，只要它服务于人类。但如果所谓文明包含饮酒、赌博、道德败坏、殖民主义，以及以各种名义奴役他人，那么伊斯兰将与这种所谓的文明作斗争，并竭尽全力保护人类，使其不致屈服于它的诱惑。

In conclusion it will be said that Islam does not oppose civilization as long as it serves humanity. But if a civilization consists of alcoholic liquor-drinking, gambling, moral prostitution, colonialism and enslaving people under different names, Islam will fight against such so-called civilization and will do its best to protect humanity from succumbing to its temptations.