有些迷失方向的人常常声称，伊斯兰生活方式中的某些方面已不再为人们所接受，也不符合现代生活的要求。

It is often alleged by some misguided people that some aspects of the Islamic way of life are no longer acceptable to people nor in line with the requirements of modern life.

他们进一步认为，伊斯兰教的一些规定原本是为前代人制定的，因此早已完成其目的，如今已成为阻碍和延缓进步的保守束缚。

They add that some Islamic traditions were originally laid down for past generations and, therefore, have exhausted their ends and have become reactionary restrictions which obstruct and delay progress.

他们经常提出这样的问题：

They would frequently ask such questions:

"你们是否仍然坚持禁止高利贷，而它却是现代社会不可或缺的经济必需品？""你们是否仍然坚持收取天课，并将其分配在收取天课的同一个城镇？天课是一种原始的做法，与现代政府体制不相容。此外，天课使城镇或乡村中较贫穷的居民蒙羞，让他们觉得自己是富裕公民施舍的接受者。"

"Do you still insist on prohibiting usury which is an indispensable economic necessity of modern times?" "Do you still insist on collecting Az-Zakat and distributing it in the same town where it is collected? Az-Zakat is a primitive procedure which is incompatible with the modern system of government, Besides, Az-Zakat humiliates the poorer inhabitants of a town or village by making them feel that they are recipients of charity from the richer citizens".

"你们仍然坚持禁止饮酒、赌博、男女自由交往、跳舞，以及蓄养情妇和情人吗？这些都是社会不可或缺的必需品，必须作为普遍进步与发展的一部分而被接受。"的确，伊斯兰禁止高利贷，但高利贷并非经济上的必需。近代以来，有两种经济制度都不允许高利贷。伊斯兰教与共产主义，虽然在其他方面大不相同，却都禁止高利贷。共产主义设法找到了推行其主张所需的力量，而伊斯兰教尚未集结起它的力量。然而，当前的形势表明，伊斯兰正走向权力与复兴之路。

"Do you still insist on prohibiting liquor-drinking, gambling, free association of the sexes, dancing and having mistresses and lovers-all of which are indispensable social necessities which must be adopted as part of the general progress and development ?" It is true that Islam prohibits usury but it is not true that usury is an economic necessity. In modern times there have been two economic systems which do not permit usury. Both Islam and communism, however different they may be in other respects, prohibit usury. Communism managed to find the necessary power for enforcing its doctrines, but Islam has not yet mustered its forces. But the present circumstances indicate that Islam is on the path to power and revival.

当伊斯兰的统治确立之后，经济制度将建立在不同于高利贷的基础之上，而这种基础不会是也不需要经济上的必然性。同样，共产主义的俄国也将其经济建立在排斥高利贷的基础之上。

When the rule of Islam is established the economic system will be based on foundations other than usury which will not be and economic necessity. Similarly, communist Russia laid down its economics on a basis which excludes usury.

毫无疑问，在现代，高利贷并非不可或缺的经济必需品。它或许对资本主义世界是必要的，因为资本家离开它便无法存在。然而，西方的主要经济学家并不赞同高利贷，并警告说，它必然导致财富集中到少数人手中。大众将逐渐失去财富，因此会沦为富人的奴役对象。西方资本主义可以提供许多例子来证明这些事实。还需要记住的是，伊斯兰教禁止高利贷和垄断，这两大资本主义支柱，比资本主义的出现早约一千年。伊斯兰教是由全能的真主启示的，祂能够同时审视所有世代，并且知道高利贷将带来怎样的罪恶、经济灾难和纷争。

There is no doubt that usury is not an indispensable economic necessity in modern times. It may be necessary for the capitalist world because capitalists cannot exist without it. Nevertheless, leading Western economists do not approve of usury and warn that it will inevitably lead to the accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few people. The masses will be gradually deprived of wealth and consequently they will be enslaved by the richer people. Western capitalism could supply us with many examples which prove these facts. It is to be remembered that Islam prohibited usury and monopoly, the two pillars of capitalism about one thousand years before the existence of capitalism. Islam was revealed by God Almighty Who can review all generations at one time, and Who knows what evils, economic catastrophes and feuds will be brought about by usury.

在经济依赖外国援助的地方，高利贷可能是一种令人屈辱的无奈之举。

Usury may be a humiliating necessity where economy is dependent on foreign aid.

但是，当我们的伊斯兰经济独立且稳固确立之时，我们与外部世界的关系将建立在自由的相互互惠之上，而非从属与屈服。在这种情况下，我们的经济将以伊斯兰原则为指导，而伊斯兰原则禁止高利贷。届时，世界其他地区将把我们视为一股发展中、进步的力量。

But when our Islamic economy is independent and well established, our foreign relations will be based on free mutual reciprocity but not on subjection. In such a case our economy will be guided by Islamic principles which prohibit usury. The rest of the world will then look to us as a developing and progressive force.

至于天课（Az-Zakat），前文已经指出，它并非施舍给穷人的慈善捐助，而是真主所规定的一项义务，同时也是托付给国家的一项权利。

As for Az-Zakat, it was previously pointed out that it is not a charity donated to the poor but an ordinance prescribed by God as well as a right entrusted to the state.

在本章中,我们将讨论针对伊斯兰教的一项指责,即天课(Az-Zakat)具有地方性特征,也就是说,天课在哪个村庄收取,就只在那个村庄分配。

In this chapter we shall deal with the accusation brought against Islam on account of the local character of Az-Zakat i.e. its distribution in the village where it is collected.

令人遗憾的是，许多知识分子会对任何从西方引进的制度大加赞扬、欢迎，将其视为文明的顶峰；而当同样的制度由伊斯兰提出主张时，却被视为落后和反动的象征。

It is to be regretted that many intellectuals will greatly acclaim and welcome any western imported system and treat it as the pinnacle of civilization but when the same system is advocated by Islam it is regarded as a symbol of backwardness and reactionarism.

值得提醒这些所谓的“知识分子”：美国的行政体制建立在彻底的分权之上。村或镇在美国联邦和州的总体框架之内，是一个独立的经济、政治和社会单位。如今，每个独立单位的市政委员会都会征收某些税款，这些税款由该单位的居民缴纳，并用于教育等方面的开支。

It may be useful to remind such "intellectuals” that the administrative system in U.S.A. is based on absolute decentralization. The village or town is an independent economic, political and social unit within the general framework of the state as well as the United States. Now, the municipal council of each independent unit imposes certain taxes which are collected from the people of the unit and expended on the educational.

医疗、交通、社会服务等同一城镇或乡村的事务。若收入超过支出，结余将上交城市当局或州政府。

medical, transport, social services of the same town or village. If the Revenues are more than the expenditure, the balance will be sent to the authorities of the city or to the state.

另一方面,如果收入少于支出,差额将由国家支付。毫无疑问,这是一套出色的行政制度,它协调了各方的努力,也不会让中央政府承担所有服务工作。另一方面,中央当局无法像地方当局那样理解较小单位的需求。

On the other hand, if revenues are less than expenditure the balance will be paid by the state. There is no doubt that this is an excellent administrative system which organizes the efforts and does not burden the central government with all the services. On the other hand, central authorities cannot understand the requirements of smaller units in the same way as the local authorities do.

我们的知识分子对这样一种制度表示极大的赞赏。他们却忘了，这一制度早在一千三百年前就已由伊斯兰教确立。税款由各村的地方当局征收，并用于满足地方需要。税收与支出之间的差额将上缴中央公库，或从中央公库借用。

Our intellectuals express their great admiration for such a system. They forget that this very system had been established by Islam thirteen hundred years ago. Taxes were collected by the local authorities of each village and were spent on the fulfillment of local needs. The balance between revenues and expenditure will be sent to or borrowed from the central Public Treasury.

关于天课的分配，前面已经说明，伊斯兰教并没有规定必须只以现金或实物的形式分发给受益人。天课也可以以教育服务、医疗服务的形式用于穷人，或直接扶助那些因年老、体弱或年幼而无法工作的人。

As for the distribution of Az-Zakat, it was previously explained that nothing in Islam provides that it should be distributed to the recipients in cash or in kind only. It may be distributed to the poor in the form of educational, medical services or by direct support of those who cannot work owing to old age, weakness or infancy.

如果我们将伊斯兰的律法应用于当今社会，我们所需要做的，无非是建立若干较小的单位，由它们在地区中心的框架之内处理各自的地方事务：这些中心包括国家、伊斯兰世界以及整个世界。

If we apply the rules of Islam to our present society we shall have to do no more than to establish smaller units which look after their own local affairs within the framework of the regional centers: the state, the Islamic world and all the world.

至于赌博、饮酒以及男女之间的随意交往，这些都是伊斯兰教所禁止的，无论那些所谓"进步"先锋们如何愚蠢地攻击。值得一提的是，即便在法国——一个完全沉迷于饮酒的国家——一位国民议会的女议员最近也提交了一项禁止饮酒的动议。

As for gambling, liquor and free association of the sexes-these are prohibited by Islam regardless of the silly attacks of the so called "progressive" pioneers. It might be significant to remember that even in France which is wholly addicted to liquor, a lady member of the National Assembly has recently tabled a motion for the prohibition of liquor.

酗酒是社会或个人弊病的一种症状。只有那些堕落的社会才需要酒精和其他麻醉品,在这些社会中,阶级之间的差距如此之大,以至于一些人过着放纵奢华的生活,使他们的感官麻木,而另一些人则生活在极度匮乏之中,被迫寻求逃避现实,并生活在自己虚构的世界里。在受压迫、暴政统治的社会中,或者在思想自由受到诸多限制的社会中,或者在人们执着于谋生挣扎的社会中,或者在人们饱受现代机器令人厌恶而可怕噪音折磨的社会中,麻醉品和酒精也可能蔓延。但这并不意味着这些社会弊病可以为酗酒成瘾辩护。酗酒成瘾是弊病的症状。合乎逻辑的做法是先治疗社会弊病,然后再禁止饮酒。伊斯兰正是这样做的。它消除了所有驱使人们沉溺于酒精的弊病和根源,然后才禁止饮酒。现代西方文明与其批评伊斯兰,不如学习如何通过经济、社会、政治、思想和身体等方面的重新调整来治疗精神上的弊病。

Addiction to liquor is a symptom of social or individual malady. Liquor and other narcotics are needed only by delinquent societies where the differences among classes are so great that some people live in licentious luxury which deadens their senses while others live in utter deprivation which drives them to seek and escape from reality, and live in a world of their own invention. Narcotics and liquor may also spread in societies dominated by oppression, tyranny or in societies where freedom of thought is subjected to many restrictions, or where people are obsessed by the struggle for earning a living, or where people suffer from the hateful and monstrous noise of modern machinery. But this does not imply that such social maladies justify addiction to liquor. Addiction to liquor is a symptom of the malady. It is only logical that the social malady should be treated before prohibiting liquor. That is exactly what Islam did. It wiped out all the maladies and causes which drove people to liquor-addiction; then and only then it prohibited liquor-drinking. Instead of criticizing Islam, the modern western civilization should rather learn how spiritual maladies are treated by economic, social, political, intellectual and physical reorientation.

关于赌博，我们无需花费太多笔墨来指出：只有头脑浅薄的人才会认可它。

As for gambling, we need not dwell at great length upon pointing out that only trivial-minded people would approve of it.

现在让我们来讨论男女交往的问题——这一问题已成为激烈争论的焦点。

Now let us discuss the question of the association of the sexes-which bas become the centre of great arguments.

许多浅薄的人指责伊斯兰教因其对男女交往所作的限制而保守落后。他们对法国文明赞不绝口，认为那里允许一对恋人在公共场所相互拥抱，当他们沉浸于一个美妙的吻中时，便完全忘却周遭的一切。没有人会去打扰他们，甚至警察也会站在一旁保护他们，免受路人打扰。那些对这样的场景心怀不满的人有祸了，因为他们自己会遭到鄙视！还有些人对美国的生活方式大加赞赏。他们说，那里的人们对自己相当坦诚，承认性是一种生理需求。

Many superficial-minded people accuse Islam of reactionarism on account of the restrictions it imposed on the association of the sexes. They express great admiration of the French civilization which permits a pair of lovers to hold each other in public places and for get all that is around when they are enraptured in a wonderful kiss. No one would trouble them, even the policeman would stand by to protect them from passers-by. Woe to those who resent such a scene because they themselves will be despised! Some others express great admiration for the American way of life. There, they say, the people are quite frank with themselves. They admit that sex is a biological necessity.

因此，他们认识到了这一点，并助长了这种“需要”。每个男孩都有女朋友，每个女孩都有男朋友。他们大部分时间都在一起，外出野餐，在那里摆脱挥之不去的性欲负担，并满足性的呼唤。他们从这样的野餐中归来，身心十分放松，因而能够专心于学业和工作，从而带来日益增长的繁荣与产出。如此一来，整个国家都将不断前进。

Therefore they recognized this and fostered such necessity. Every lad has a girl friend and every lass has a boy friend. They accompany one another most of the time and go out for picnics where they rid themselves of the persistent sexual burden and respond to the call of sex. They return from such picnics so relaxed that they can devote themselves to their studies and work in a way which will bring about an ever-increasing measure of prosperity and production. In this manner, the whole nation will be going ahead.

但是，那些见识浅薄、只看表面的人，他们对西方的道德败坏如此着迷，却忘记了法国连德国的第一次进攻都抵挡不住。法国之所以被击溃，不仅是因为缺乏军事训练和装备，还因为它是一个毫无民族自豪感的国家，一个沉溺于腐化堕落、被声色之欢耗尽精力的国家。法国人民害怕巴黎的高楼大厦和那些享乐场所会被炸弹摧毁。难道这些所谓的知识分子想要我们走上这条路吗？

But those trivial and superficial-minded people who are so enthralled by the Western moral corruption do forget that France could not withstand the first German attack. It was brought to its knees not only for lack of military training and equipment but also because it was a nation without any desire for national pride, a nation which used to wallow in corruption and was exhausted by sensual pleasures. The French people were afraid that the tall buildings of Paris and its houses of pleasure might be destroyed by bombs. Is this what the so called intellectuals want us to do?

至于美国，只需引用美国的统计数据便足以说明问题：中学女生中有38%怀孕。大学本科生的怀孕比例低于此，因为她们更懂得使用避孕措施。

As for America, it is sufficient to quote American statistics which shows that 38 % of secondary school girls are pregnant. The percentage of pregnancy among university undergraduates is less than that because they are more experienced in using contraceptives.

毫无疑问，摆脱性欲的困扰是一个值得追求的目标。伊斯兰教高度重视这一问题，因为它深知，过度沉迷于性事会降低生产效率，并将人困在一个无法脱身的性的世界里。然而，值得追求的目标应当通过正当的手段来实现。不能说污染社会，或者放任青少年像动物一样彼此乱搞，是正当的手段。

There is no doubt that getting rid of the burden of sex is a worthy goal, Islam pays great attention to this question because it knows very well that the preoccupation with sex will decrease production and confine people to a world of sex from which they cannot depart, But a worthy goal should be realized through worthy means, It cannot be said that polluting society or permitting teenagers to rush out on one another as animals are worthy means.

如果有些误入歧途的人错误地认为，美国的伟大成就源于性方面的堕落，那就告诉他们：那纯粹是一种物质层面的成就，它可能最终导致人被机器人取代。至于理智与精神层面的价值，不应忘记：美国奴役黑人，以人类有史以来最恶劣的方式对待他们；美国在世界各地支持殖民主义。将屈从于兽性欲望所代表的精神堕落，与殖民主义和奴隶制所体现的精神堕落割裂开来是不可能的——两者都与一种衰败相关，而真正文明的民族是不会堕入这种衰败的。

If some misguided people wrongly believe that the great American production is an outcome of sexual corruption, let them know that it is a purely materialistic production which may result in man’s replacement by robots. As for intellectual and spiritual values, it should not be forgotten that America enslaves negroes and subjects them to the worst treatment ever witnessed by humanity, America supports the cause of colonialism in all parts of the world. It is impossible to separate the spiritual decline represented by submission to animal passions and the spiritual decline manifested in colonialism and slavery-both are related to a kind of decline to which truly civilized nations would not descend.

毫无疑问,当今大多数人都从与美丽优雅的女性交往中获得极大的快乐。这确实如此,因为品尝多种菜肴总比反复吃同一道菜更令人向往!但快乐是人生唯一的目标吗?谁又否认过狂野的情欲一直都是人们极其渴望的呢?肉欲之乐与放纵的情欲,并非二十世纪西方世界的新发现。希腊人、罗马人和波斯人也早已熟知这些快乐,并且沉溺其中、不能自拔。然而,正是这些民族对感官享乐的沉迷,使他们分心于严肃的追求,并且总是导致其统治与霸权的终结。

There is no doubt that the majority of people in these days derive great Pleasure from associating with beautiful and elegant women. This is quite true because tasting a number of dishes is more desirable than having to repeat the same dish! But is pleasure, the only goal in life? And has anyone denied that the wild passions have always been highly desirable? The pleasures of the flesh and the unruly passions are not the discoveries of the western world of the twentieth century. The Greeks, the Romans and the Persians had known such pleasures and were down to their ears in the pleasures of the flesh. But it was the addiction of the said nations to the sensual pleasures that distracted them from their serious pursuits and invariably brought about the end of their rule and supremacy.

虽然西方拥有相当可观的物质潜力（科学、大规模生产以及疯狂的工作节奏），但其对感官情欲的沉溺正导致其部分地走向衰落。然而，如果我们不拥有必要的力量——因为过去两个世纪的形势对我们不利——那么，我们以文明和进步之名，或出于害怕被指为保守反动之名而放纵自己的情欲，又能指望得到什么好处呢？如果我们屈服于失控的情欲，我们的处境永远不会改善，我们将始终在恶化和衰退。所有那些主张抛弃传统的“自由思想者”，不过是殖民主义的走狗。

Although the West has considerable materialistic potentialities (science, mass production and the mad rush to work), yet its addiction to sensual passions is leading to its partial downfall. But if we do not possess the necessary power because the circumstances of the last two centuries were not in our favor, what benefits do we hope to gain by giving in to our passions in the name of civilization and progress or for fear of being accused of reactionarism? If we submit to our unruly passions our circumstances will never improve and we shall always be deteriorating and declining. All those “free thinkers” who advocate the abandonment of traditions are but colonialist stooges.

殖民主义理解并鼓励这类作家和思想家，也清楚他们如何为其邪恶目的服务：败坏人们的道德与伦理，将青年的兴趣引向对享乐与情欲的追求。

Colonialism understands and encourages such writers and thinkers and knows how much they serve its evil objectives by corrupting the morals and ethics of people and diverting the interests of the youth to the pursuit of pleasures and passions.

我们常常听到许多误入歧途的人这样说：看看西方社会的女性吧，她们已经从单纯的雌性提升为真正的女人。她们已成为在社会生活中扮演角色的人类个体。毫无疑问，女性在从事正式工作、与异性交往之后，获得了新的经历，这些经历若她们仅限于料理家务和照顾子女，本是无从获得的。但让我们提出这样一个问题：这些经历是否为女性本身的能力增添了什么？还是说，它们在增添某些潜能的同时，也削弱了另一些潜能？

We often hear many misguided people say: look at women in the Western societies and behold how they have been elevated from mere females to full-fledged women. They have become human creatures playing a role in social life. There is no doubt that women, after taking regular work and associating with the other sex, have had new experiences which could not have been available if they had confined their activities to looking after their homes and children. But let us ask this question: Did such experiences add anything to the capacities of women as such? Or did these add some potentialities while curtailing others?

我们再次追问：这类经历是否为人类存在整体增添了什么？还是说，它们只是增添了某些东西，同时又削减了其他方面？

We ask again: Did such experiences add anything to human existence as a whole? Or did these merely add something while curtailing other aspects?

西方女性已成为男人的好朋友。她接受男人的调情，回应他们的性欲，甚至分担他们的一些烦恼，但她已不再是一位好妻子或好母亲。美国的离婚率高达40%这一骇人的程度便是明证。在欧洲，离婚率略低一些，但已婚人士养情妇、养情人却是一种普遍现象。如果西方女性能够做一位好妻子，能够安于家庭，并把全部的关怀倾注于家庭，那么美国的离婚率就不会如此之高，欧洲也不会如此普遍地出现逃离家庭的现象。还应指出，职业女性不具备做好母亲所必需的经验，她们既没有足够的时间，也缺乏所需的心理素质来履行母亲的职责。

The Western woman has become a good friend to man. She accepts his flirtation and responds to his sexual desires, and she even shares some of his problems but she is no longer a good wife or mother. This is supported by the fact that the rate of divorce in U.S.A. has reached a monstrous degree of 40 %. In Europe, the rate of divorce is a little lower but keeping mistresses and lovers is a common practice among married people. If the Western woman was a good wife and could settle in a family to which she would devote all her care, the rate of divorce in U.S.A. would not be so high nor would the escape from home be a common practice in Europe. It should also be pointed out that working women do not have the experiences necessary for good mothers. They would not have the time nor the psychological aptitude to meet their obligations as mothers.

另一方面，除了享乐与快感之外，男女自由交往几乎没有为人类整体带来什么收获。毫无疑问，无论是少数成为议员、部长或部门负责人的女性，还是成千上万在工厂、商店、酒馆或妓院工作的女性，都无法解决世界的问题。难道女性在社会生活中除了在议会发表演说或在部门签署指令之外，就无法发挥有效作用吗？当一位女性以正确的方式抚养子女、为世界培养出优秀公民时，没有人能说她在社会中不占重要地位。女性或许会因议会中的喝彩、沙龙与街头的赞美而飘飘然，但与让世界充斥着缺乏母爱的世代相比，这些都算不了什么——那些没有体验过爱的一代，无法以这种爱来平息内心的邪欲。这样的爱，只能由全心投入这一神圣职责的母亲来给予。

On the other hand, apart from pleasure and delight humanity as a whole has almost gained nothing from the free association of the sexes. There is no doubt that neither the few women who have become deputies, ministers or heads of departments, nor the thousands or millions of them who work in factories, stores, public houses or brothels, could solve the problems of the world. Is it possible that a woman cannot play an effective part in the social life except by making speeches in parliament or signing directives in departments? No one can say that a woman does not playa prominent part in society when she brings up her children in the proper way and presents the world with good citizens. A woman may be intoxicated by ovation in parliament or admiration in salons and streets but all these are nothing when compared to the danger of supplying the world with motherless generations who have not experienced the love which neutralizes the evil desires in their souls. Such love is only given by mothers who are completely devoted to such a sacred duty.

诚然，我们不应当对女性过于苛刻，剥夺她们生活中的乐趣，或否定她们作为独立个体的存在。

It is true that we should not be too hard on women by depriving them of the pleasures of life, or of asserting their personal existence.

但生活并不允许我们——无论男人还是女人——随心所欲，也不允许我们以自己喜欢的方式彰显自身的存在。

But life does not permit us-both men and women-to have our own ways or to assert our existence in the manner we like.

如果我们自私到毫无节制地享乐，会发生什么？

What would happen if we are selfish enough to enjoy ourselves without any limits?

我们之后将会出现悲惨的几代人，他们的悲惨将是我们自私与失职的结果。若后代因某一代女性曾享受过度的快乐而陷入悲惨，这对女性这一性别本身并无益处。

We shall be succeeded by miserable generations whose misery would be the outcome of our selfishness and delinquency. It is not in the interest of women as a sex that future generations may be miserable simply because the women of a particular generation have had excessive pleasure.

伊斯兰教不应因其为所有世代的利益着想、而不偏袒任何一代而受到指责，因为它将人类视为一条相互关联、绵延不绝的世代之链。然而，倘若伊斯兰教禁止一切形式的享乐，与自然的本能倾向作斗争或压制这些倾向，那么它才可能受到指责。

Islam cannot be blamed for acting in the interest of all the generations without favoring anyone generation to others because it regards humanity as an endless chain of connected generations. But Islam might be blamed were it to prohibit all kinds of pleasures or fight against natural propensities or repress them.