这也许是共产主义者为动摇穆斯林青年对伊斯兰教信仰而利用的最可憎的一种怀疑手法。倘若伊斯兰教适合人类历史的每一个时期，它就不会像实际那样认可奴隶制；这一点恰恰证明，伊斯兰教只是为历史上某个有限的时期而设立的。它已经完成了它的使命，如今已经过时、失去效用，因为它本就不是为所有时代和所有地域而设计的宗教。

Perhaps this is the most odious form of doubt exploited by the communists in order to shake the faith of the Muslim youth in his religion, Islam. If Islam were suited to every period of human history, it would not, as it did, approve of slavery, which proves conclusively that Islam was but meant for a limited period of history only. It has fulfilled its mission and now stands outmoded and obsolete for it was not designed to be a religion for all times and climes.

真诚的穆斯林青年也常被类似的疑问所困扰。伊斯兰教为何允许奴隶制?这一宗教无疑是由真主启示的,这一点毫无疑问,它的启示是为了全人类的福祉,且适用于此后的所有时代。然而,它为何容许奴隶制?一种以人人完全平等为基本理念、强调人类共同起源、并在社会生活中成功落实平等观念的宗教,怎会承认奴隶制为其社会制度的一部分,并为之制定律法?真主是否意欲人类永远分为主人与奴隶?是否希望人类之中始终有一群人像货物一样被买卖,就如奴隶制度下的情形一样?而真主自己论及全体人类时曾说:"我确已尊重阿丹的后裔。"如果真主不愿意或不喜悦此事,那么为何不在《古兰经》中明确禁止它,并像废除饮酒、赌博、高利贷等真主所憎恶的行为那样,将其彻底废除呢?简言之,穆斯林青年知道伊斯兰教是真正的宗教,但如同易卜拉欣一样,他感到困惑,似乎陷入了《古兰经》经文所描述的那种心境: { }

The sincere Muslim youth is also haunted by similar doubts. Why did Islam permit slavery? This religion is no doubt revealed by God: there can be no doubt about that, and that it was revealed for the good of the whole of mankind for all times to come, but how is it that it allowed slavery? How did the religion based on the notion of perfect equality among men, stressing the common origin of them all and then successfully translating its concept of equality in its social life, recognize slavery as a part of its social system and as such made laws for it'? Does God intend that human beings for ever should remain divided as masters and slaves'? Does He want that the human race should continue to have a group of people among them that is sold and bought as chattel as was the case with the slaves, when He Himself said of hum all beings:" And surely We have dignified the children of Adam,” and if God did not intend or like it, why did He not then explicitly forbid it in His Book and abolish it outright as He did, for instance, abolish drinking, gambling and usury etc., the practices which He abhors? In short the Muslim youth knows that Islam is a true religion but like Abraham he is perplexed and seems to be in a state of mind described in the Qur'anic verse:

“当易卜拉欣说：‘我的主啊，请让我看看你如何使死者复活。’主说：”

“And when Abraham said, my Lord, show me how You give life to the dead, He said:

“难道你还不信吗？”他说：“我信，只是为了让我的心得到安宁。”（2:260）

What! And do you not believe? He said: Yes, but that my heart may be at ease” (ii: 260).

与此相反,那些理智受到损害、信仰因帝国主义的阴谋而混乱的年轻人,不等真理在他面前显明,便被自己的情欲裹挟而去;他们毫无探究事实的意愿,便武断地下结论:伊斯兰已经过时,因而人类已不再需要它。

As against this the youth, whose reason is impaired and beliefs confused by the imperialistic machinations, does not wait for the truth to be made clear before him but is swept away by his passions and, without any inclination to inquire into the reality, jumps to the conclusion that Islam is antiquated and, hence, is no longer needed by man.

共产主义者以科学为幌子欺骗民众,他们贩卖从国外主人那里借来的思想,并傲慢地加以炫耀,给人一种错觉,仿佛他们已经发现了一个不可改变、永恒的真理,其真实性不容质疑,也不容反驳。他们声称发现的真理便是辩证唯物主义——该理论认为,人类生活被划分为若干确定的经济阶段,即原始共产主义、奴隶制、封建制、资本主义,以及第二次共产主义(被视为历史之书的最后一页),这些阶段既不可避免,人类也无法跳过。该理论还认为,人类历史上所知的一切信仰、学说与思想,实际上不过是人类历史上各个时期所盛行的各种经济条件或经济制度的反映。过去的这些信仰与学说在那些已逝的时代是正确的,因为它们与当时的经济结构和环境完全相协调,但它们永远不可能适用于人类发展的更高阶段,因为更高阶段总是建立在全新的、不同的经济模式之上。因此,他们得出结论:不可能存在一种适用于所有未来时代的单一生活体系。 然而,伊斯兰教降临世界之时,正值奴隶制行将结束、封建制刚刚开始之际,它所带来的法律、信仰与生活规范,都与当时的经济生存环境相一致。正因如此,它认可了奴隶制,也允许了封建制,因为伊斯兰教不可能预见经济发展的下一阶段,也不可能为世界提供经济条件尚未成熟的制度,正如尊贵的卡尔·马克思所言,这是绝对不可能的。

The communists, who hoodwink people by claiming to be scientific, trade in ideas borrowed from their masters abroad which they arrogantly parade giving a false impression of having discovered an unalterable and eternal truth, the genuineness of which cannot be challenged, nor contradicted. The truth they claim to have discovered is dialectical materialism-the theory which states that human life is divided into certain definite economic phases such as can neither be avoided, nor passed by mankind viz. first communism, slavery, feudalism, capitalism and the second communism (deemed to be the last page in the book of history) and that all creeds, disciplines, and thoughts that human history knows of were in fact a mere reflection of the various economic conditions or economic systems that prevailed at different periods of human history. These past creeds and beliefs were all right for those bygone ages, for they fully coordinated with the economic structure and circumstances of those times but they can never be suitable for the next higher stages of human development as these are always based on quite a new and different pattern of economy. Hence, they conclude, there can be no single system of life such as could be suitable for all times to come. Now as Islam came to the world at a time when the stage of slavery was coming to an end and that of feudalism just beginning, it brought with itself laws, creeds and a discipline of life all of which were in concord with the prevalent circumstances of economic existence. That is why it approved of slavery as well as permitted feudalism, for Islam could not anticipate the next stage of economic development nor give any system to the world for which the economic Conditions were not yet ripe for, as the blessed Lord Karl Marx said, it was absolutely impossible.

我们打算以开放的心态，从历史、社会和心理学的角度来讨论奴隶制这一问题，不让自己被这些骗子和所谓“科学学者”的喧嚣所蒙骗。

We intend to discuss this problem of slavery in its historical, social as well as Psychological Context with an open mind and without allowing ourselves to be hoodwinked by the clamors of these tricksters and so-called scientific scholars.

当现代人以二十世纪的视角审视奴隶制问题，并联想到奴隶贸易中所犯下的骇人罪行，以及奴隶所遭受的极其残暴的对待（尤其是在罗马帝国）时，他会发现这是一种最为可憎、最为恐怖的罪行。他感到困惑，难以理解宗教或人生体系怎么会认可这样的事情。他自问：伊斯兰既然其他一切律法与原则都指向人从各种形式的奴役中获得解放，它怎么会允许奴隶制存在？继而，他满怀羞愧地希望：要是伊斯兰能够以明确清晰的措辞禁止奴隶制，让我们的心灵和头脑得到安宁，那该多好！ 让我们在此稍作停顿，看看历史事实要告诉我们什么故事。事实是，罗马帝国对奴隶所犯下的骇人罪行，与伊斯兰的历史大相径庭。我们有充分的证据说明罗马世界中奴隶的生活状况，这足以说明伊斯兰为他们的命运带来了巨大的改变。

When a modern man looks at the problem of slavery with his twentieth century background and in the light of the hideous crimes perpetrated during the slave trade and the abominably barbarous treatment that was meted out to slaves (especially in the Roman Empire) he discovers it as a most shocking and horrid crime. He is at a loss and finds it extremely difficult to understand as to how such a thing could be approved of by a religion or a system of life. He wonders: how could Islam allow slavery when all its other laws and principles point towards the freedom of man from all types and forms of slavery? and then overwhelmed by a sense of shame he desires: would that Islam had set our hearts and minds at ease by banning slavery in clear, explicit terms! Let us pause here awhile and see as to what story the historical facts have got to tell us. The fact is that the hideous crimes committed against the slaves in the Roman Empire are quite foreign to Islamic history. We have got ample evidence with regard to the life the slaves in the Roman world led which is quite sufficient to illustrate the great change brought about by Islam in their fate.

在罗马世界，奴隶被视为一种纯粹的"商品"，而不是人。他们没有任何权利，却承担着沉重的义务和责任。这些奴隶从何而来？他们是在战争中被俘虏的，而这些战争并非出于任何崇高的原则或高尚的理想发动，而只是出于奴役其他民族、剥削他们以满足自身膨胀欲望的意图。发动这些战争，是为了让罗马人民能够沉溺于放荡的奢华生活，过上富足的日子，享受冷热浴、昂贵的服饰、各式美味佳肴，并沉迷于感官享乐：狂饮、淫乱、舞蹈，以及公共集会和节庆。为了供给这些享乐，他们征服其他民族，并对其进行最为残酷的剥削。被伊斯兰从罗马统治中解放出来的埃及，同样遭受了不亚于此的残酷对待。它是罗马帝国的粮仓，此外还提供了各种其他物质资源。

The slave in the Roman world was considered a mere "commodity" and not a human being. He had no rights what so ever although he was encumbered with cumbrous duties and obligations. And whence did these slaves come? They were captured in wars, which were not initiated by any noble principle or lofty ideals but were solely directed by a wish to enslave other peoples and exploit them for self-aggrandizement. These wars were waged in order to enable the Roman people indulge in licentious luxuries and live in prosperity, enjoy cold and hot baths, costly costumes, delicious and tasty foods of every kind, and revel in sensual pleasures-drinking bouts, whoredom, dancing as well as public gatherings and festivals. In order to provide for these enjoyments they subjugated other nations and exploited them most mercilessly. Egypt which was freed from the Roman over lordship by Islam was treated no less cruelly. It constituted a granary of wheat for the Roman Empire, besides furnishing various kinds of other material resources.

为满足罗马帝国主义者这种贪婪的欲望，奴隶们在田间为他们劳作。如前所述，他们不享有任何权利。在田间劳作时，他们被套上沉重的镣铐，以防逃跑。他们从未得到应有的饮食，只获得仅够维持生命、保持劳动能力的口粮；而这样对待他们，并不是因为主人认为他们有权获得供养，就像连牲畜和树木都能得到供养一样。劳动期间，他们仅仅因为主人或其代理人以此为乐、残酷地施以鞭打。一天结束时，每组十至五十人的奴隶，仍戴着镣铐，被成群地赶进阴暗、臭气熏天、满是老鼠和虫子的牢房里过夜。他们甚至连牲畜在围栏中所享有的宽敞舒适的圈舍也得不到。

To satisfy this greedy lust of the Roman imperialists the slaves toiled for them in the fields. As mentioned above, they enjoyed no rights. When working in the fields they were fettered in heavy manacles so as to prevent their running away. They were never fed properly but given provisions just sufficient to keep them alive and fit to do their work, and this too not because they thought it was their right to be provided for with sustenance as even the beasts and trees are. During the work they were whipped just for the savage pleasure of it which was much relished by their sadist lord or his agent. At the end of the day large groups of them-from ten to fifty men a group and still fettered in their manacles-were herded together to sleep in dark, foul-smelling cells infested with mice and insects. They were denied even the comfort of wide and spacious folds such as are enjoyed by cattle in their enclosures.

但罗马人对待这些奴隶最丑恶、最令人作呕的一面,体现在他们最喜爱的消遣之中。顺便一提,这也揭示了罗马文明天性中野蛮、非人道的本质——这种文明在现代由欧洲和美洲所代表,而它们手中掌握着帝国主义剥削的一切手段。持剑执矛的奴隶被带入竞技场,与他们的主人一同观看,有时皇帝本人也坐在尊贵的座位上,观看他们为了取乐而真刀真枪地搏斗。奴隶们挥剑舞矛,彼此厮杀,不顾一切地把自己砍得支离破碎。当其中一名斗士杀死了同伴,将其冰冷僵硬的尸体扔在地上时,气氛达到了高潮。此时,他会受到响亮的喝彩、热烈的鼓掌和欢快而畅快的笑声。

But the worst and most revolting feature of the Roman attitude towards these slaves was represented by what formed their best-loved diversion Which, by the way, also brings into light the innate, barbarous and inhuman character of the Roman civilizationthe civilization which is in modern times represented by modern Europe and America with all the means of imperialistic exploitation at their disposal. The slaves carrying swords and lances were led out into the arenas with their masters and occasionally the emperor himself seated around exalted seats in order to watch them fight, in dead earnest, for their diversion. The slaves fell upon one another with their swords and spears, recklessly hacking themselves to pieces. The climax was reached when someone of the fighters killed a fellow-slave and threw him cold and lifeless on the ground. At this he was lustily applauded with loud hurrahs, vigorous hand clapping and joyous, hearty laughter.

这就是奴隶在罗马世界中的境遇。他们的法律地位在这一制度下如何，我们无需细述：主人拥有绝对的权利，可以随意杀害、惩罚或残酷剥削奴隶，而奴隶无权申诉，也不指望从任何方面获得任何道义上的支持。在我们前面已经简要叙述过的这些内容之外，再多谈这些，对我们的认识也几乎没有增益。

This was how the slaves fared in the Roman world. We need not dwell upon their legal position in this set-up: the absolute right of the master to kill, punish or exploit them mercilessly without any right on their part, to complain even, and without expecting any moral support whatever from any quarter, as it would add little to our knowledge after going over all that we have in brief described above.

在波斯、印度和其他国家，奴隶的处境并不比这更好。尽管这些民族之间存在种种细微的差异，奴隶的命运在所有这些民族中却始终如一：

The slave was no better off than this in Persia, India and other countries. Despite all their minor differences the fate of the slave remained the same among all these nations:

他的生命毫无价值,杀害他也不必偿命,他身负沉重的义务,而所获权利却少之又少,甚至没有。这些国家所盛行的制度,在意图和内容上并无二致,只是在对待奴隶的态度上,所表现出的残酷与丑恶程度或强度有所不同而已。

his life had no worth, is murder no retaliation, he was burdened with cumbersome obligations carrying with them little or no rights in return. The systems prevalent in these countries differed neither in intent nor ill Content with regard to the slaves: they differed merely in the degree or intensity of their cruelty and hideousness which they betrayed in their attitudes towards slaves.

当伊斯兰到来时，社会上的生活状况便是如此。伊斯兰的降临预示着这些奴隶人格尊严的恢复。它对主人们这样说，关于他们的奴隶：

Such were the conditions of life that obtained when Islam arrived on the scene. Its advent heralded the restoration of human dignity to these slaves. It told the masters as to their slaves:

“你们都是彼此的一部分”（4:25）。它宣告道：“谁杀了自己的奴隶，我们就杀谁；谁割了别人的鼻子，我们就割谁的鼻子；谁阉割了我们的奴隶，我们就阉割谁。”1 它承认所有人，无论主人还是奴隶，都有共同的起源和归宿，并说：“你们都是亚当的子孙，亚当是用泥土造的。”2 它强调，主人并不因其为主人而优越于奴隶：若有优越，也只在于虔诚。先知ﷺ说：“阿拉伯人并不比非阿拉伯人优越，白人也不比黑人优越，黑人也不比白人优越，除非凭借敬畏。”1

“You are (sprung) the one from the other" (iv: 25). It proclaimed that: “He who kills his slave, we shall kill him; who mutilates his nose, we shall cut his nose; and who gelds our slave, We shall get him gelded ill return"1. It recognized a common, descent abode as well as return for all men, master and slave alike, saying “You are all sons of Adam and Adam was created from dust,2" and stressed that there was no superiority for a master over his slave merely because of his being a master: whatever superiority there was, it rested on piety: "There is no superiority for an Arab, nor for a black man over a red one, nor for a red over a black man save due to piety”.1

伊斯兰到来后，告诫主人们在对待奴隶时应当公正与善待："你们当孝敬父母，亲近亲属，怜恤孤儿和贫民，善待近邻和远邻，善待同伴，善待旅客，善待你们右手所拥有的人，真主确是不喜爱傲慢自大的人。"（4:36）它强调，主人与奴隶之间真正的关系不是奴役与专横统治，也不是屈从与反抗，而是亲属与兄弟的关系。因此，主人被允许与他们所拥有的女奴结婚："……你们应当在信道的女奴中，娶你们右手所拥有的人为妻。真主最知道你们的信仰。你们彼此相同……你们应当征得她们家属的许可而娶她们，并应当依礼给她们聘礼。"（4:25）

Islam came and told the masters that they should be fair and good in their dealings with the slaves: "And be good to the parents and to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy neighbor of (your) kill and the alien neighbor and the companion in a journey and the wayfarer and those whom your right hand possesses; surely Allah does not love him who is proud, boastful" (iv: 36). It stressed the fact that the true relationship between the master and his slave was not one of slavery and over-lordship, nor of subjection or objection but that of kinship and brotherhood. Thus the masters were permitted to marry the slave-girls they had in their possession: "……Let them marry from the believing maids whom your right hands possess. Allah knoweth best (concerning) your faith. Ye (proceed) one from another.. so wed them by permission of their folk, and give unto them their portions in kindness" (iv: 25).

因此，主人被描述为奴仆的兄弟：“你们的奴仆是你们的兄弟……所以谁的兄弟在他的管辖之下，就应当给他吃他自己所吃的，给他穿他自己所穿的；不要叫他们做力所不能及的事，如果叫他们做这样的事，就应当帮助他们。”2

Thus the masters were described as brothers to their slaves: “Your slaves are your brothers..so he who has a brother under him should feed him and clothe him as he himself feeds and dresses; do not ask them to do things which are beyond their power and if you do ask them to do such things then help them".2

出于对奴隶感受的尊重,先知穆罕默德ﷺ补充道:“你们中的任何人都不应说:‘这是我的奴隶,这是我的女奴。’他应当说:‘这是我的仆人,这是我的侍女。’”³ 正是依据这一圣训,阿布·胡莱赖见到一个人骑着马,而他的奴隶在后面步行,便对那人说:“让他坐到你身后的马上来吧,因为他确实是你的兄弟,他的灵魂与你的相似。”

With a mark of deference to the feelings of the slaves the Holy Prophet added: “None of you should say: this is my slave and this is my slave-girl: he should rather say: This is my man and this is my maiden".3 It was on this authority that Abu Huraira, on seeing a man riding a horse and his slave trudging along after him, said to the man: "Get him seated on the horse behind you, for, surely he is your brother, and his soul is similar to yours".

然而，伊斯兰为奴隶所做的并不仅限于此。在继续我们的探讨之前，我们首先想总结一下，在这一初步阶段，由于伊斯兰的缘故，奴隶的地位所取得的巨大进步。

This was, however, not all that Islam did for the slaves, but before proceeding with our inquiry, we would first like to sum up the great advance that, thanks to Islam, came about in the position of the slave at this preliminary stage.

奴隶此时不再仅仅被视为一种商品、一件货物，而是被看作与其主人一样拥有灵魂的人。而在过去，奴隶被视为与主人截然不同的存在，被创造出来就是为了在各方面充当奴隶、忍受屈辱。正是基于这种观念，人们在杀戮、惩罚、烙烫，或让奴隶去做令人作呕和繁重的工作时，良心从不感到不安。伊斯兰将他们从这种卑贱的奴役状态中解放出来，提升到与自由人平等为兄弟的崇高地位。伊斯兰的这些成就并非空谈，而是历史见证的事实。即便是欧洲带有偏见的作家也承认，在伊斯兰初期，奴隶被提升到世界其他任何地方都未曾见过的高尚人道地位。他们在穆斯林社会中获得了如此尊贵的地位，以至于获得自由的奴隶即便不再需要依附或畏惧原来的主人，且与他人同样自由，也厌恶背叛他们昔日的主人。其原因在于，他们认为自己是原主人家庭的成员，与原主人之间存在着如同血缘般的联系。

The slave was now no longer regarded just a commodity-a merchandize-but was looked Upon as a human being with a soul similar to that of his master, whereas in the past be was regarded as a being quite different from his master, and created to serve as a slave in every way fit to suffer humiliation, It was because of this notion that their conscience never twinged them when murdering, punishing, cauterizing, or making their slaves perform loathsome and burdensome jobs.4 Islam them from this state of abject slavery to the exalted status of brotherhood with free men. These achievements of Islam were not mere professions but a fact to which history bears witness. Even the prejudiced writers of Europe too admit that in the early period of Islam the slave was exalted to such a noble state of humanity as was never before witnessed in any other part of the world, They won so dignified a status within the Muslim community as made the freed slaves abhor betraying their erstwhile masters although now they stood in no need or fear of them and were now as free as they, The reason for this lay in the fact that they considered themselves to be members of the family of their previous masters and linked to them with ties akin to those of blood.

奴隶后来被视为一个人，其人身安全受到法律保障，法律不允许对他施加任何言语或行为上的侵害。就言语而言，先知禁止穆斯林称自己的奴隶为“奴隶”，而是命令他们以一种使奴隶觉得自己是家庭成员的方式来称呼他们，从而抹去其身上的奴役烙印。基于此，他说：“真主确实使你们成为他们的主人；如果祂愿意，祂也可以使他们成为你们的奴隶。”这意味着使他们成为奴隶的，只是特定的条件和情势，否则他们与其主人并无两样。如此，伊斯兰在削减主人膨胀的傲慢的同时，也提升了奴隶的地位，使双方都处于纯粹的人际关系之中。它拉近了彼此的距离，培养了他们之间的爱，并告诉他们，爱，而非其他，应当构成他们一切相互关系的基础。对于身体上的伤害或损伤，双方都明确规定了同等的惩罚。“杀奴者，我们必杀之”，这一原则的广泛含义十分清晰，所有这些都表明，奴隶与其主人之间如同两个普通人之间一样，存在着完全的平等，同时保障了双方作为人而生存的权利。因此，伊斯兰清楚地表明，奴隶制这一现状并不妨碍他们享有作为人的权利。这些保障不仅足以确保奴隶的安全和生命保障，而且是如此宽厚和高尚，以至于在伊斯兰降临之前或之后的整个奴隶法律史上，都找不到任何与之相当的先例。 在这一点上，伊斯兰教走得如此之远，以至于禁止主人殴打奴隶，除非是为了纠正（这种纠正有其规定的限度，无论在任何情况下都不得超越或忽视，不过所施的惩罚，与主人对子女因其过失所施的惩罚相似）。这也为释放奴隶提供了法律依据。至此，我们进入下一阶段——实际解放奴隶的阶段。

Also the slave now came to be regarded as a human being whose personal safety was guaranteed by law not permitting the commission of any transgression against him through word or act. As to the word, the Prophet forbade the Muslims to talk of their slaves as such and instead commanded them to address them in a manner that should make them think of themselves as members of their family, and blot out from their persons the stigma of slavery. With this in view he said: “Sure/y God has made you their masters: and if He had willed He could have likewise given you in their possession as slaves".1 This means that it was the particular conditions and circumstances that had made them slaves, otherwise they were as good as their masters. In this way Islam deflated a little the swollen pride of the masters along with raising the status of slaves so as to connect them all in a purely human relationship. It brought them closer and fostered love among them telling them that love and nothing else should form the basis of all their mutual relationships. In the case of physical harm or injury, for both of them a kindred punishment was explicitly laid down. “He who Slavs his slave we shall put him to death," is a principle very clear in its vast implications, all of which go to show that a state of perfect equality prevailed between the slave and his master as between one man and another, besides guaranteeing to both of them the right to live as human beings. Thus Islam made it clear that the present situation slavery-did not preclude them from their rights as human beings, These guarantees were not only quite sufficient to grant a slave his safety and security of life but were also so generous and noble that no other parallel in the whole history of slave laws exists at all either before or after the advent of Islam. In this respect Islam went to such an extent that it forbade the master to even slap his slave, except for the purpose of correction (which has its own prescribed limits that may neither be passed by nor overlooked under any circumstances, the punishment given being, however, similar to the punishment the master may award his own children on their mischief). This also provided a legal justification for setting the slaves at liberty. And with this we pass on to the next stage-the stage of actual enfranchisement.

在第一阶段,伊斯兰赋予了奴隶精神上的解放。它使他们重新获得了人的尊严,并教导说:从共同的起源来看,奴隶与其主人享有相似的地位,只是外部环境剥夺了他们的自由,从而使他们无法直接参与社会生活。除此之外,就作为人的权利而言,奴隶与主人之间并无其他差别。

In the first stage Islam gave spiritual enfranchisement to slaves. It gave them back their humanity and taught that from the stand point of a common origin they enjoyed a status similar to that of their masters and that it was the external circumstances alone that had deprived them of their freedom, preventing them thereby from participating directly in the social life of the community. But for this only point of different, there was no other difference between slaves and masters as far as their rights as human beings were concerned.

但伊斯兰教并未止步于此,因为它的根本原则之一,是实现所有人之间的完全平等,使每一个人都享有同等的自由。

But Islam did not stop short there as the great fundamental principle of it is the achievement of perfect equality among all men making everyone of them equally free.

因此，伊斯兰教通过两种重要途径促使奴隶实现真正的自由：（1）主人自愿释放奴隶（Al Itq）；（2）书面约定释放（Mukatabah）。 （1）就第一种途径即Al Itq而言，它是主人自愿让奴隶获得自由的行为。伊斯兰教极力鼓励这一做法，先知穆罕默德ﷺ本人在这方面也为其追随者树立了最好的榜样。他释放了他所拥有的全部奴隶。他的同伴们效仿他的做法，尤其是艾布·伯克尔，他花费巨额钱财从古莱氏的多神教首领手中购买奴隶，随后将他们释放。此外，只要公库中有闲余资金，也会用于赎买奴隶并使其获得自由。叶海亚·本·赛义德说："欧麦尔·本·阿卜杜勒·阿齐兹派我去非洲征收天课。我征收了天课，然后寻找贫穷者来分配这些天课，但我找不到任何人，也没有人愿意从我这里接受，因为欧麦尔·本·阿卜杜勒·阿齐兹已经使民众富足了。于是我用这笔钱买了一名奴隶，然后将他释放。"先知穆罕默德ﷺ还会释放一名能够教十位穆斯林读书写字，或为穆斯林社群提供其他类似服务的奴隶。《古兰经》规定，某些罪过的赎罪方式是释放奴隶，先知ﷺ也鼓励以释放奴隶来弥补人所犯的其他任何罪过。这比其他任何因素都更有助于让最多的奴隶获得自由，因为正如先知ﷺ所说："亚当的所有子孙都是罪人。"在此不妨指出伊斯兰教为罪过规定的一种赎罪方式，因为它尤其能说明伊斯兰教对待奴隶制的立场。 伊斯兰教规定，若有人误杀信士，赎罪之法是释放一名信仰的奴隶，并向死者的家属支付血金：“谁若误杀信士，应当释放一名信仰的奴隶，并应向死者的家属支付血金。”（4:92）被误杀者是一个人，他的家属和社会都因他无端被夺走而失去了他的服务，因此伊斯兰教规定，对双方都应给予补偿：他的家属获得公正的血金，社会则获得另一个人来代替他服务，即新获释的信仰的奴隶。由此可见，释放奴隶意味着以一个人的生命来补偿因误杀而失去的那一个人。由此可以清楚地看出，伊斯兰教视奴隶制为死亡，或与死亡非常相似的状态，尽管伊斯兰教确实为奴隶提供了种种保障。正因如此，伊斯兰教热切地抓住每一个机会，通过恢复这一可怜阶层的自由，使他们重获新生。

Therefore it proceeded to bring about the actual freedom of the slaves by two important means: (1) voluntary emancipation by the masters (Al Itq) and (2) writing of their freedom (Mukatabah), (1) As to the first of these (i.e. Al Itq) it was a voluntary act on the part of the master to set a slave at liberty. The practice was greatly encouraged by Islam and the Holy Prophet himself in this regard too provided the best example for-his followers. He freed all the slaves he had. His companions followed his example, Abu Bakr in Particular, spending large sums of money on buying off slaves from the idolatrous chiefs of Quraish to set them free later on. Besides this the slaves were also bought out of the Public Exchequer whenever there was some money to spare for this purpose so as to set them free. Yahya bin Saeed says: "Umar bin Abdul Aziz sent me to collect alms from Africa. I collected the alms and then looked for the poor to distribute the alms among them but I found none, nor I found anyone who might have accepted these from me, for Umar bin Abdul Aziz had enriched the people. So I bought a slave with the money and then set him free". The Holy Prophet used to free a slave who would teach reading and writing to ten Muslims or render any other kindred service to the Muslim Community. The Qur'an enjoined that atonement for some of the sins consisted in freeing of slaves as also the Holy Prophet encouraged it for the reparation of any other sin one might commit. This contributed more than anything to bring liberty to the greatest number of slaves, for no man could hope to be wholly free from sin as the Holy Prophet said: “All sons of Adam are sinners". It may be well to point out here one of the atonements prescribed by Islam for sins, as it in particular illustrates the stand point of Islam with regard to slavery. Islam prescribed that redemption for the killing of a believer by mistake was the freeing of a believing slave and paying blood money to his people: “And whoever kills a believer by mistake, he should free a believing slave, and blood money should be paid to his people” (iv : 92). The murdered man killed by mistake was a human being of whose services his people as well as the community were deprived without any legal justification, for which reason Islam prescribed that a compensation should be made to both parties his people and the society: his people getting a just blood money and the society another man to serve it in his place i.e., the newly freed believing slave. Thus the freeing of a slave meant bringing back to life a human being as a compensation for the one who was lost due to his being killed by mistake. As is clear from this, Islam views slavery as death or a state very much similar to it notwithstanding all those securities that it did provide for a slave. That is why it eagerly snatched every opportunity to resuscitate this wretched class of human beings by restoring to them their liberty.

历史告诉我们，伊斯兰教中自愿解放奴隶（Al Itq）的做法，使得大量奴隶获得了自由，这在伊斯兰教出现之前、之后直至近代的任何其他民族的历史上都无可比拟。此外，促成这种解放的因素纯粹是出于人道，源自穆斯林最真诚的愿望：通过释放自己所拥有的奴隶，来赢得真主的喜悦。

History tells us that such large numbers of slaves achieved their freedom through this voluntary emancipation (Al Itq) in Islam as have no other parallel in the history of any other nation, before or after Islam till modern times, besides the fact that the factors that contributed towards this emancipation were purely humane springing up from Muslims' sincerest wish to win their God's pleasure by freeing the slaves they possessed.

(2) 伊斯兰解放奴隶的第二种方式是"穆卡塔巴"（Mukatabah），即奴隶请求主人与其签订解放契约，双方约定奴隶须支付一定数额的钱财作为赎金，主人便书写文契，许其获得自由。在这种情况下，若奴隶已准备好支付赎金以赎回自由，主人既不能拒绝，也不能拖延解放他。

(2) The second means whereby Islam brought freedom to slaves was that of Mukatabah i.e. the writing of freedom to a slave on his asking for it by the master in return for a certain amount of money agreed upon by both of them. The master could in such a case neither refuse nor delay the freeing of a slave ready to ransom his freedom:

他必须在收到赎金后释放他。否则，奴隶可以向法庭申请，判决其获得解放。

he needs must set him at liberty on the receipt of the ransom. Otherwise the slave could move the court to decree his enfranchisement.

通过这一"穆卡塔白"(Mukatabah)制度,伊斯兰为所有渴望获得自由的奴隶开辟了道路,使他们不必被动地等待主人的善意或虔诚,来按照主人自己的方便将他们释放。

By this institution of Mukatabah, Islam paved the way for the freedom of all those slaves who happened to desire their freedom and not passively wait for their masters' good will or piety to set them at liberty at their own convenience.

从奴隶提出以赎金换取自由的那一刻起，他的主人不仅不能拒绝这一请求，而且他也无需担心会遭受任何报复，因为伊斯兰政府保证，他此后将为其主人工作以换取固定的报酬；或者，政府会为他安排，让他在外面为其他任何雇主工作，直到他能够凑足赎回自由所需的钱款。

From the moment a slave offered to ransom his freedom, not only his master could not turn down the offer, but there was also no need for him to fear any repercussions, for the Islamic Government guaranteed that he would henceforth work for his master in return for a fixed payment, or it would make arrangements for him to work outside for anyone else on hire till the time he is able to collect the money needed for the winning back of his freedom.

这正是欧洲在十四世纪所发生的事情，而伊斯兰教在其统治范围内早已实施此事约七个世纪之前。伊斯兰的一大显著特征，在其他地方几乎难以找到：伊斯兰政府从公库中向那些要求书写自身解放文书的奴隶提供财政援助。这清楚地表明，伊斯兰教极为重视自愿解放奴隶，且不期望任何物质回报，只为求得真主的喜悦，并履行作为奴隶对祂应尽的义务。经文中描述天课（Az-Zakat）用途的经文说：

This was what happened in Europe afterwards in the fourteenth century, that is Some seven centuries after Islam had already enforced it in its domain, The great distinguishing feature of Islam that can hardly be looked for anywhere else, was the financial aid the Islamic Government advanced to slaves such as would demand the writing of their freedom out of the Public Exchequer. This was a clear manifestation of the great interest Islam had in the voluntary emancipation of slaves without expecting any material gains in return, merely with a view to securing God's pleasure and fulfilling one's obligations as a slave towards Him, The Qur'anic verse describing the uses of poor-rate (Az-Zakat) says:

“施舍只归于穷人和贫困者，以及管理这些施舍的官员……以及（赎回）俘虏”（九章60节）。因此，《古兰经》规定天课（Az-Zakat）应用于为那些无法依靠自身收入赎回自由的奴隶购买自由。

“Alms are only for the poor and the needy, and the officials (appointed) over them….,and the (ransoming of) captives" (ix : 60). Thus the Qur'an laid it down that the poor-rate (Az-Zakat) should be spent for purchasing the freedom of such slaves as were unable to work out their own liberty with the help of their personal earnings.

这两项制度在伊斯兰教中标志着伊斯兰在奴隶制历史上取得的一项重大实际进步。它使人类在奴隶问题上的正常历史进程至少提前了七个世纪。此外,它还带来了一些全新的进步因素:国家为奴隶提供保障——这在现代之前的人类历史上是罕见的;以及人类至今尚未充分实现的因素,即以高尚、宽厚的态度对待奴隶,或出于自愿而非经济或政治发展所施加的任何外部压力而释放奴隶。而欧洲各民族最终正是在这些外部压力之下,才不得不给予奴隶自由。

These two institutions in Islam signified a great practical advancement achieved by Islam in the history of slavery, It forestalled the normal historical advancement of mankind by at least seven centuries besides featuring Some quite new ingredients of advancement such as security afforded by the state to the slave-something rare in the history of mankind till modern times-and others which mankind is far from having yet realized i.e. the noble and generous treatment of slaves, or freeing them of one's own free will without any external pressure of economic or political developments such as at last forced the peoples of Europe to grant freedom to slaves.

这两件事足以驳斥共产主义者的错误论断。他们声称，包括伊斯兰教在内的一切制度，都只不过是人类经济发展的某个特定阶段。按照辩证唯物主义的规律，伊斯兰教及其全部信仰与观点，也是在最适合它的时代出现的，反映了当时的经济和物质条件；在他们看来，一种制度只能反映经济生活，却绝不可能预见未来的经济阶段。他们坚持认为，这一理论不可能有误，因为它已经被"既不会受到来自上方的谬误影响，也不会受到来自下方的谬误影响"的那位理性者所证实——即卡尔·马克思的理性，那位至高无上、至为尊贵者的理性！然而，伊斯兰教却让这一谬论站不住脚，它是对马克思主义这一整套胡言乱语的有力驳斥。因为伊斯兰教并非如马克思所规定的那样，在阿拉伯半岛内兴起，也不是在半岛之外、遍及全世界的方式中兴起的。这不仅适用于伊斯兰教之下奴隶的生活，在财富分配方式上、在统治者与被统治者之间相互关系的确定上，以及在雇主与雇工的关系上，同样站得住脚。另一方面，伊斯兰教在自愿服从的基础上建立起了它整个的社会与经济上层建筑，这种服从的style在许多方面，至今仍是社会制度史上无可超越、无与伦比的。

These two things are sufficient to confute the false assertions of the communists, who claim that all systems including Islam represent but a particular stage in the economic development of mankind. Faithful to the law of dialectical materialism thus Islam too with all its beliefs and views came at a time best suited for it, reflecting the economic and material conditions of the period, for a system may, according to them only reflect the economic life but can by no means anticipate a future economic stage. They insist that this theory cannot be false as it has been testified by the Reason of the One who "can neither be influenced with falsehood from above nor from below"-the Reason of Karl Marx, the most Exalted and Blessed one! But the bottom is knocked out of this falsehood by Islam- standing refutation of all this Marxist humbug, for it did not work up its way in the manner Marx prescribed, inside the Arabian peninsula, nor outside it all the world over, And this is true not only with regard to the life of slaves under Islam but is equally tenable in its manner of distributing wealth, in determining the mutual relationship of the ruler and the ruled, and of a master's to his hireling.1 On the other hand, Islam raised its whole social and economic superstructure on voluntary obedience of such a style as in many ways still remains unsurpassed and unmatched in the history of social systems.

这里有一个非常令人困惑的问题，可能会困扰一些人：为什么伊斯兰教作为奴隶解放的伟大倡导者，在没有任何外部压力或强迫的情况下，自愿采取了激进的步骤来实现这一目标，却没有在世界面前迈出最后的、决定性的一步，一劳永逸地废除奴隶制？如果这样做，它本可以极大地造福人类，同时也证明它确实是一套最完善的制度，实际上是由真主启示的，而真主尊崇亚当的子孙，使他们高于造物中的许多其他生灵。

Here a very perplexing question may haunt some persons: Why is it that Islam-so great a champion of slave emancipation and taking such radical steps towards that end voluntarily and without any outside pressure or coercion before all the world did not also take the final and decisive step, and abolish it once for all, as it might have in that way immensely benefited mankind besides proving thereby that it was really a system most perfect and in effect revealed by God, Who dignified the sons of Adam over many of His creations?

为了回答这个问题,我们必须探讨奴隶制所牵涉的社会、心理和政治问题——也就是伊斯兰教为何推迟了人们期待已久、并且彻底废除奴隶制的原因。在进行这一探讨时,我们还必须牢记:奴隶制的废除实际上被推迟得比伊斯兰教所希望、所允许的程度更久——倘若伊斯兰教能够在其纯正、未被外来偏离因素掺杂的本来面貌中持续正常运作的话。

For an answer to this question we need must inquire into the allied social, psychological and political problems of slavery-the reasons due to which Islam delayed its much expected and outright abolition. We must also during this inquiry bear in mind that actually the abolition of slavery was rather delayed more than Islam would have desired or allowed it if it had continued functioning properly in its pristine purity, unadulterated by extraneous ingredients of deviation.

首先必须指出,伊斯兰到来之时,奴隶制度作为社会经济存在中一个公认的事实,遍布世界各地。几乎找不到一个人厌恶它,或感到有改变的必要。因此,改变乃至彻底废除它需要一个逐步的过程,历经漫长的时间。由此可见,禁酒并非立即实现,而是经过多年的准备才得以实施,尽管饮酒首先只是一种个人习惯,但它同样带有诸多社会层面的影响;而且阿拉伯人中有些人在蒙昧时代就因认为饮酒有损于真正高尚之人的品格而主动戒绝。然而,奴隶制度在他们看来却是另一回事。它深植于当时的社会结构和个人心理之中,既牵涉个人层面,也牵涉社会和经济层面;而且正如我们前面所述,没有人认为它的存在是不可取的。因此,废除它所需的时间远远长于先知ﷺ的一生,这段时间恰与真主通过他降示启示的时期相吻合。造物主,即对所创造之物最为通晓的真主,深知禁酒的彻底实现只需数年之后,一条命令即可达成。

In the first place then it must be recorded that when Islam came, slavery was prevalent throughout the world as an acknowledged fact of socio-economic existence, There was hardly a man to be met with who was repelled by it, or who felt any need for a change. As such the changing or the total discarding of it required a gradual process stretched over a long period of time. Thus we see that prohibition of liquor was effected not immediately but after years of preparation although it before all other things constituted a mere individual habit, not withstanding the fact that it carried so many social implications as well and that some of the Arabs practiced abstinence even in the days of ignorance believing it a vice degrading for a truly noble man. But slavery was looked upon by them as something quite different. It was deep-rooted in the social structure of the time as well as the psychology of the individuals, it entailed individual as well as social and economical implications and, as we observed above, nobody regarded its existence as something undesirable, That is why its abolition required a period of time far longer than the life of the Holy Prophet, the period which coincided with the period of Divine revelation through him. God, the Best Knower of all that He created, knew that the total prohibition of wine would be achieved after a few years by a mere commandment.

因此，当时机到来时，祂确实下令禁止了它。同样，如果生活的条件允许仅凭一道指示就足以消除奴隶制这一罪恶，那么全能的真主就会一次性明确地禁止它，而不会再有任何拖延。

So He did command its prohibition when such time came. Similarly, if the conditions of life had been such as a mere direction were to suffice to suppress the evil of slavery, God Almighty would have expressly forbidden it once for all without any further delay.

当我们说伊斯兰是为全人类、为一切时代而设的宗教,并且它包含了维系美好生活之存续所必需的一切健全要素时,我们绝不是说它已经一劳永逸地为一切时代和一切地域制定了所有细则。并非如此。它只是针对那些在历史的种种变迁中始终不变的人类基本问题给出了详细的指引,因为这些问题的根源深植于人性中不变的本能源头之中。至于不断变化的生活状况,伊斯兰则满足于为之确立一些总体原则,以勾勒其未来的发展方向。它对奴隶制问题正是如此处理的。它为奴隶通过自愿解放或赎买自由而获得解放奠定了健全的基础,同时指明了将来永久解决这一古老而复杂问题的道路。

When we say that Islam is a religion for all mankind and for all times, and that it embraces in itself all the healthy elements necessary for the existence and continuance of good life, we do not at all mean that it has once for all laid down all the detailed rules for all times and climes. No, that is not so, for it has given such detailed directions only with regard to those basic human problems that remain unaltered through all the different vicissitudes of history, for the roots of these problems lie deep in the unchangeable, instinctive headsprings of human nature. As to the ever-changing conditions of life, Islam is content with laying down some general principles for them so as to outline their future course of development. This is precisely what it did with respect to the problem of slavery. It laid down a sound basis for the freeing of slaves through voluntary enfranchisement or by the ransoming of their freedom besides pointing out the course to a permanent resolution of this old and complicated problem in future.

伊斯兰并不打算改变人性,而是要对人性加以引导和规范,同时顾及人性不可避免的局限,使其能够攀登尽可能高的完善境界,而无需借助压制或镇压。伊斯兰在改变一些个人方面取得了奇迹般的成功。就整个人类社会而言,其成就同样辉煌:它与人类历史上任何其他成就都无可比拟。尽管如此,伊斯兰并未追求将人改造到一种既罕见、又在人类现实生活中因其固有局限而无法实现的完善程度。因为,如果真主有意如此,他从一开始就会把人造成如天使一般,并命令他们承担只有天使才能承受的重担,关于天使有经文说:"他们不违抗真主所命令他们的事,并且奉行所受的命令。"(66:6)真主并无意把人转变成这样的天使。他使人成为人,因此他知道人的潜能以及人成长所需的时间,从而使人能够遵循并切实执行命令。 然而,伊斯兰率先发起解放运动,就已足够了,世界用了大约七个世纪才采纳并实行这一运动。事实是,伊斯兰很快就在阿拉伯半岛上实际废除了奴隶制。若非世界各地又出现了一个新的奴役根源,奴隶制因此在全世界延续下来,伊斯兰本有能力在整个伊斯兰世界认真地着手将其彻底消除。面对这一新的奴役根源,伊斯兰不可能将其彻底废除,因为它不仅涉及穆斯林,也涉及伊斯兰无法加以控制或影响的反对者。 那个阻止奴隶制彻底消除的来源，是战争——当时奴隶制最主要的来源。我们将在稍后详细讨论这一点。

Islam did not mean to change human nature. It rather sought to civilize it making due allowance for its inevitable limitations so as to help it ascend the highest possible planes of perfection without any recourse to suppression or repression. It recorded a miraculous success in transforming some individuals. As regards human society as a whole its success was no less glorious: it bears no analogy to anything else ever achieved in the domain of human history. But despite all this it did not aim at transmuting human beings to a degree of perfection both rare as well as impossible in the practical life of human beings with all their present human limitations. For, if God had intended that, He would have from the very first created men like angels and as such ordered them to bear burdens that can be borne by angels only, of whom it is said that: "They do not disobey God in all that He orders them: and they do what they are commanded to” (Ixvi : 6). God did not intend to transmute men into angels such as these. He rather made them men and as such He knows their potentialities and the time necessary for their flourishing so as to enable them to follow and successfully execute an order. However it is quite sufficient for Islam to be the first to initiate the emancipation movement which took the world some seven centuries to adopt and enforce. The fact nonetheless is that Islam had before long practically put an end to slavery in the Arabian peninsula and but for the presence of a new headspring of slavery due to which slavery lingered on everywhere in the world, it was quite capable of undertaking in earnest its similar effacement in the whole world of Islam. In the presence of this new cause of servitude it was not possible for Islam to abolish it outright, for it concerned not only the Muslims but their opponents as well on whom Islam exercised no control or power. The source that thus prevented the total effacement of slavery was war, the most fruitful source of slavery at the time. We would discuss it shortly in some detail.

在善待奴隶、恢复其人格尊严方面，伊斯兰教留下了许多最美好、最令人敬佩的榜样。关于这方面，我们此前已提及一些古兰经经文和先知的圣训。这里我们将简要列举早期生活实践中的更多例子。 先知ﷺ在麦地那时，曾在一些阿拉伯首领与一些获释奴隶之间缔结兄弟关系。如此，先知ﷺ使毕拉勒·本·赖巴赫与呼瓦伊哈·海斯阿米的儿子哈立德结为兄弟；使先知ﷺ的获释奴隶宰德与先知ﷺ的叔叔哈姆扎结为兄弟；使赫拉贾·本·宰德与艾布·伯克尔结为兄弟。这种兄弟关系是一种如同血缘般的真实纽带，以至于这些结为兄弟的两人之间彼此继承遗产，就像现在只有血亲之间才会如此。

In treating slaves well and restoring their human status Islam has left behind some most wonderful and admirable examples. Of these we have already referred to some of the Qur'anic verses and traditions of the Holy Prophet, Here we would in brief take some more examples from practical life in the early period. When in Madina, the Holy Prophet established brotherhood between some Arab chiefs and some freed slaves. Thus he joined as brothers Bilal son of Rabah and Khalid son of Ru-waihata Al-Khas'ami; Zaid, the treed slave of the Prophet, and Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet; and Kharijah son of Zaid and Abu Bakr. This relationship of brotherhood was a real bond akin to blood-relationship, so much so that the two persons thus made brothers inherited from each other just as only the blood relations now do.

但伊斯兰并未止步于此，而是更进一步。于是先知把他的表妹、贾赫什之女宰姆奈卜嫁给了他的前奴隶宰德。然而婚姻触及人生中极为微妙的一面，对女子而言尤其如此。因此，尽管宰姆奈卜接受了一个社会地位远不及她的男子，她却难以接受嫁给一个不像她那样出身高贵、也不拥有财富的人为妻。然而，圣先知通过此举树立了榜样，表明奴隶可以从其残忍的同类将其抛入的耻辱深渊中，升至古莱氏首领的最高地位。但即便如此，伊斯兰仍未感到满足。

But Islam did not stop at that. It went a step farther. Thus the Prophet married away his cousin Zainab, daughter of Jahsh, to his ex-slave Zaid. But marriage touches a very delicate aspect of a person's life especially in that of a woman. Therefore, although Zainab accepted a man far below her in social status, she could not reconcile herself to be the wife of one who did not come of a noble family like her, nor possessed wealth, But the Holy Prophet did by this act set an example to show that a slave could attain to the highest level of a Qureishite chief from out of the abyss of ignominy into which he was hurled by his cruel fellow human beings. But still this did not satisfy Islam.

奴隶被提升到军事指挥官和领袖的地位。因此，当先知派遣一支军队出征时，其中包括最亲近的圣门弟子——迁士和辅士，即阿拉伯人公认的领袖——他把军队的统帅权交给了奴隶宰德。宰德死后，先知任命宰德之子奥萨麦为军队的指挥官，军中有阿布·伯克尔和欧麦尔等杰出人物，他们是先知最主要的两位大臣，后来也成为继承人。由此可见，奴隶不仅获得了与他人平等、相似的地位，同时还被提升到统领自由人军队的崇高职位。在这方面，先知走得如此之远，据记载，他曾命令信士们：

Slaves were exalted to the position of military commanders and leaders. Thus when the Holy Prophet sent out an army which consisted of the closest of the Companions- Emigrants and the Helpers, the acknowledged leaders of the Arabs-he entrusted Zaid, the slave, with the generalship of the army. After the death of Zaid the Holy Prophet appointed his son, Osma as the commander of the army consisting of such illustrious men as Abu Bakr and Omar, his two principal ministers and afterwards successors. Thus slaves were given not only a status equal and similar to others but were at the same time raised to the exalted positions of heading the armies of free men. In this regard the Holy Prophet went to such a great length that he is reported to have commanded the believers:

"Hear and obey (the orders of your leaders), even if the man appointed over you as leader is an Abyssinian slave with a head like a raisin, so long as he continues to enforce among you God's law".1 Thus even a slave could aspire to the highest office in the Islamic state. When faced with the problem of appointing his successor, Omar said: "Had Salim, the slave of Abi Huzaifa, been alive, I would have appointed him caliph". This was just a continuation of the tradition founded by the Holy Prophet ﷺ.

"Hear and obey (the orders of your leaders) although the man appointed above you as your leader be a negro slave with a raisin-like head so long as he continues to enforce among you God's law".1 Thus even a slave could aspire to the highest office in the Islamic state. When faced with the problem of appointing his successor, Omar said: "Had Salim, the slave of Abi Huzaifa been alive, I would have appointed him caliph". This was just a continuation of the tradition founded by the Holy Prophet.

欧麦尔的生平还有另一个令人钦佩的例子，说明穆斯林社会中奴隶所享有的尊重。当时，拉巴赫之子、一位前奴隶毕拉勒就“法伊”（征服之地）的问题强烈反对欧麦尔。欧麦尔在无法用其他办法让他闭口时，向真主祈祷说：“我的主啊！请以毕拉勒及其同伴来报应我吧！”作为哈里发，面对臣民中一位前奴隶的反对，他的这种反应实在令人惊讶。

Omar's life affords yet another admirable instance bearing upon the respect enjoyed by slaves in the Muslim society. When he was vehemently opposed by Bilal, son of Rabah, an ex-slave, concerning the problem of Fay (conquered lands) Omar despairing of all other means of silencing his opposition prayed to God: "My God! Requite me with Bilal and his comrades!" What a reaction for a caliph in the face of opposition by one of ex-slaves from among his subjects.

伊斯兰教在奴隶问题上的巨大优越性体现在多个方面。它的目标是从外在和内在两方面解放奴隶，但为达此目的，它并不像亚伯拉罕·林肯那样，只依靠美好的愿望，在没有从精神上为奴隶做好准备的情况下颁布一道命令。这表明伊斯兰教深刻理解人性，并运用一切可能的手段来实现其目标。它不仅慷慨地恢复了这些人的自由，还对他们进行培养，使他们能够守护这份自由，并承担由此而来的责任。它在整个社会中灌注了爱与合作的精神。它也没有等到社会因这些权利而爆发冲突，像欧洲所发生的那样，给人们留下了充满怨恨与仇视的可憎遗产，并耗尽了人心中所有的精神源泉。最后，让我们来谈谈伊斯兰教在经过对奴隶进行适当的精神提升之后，据以最终实现解放的主要基础。

The great superiority of Islam with regard to slavery is manifest in various aspects. It aimed at freeing slaves externally as well as internally but to achieve that end it did not merely rely upon the pious wishes as Abraham Lincoln had done by issuing an order without preparing slaves mentally. This demonstrates Islam's deep understanding of the human nature and how it employed all possible means to achieve its objective. It not only liberally restored these people's liberty but also trained them so as to safeguard it and bear responsibilities flowing from it. It infused a spirit of love and cooperation throughout the society. It did not wait till conflicts should break out within the society over these rights as had happened in Europe leaving behind them an odious legacy of bitter malice and hatred and sapping all the spiritual headsprings in human heart. In the end, let us now take up the main basis on which Islam worked out the final emancipation after a due process of spiritual elevation of slaves.

我们已经指出,伊斯兰成功地堵塞了过去所有产生奴隶制的来源,唯独剩下一个几乎不可能彻底根除的来源,那就是战争——在伊斯兰对其发起圣战之后,战争仍是这一罪恶唯一有效的来源。我们打算对此进行较为详细的论述。

We have already pointed out that Islam successfully put an end to all those old sources whence slavery sprang up save one, which it was virtually impossible for it to do away with, and that was war, the only effective source of this evil left behind after the crusade of Islam against it. We propose to deal with it at some length.

在最遥远的古代，并且在当时普遍流行的主要做法是：战俘要么被奴役，要么被处死。1 这种做法随着时间的推移，已成为那些古代社会中人类生存的一个必要条件。

The principal practice that dated back to the remotest past and was prevalent at the time was that prisoners of war were either enslaved or put to death.1 It was a practice such as had with the passage of time come to stay as a necessary condition of human existence in those past ages.

正是在这样的社会背景下,伊斯兰教降示于人类。伊斯兰的军队与其反对者之间发生了许多次战役。在这些战争中被俘的穆斯林被俘获者沦为奴隶,他们的自由权利也因此被剥夺。

It was against this social background that Islam was revealed to mankind. Many battles took place between the forces of Islam and its opponents. The Muslims taken prisoners in these wars were made slaves by their captors. Their liberties were forfeited.

当时的男子也遭受压迫，承受着奴隶通常所要遭受的种种苦难。女性的荣誉遭到极为公然的侵犯：父亲、儿子和朋友等数人共同占有同一名被俘女子，对任何规则或法律置之不理，也不顾及她作为女性的尊严，无论她是处女还是已婚妇人，都毫不考虑。此外，被俘的儿童则被养育在极其可憎、卑贱的奴役之中。

Men were exposed to oppression and all those miseries that were commonly the lot of a slave at the time, The honor of woman was violated in a most flagrant manner; several men-fathers, sons and friends-all jointly shared a single captive woman with no regard whatever to any rule or law, or respect for her womanhood, or any consideration whatever about her being a virgin maid or a married Woman. Besides this, the children, if captured, were brought up in a most odious and abject servitude.

在当时的情况下,伊斯兰不可能立即释放所有落入其手中的战俘。这不仅会是一项糟糕的政策,还等于变相鼓励其敌人,尤其是在穆斯林及其亲人在战争中被俘后,遭到敌人的奴役,并遭受各种酷刑、暴行和羞辱。在这种情况下,伊斯兰唯一的最佳选择,就是像对待穆斯林那样,把他们当作俘虏对待。敌人坚持奴役战俘,伊斯兰无法单方面废除这一做法。因此,只要没有其他替代办法,并且直到世界各民族彼此达成协议,以非奴隶制的方式对待战俘,这一做法才被暂时容忍。我们也不可忽视伊斯兰与其他宗教在战争以及对待战俘方面的巨大差异。

As the conditions stood, it was not possible for Islam to forth with set at liberty all the prisoners falling in its hands from the camp, for it would have not only been a piece of bad policy but would have also implied a virtual encouragement to its enemies especially as the Muslims as well as their dear and near ones captured in war were being made slaves by the enemies and exposed to all sorts of tortures, atrocities and humiliations. In such circumstances, the best and the only course left Open to Islam was to treat them as captives as they treated the Muslims, The enslaving of the prisoners of war could not be abolished unilaterally by Islam when the enemies insisted on its continuance. So the practice was tolerated just so long as there did exist no alternative to it and till the time the peoples all the world over should agree among themselves Upon a basis other than that of slavery in dealing with their prisoners of war. We must not also overlook the great difference between Islam and other religions in their wars or the treatment of the prisoners captured in these wars.

战争过去一直、现在依然是一场充斥着背叛、突袭与暴力的混战；一个民族因其扩张野心和对剥削的贪欲而被另一个民族奴役，以满足其自私的目的。此类战争过去和现在都源于国王或军事统帅的个人野心、傲慢、虚荣或复仇之念。这些战争既然出于卑下的世俗动机，其中被俘之人沦为奴隶，并非因为他们的信仰或理想，也并非因为他们在身体、心理或智力上逊于俘虏者，而仅仅是因为他们战败，属于被征服的一方。

Wars have been aud still are a melee of treachery, surprise, violence; and the enslavement of one nation to another due to its expansionist designs and the lust for exploitation in order to advance its own selfish ends. Such wars are and have been the outcome of personal ambition, pride, vanity or a wish for vengeance of a king or a military commander. Motivated as these wars were by low earthly designs, the people captured therein were made slaves not because of their creed or ideal, nor because they were inferior in their physical, psychological or Intellectual equipment to that of their captors, but simply because they had lost the battle and belonged to the vanquished party.

此外，在战争中，没有任何东西能阻止获胜的一方让被征服的民众蒙受屈辱和耻辱，侵犯他们的荣誉，把和平的城市夷为平地，并把妇女、儿童以及老人都杀死于刀剑之下——这是缺乏崇高理想、原则或信条来指引他们的必然结果。

Moreover, there was nothing that could in the event of war, prevent a victorious party to subject the conquered people to humiliation and disgrace, violate their honor, raze peaceful cities to the ground and put women, children as well as old men to sword,-a logical sequence to lack of a lofty ideal, principle or creed to guide them.

自伊斯兰教降临以来,所有这些做法都被废除了。伊斯兰教禁止一切战争,唯有为主道而战者除外;为了避免穆斯林遭受残酷和不公,为了铲除诉诸武力和暴力、阻止人们皈依真正宗教的暴虐压迫者;或为了清除那强大而邪恶的冒充者,他站在人与其主之间,使人无法independently看见、听见并遵循真理。因此,《古兰经》宣示:"你们应当为主道而战,攻击你们的人,但你们不要过分。主的确不喜爱过分者。"(2:190)又说:"你们应当与他们作战,直到迫害止息,宗教专为真主而存在。"(8:39)

With the advent of Islam all these practices were abolished. It prohibited all wars save the one fought in the way of God; to avert cruelty and injustice to Muslims; crush a tyrannous oppressor resorting to force and violence to prevent people from embracing true religion; or to remove a powerful but iniquitous impostor interposing between men and their God incapacitating them to see or hear and follow the truth independently. Thus the Holy Qur'an declared: "Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors" (ii: 190) and, "Fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah" (viii: 39).

因此，伊斯兰的信息便成为一种和平的信息，任何人都不敢忽视。

The message of Islam thus becomes a message of peace, which none can dare ignore:

"There is no compulsion in religion. The right (direction) is henceforth distinct from error" (ii : 256). 在穆斯林世界中,直至今日仍有基督教徒和犹太教徒依照各自的宗教自由地生活,这一事实有力地证明,伊斯兰教并不认可以武力迫使人们接受其观点。1

"There is no compulsion in religion. The right (direction) is henceforth distinct from error" (ii : 256). That there are even today Christians and Jews in the Muslim world who follow their respective religions unchecked bears testimony to the irrefutable fact that Islam does not approve of using force in converting men to its own viewpoint.1

如果人们接受伊斯兰的这一信息,并同意遵循真理,那么他们与穆斯林之间的敌对状态即刻停止。他们成为穆斯林社群的一员,不得被置于屈从或受辱的地位。他们享有与其他穆斯林相似的权利,因为穆斯林之间不允许有任何区别对待,阿拉伯人相对于非阿拉伯人也没有任何优越之处,除非是因为其虔诚。

If people accept this message of Islam and agree to follow the truth, the hostilities between them and the Muslims cease forthwith. They become part of the Muslim community and are not to be put to subjection or humiliation. They enjoy rights similar to those enjoyed by other Muslims, for no distinction is permissible between one Muslim and the other, nor had any Arab any superiority over a non-Arab except due to his piety.

对于一个拒绝皈依伊斯兰教、但愿意在伊斯兰的保护下保持自己宗教信仰的民族,伊斯兰并不强迫他们接受其信条,而是乐意保护他们,以此换取一种特别的税(Jizyah,即人头税),并约定:若穆斯林无力抵御外来侵略,所有此类税款都将退还给他们。尽管伊斯兰坚信其信条远胜于它所承诺保护的那一信条,情况依然如此。但是,如果一个民族在物质财富和武装力量上占有优势,那么只有到那时,并且只有针对这些民族,才会宣战。即便如此,这样的战争也不会在没有正式最后通牒或宣告的情况下贸然发动,以此作为最后的努力,尽可能避免流血,并在全世界传播和平。正如经文所说:"如果他们倾向于和平,你也应当倾向于和平,并信赖真主。"(8:61)

In the case of a people who refused to adopt Islam as their religion but were desirous to live under its protection with their own religion, Islam did not compel them to adopt its creed but gladly undertook to protect them in return for a special tax (Jizyah) with the understanding that all such taxes would be paid back to them in the event of Muslims proving unable to defend them against outside aggression.2 And that despite the belief of Islam that its was a creed far superior to and better than the one it had undertaken to protect. But if a people their superiority in material wealth and arms. Only then and against these people it is that war is declared. But even such a war is not plunged in without a formal ultimatum or declaration as a last effort to prevent bloodshed if possible and spread peace the world over: “ And if they incline to peace incline thou also to it, and trust in Allah" (viii: 61).

这就是伊斯兰战争的历史。这些战争的产生，源于伊斯兰希望引导人类走上正道的愿望，而前提是所有和平的手段都已证明无效。

Such then is the story of the wars of Islam which sprang out of its wish to direct mankind to the right path if all peaceful means towards that end should prove ineffective.

他们发动这些战争，并非出于任何军事统帅征服或制服某个民族的野心，因为一言以蔽之，这些战争是为主而进行的战争。不仅如此，对于这些战争的进行方式，还制定了明确的训令和规则。圣先知ﷺ告诫穆斯林说："奉主的名去，为主而战；杀那拒绝信主的人；作战，但不可背信弃义，不可残害肢体，不可杀害儿童"。1 同样，除了持械攻击穆斯林军队的人以外，任何人都不得被杀。任何东西都不得被毁坏或摧毁，任何人的荣誉都不得遭到侵犯。也不得鼓励任何败坏或邪恶之事，因为"主确不喜爱作恶者"。

They were not motivated by any ambition to exploit or vanquish a people by any military commander, for they were, in a word, wars waged in the way of God. Not only this but clear injunctions and rules were also laid down for the conduct of these wars. The Holy Prophet admonishing the Muslims said: "Go in the name of God to fight in the way of God; kill him who rejects God; fight but do not commit a perfidy, nor mutilate, nor kill a child".1 Also no man except he who carried arms against the Muslim army was to be killed. Nothing was to be destroyed or ruined, nor anybody's honor violated. No mischief or evil was to be encouraged, for “Surely God does not love the mischief-makers".

历史见证，穆斯林在与敌人的战争中始终秉持这些高尚的传统，即便是在与背信弃义的十字军作战时，也依然如此。基督徒占领耶路撒冷时，对城中的穆斯林犯下种种罪行和暴行，侵犯他们的尊严，肆意将他们杀戮。就连那里的大清真寺也未能幸免于他们的暴行。然而，当穆斯林收复这座城市时，他们并没有寻求报复，尽管真主允许他们以同样的方式回敬侵犯者："有人侵犯你们，你们就照他侵犯你们的方式侵犯他"（2:194）。相反，他们选择了一条直到今天仍无人能及的宽厚与高尚之路。

History bears witness that the Muslims upheld all these noble traditions in their wars against their enemies, including even those they had to fight against their treacherous opponents, the Crusaders. The Christians when in possession of Jerusalem committed all sorts of iniquity and transgression against the Muslims living in the city. They violated their honor and recklessly put them to sword. Even the great mosque there did not escape from their transgression. But when the Muslims captured the city, they did not try to seek revenge against them although they were permitted by God to pay the transgressors back in their own coins: “And one who attacked you, attack him in like manner, as he attacked you" (ii: 94). Instead, they chose a course such as to this day remains unsurpassed in generosity and nobility.

这构成了穆斯林与非穆斯林在战争目标和传统上的一个根本性区别标志。伊斯兰教本可以很容易地采取这样一种观点:凡坚持其可鄙的偶像崇拜、并积极对抗真理与光明的人,都是半人半兽,因而只配被奴役。因为,一个在智力或人性构成上并无缺陷的民族,怎会拒绝光明与真理呢?因此,这些人既不应得到尊重,也不应享有唯有人类才享有的自由。

This constituted the great fundamental distinguishing mark as to their war-aims and traditions between the Muslims and non Muslims. Islam could very easily adopt the view that all those who insisted on their despicable idol-worship and actively fought against Truth and Light were half-human and thus fit for being held in bondage only, for how could a people not defective in their intellectual or human make-up refuse Light and Truth? And that, therefore, they neither deserved respect, nor the freedom which is the privilege of human beings only.

但是伊斯兰并没有采取这一做法。它不允许以战俘属于劣等人为由将其奴役。战俘之所以被沦为奴隶，只是因为他们的族人也把被俘的穆斯林当作奴隶对待。因此，在交战各方同意以奴役以外的原则处置战俘之前，伊斯兰对奴隶制问题暂未作出决定，因为在当时的情况下，这是防止非穆斯林虐待穆斯林战俘、使其无所顾忌地遭受苦难与羞辱的唯一保障。

But Islam did not adopt this course. It did not allow taking prisoners of war in servitude on the plea that they were sub-humans. They were taken slaves just because their people too treated the captured Muslims as their slaves, The problem of slavery was thus left by Islam undecided till all the belligerents should agree to a principle other than that of slavery in dealing with their prisoners of war, for, as the conditions stood, this was the only guarantee against the non-Muslims' ill-treatment of their Muslim prisoners or Subjecting them to misery and humiliation without any fear of retaliation.

顺带一提，既然谈到这个价格，还需要提及：《古兰经》中唯一涉及战俘命运的经文说：“此后或则施恩释放他们，或则让他们赎身，直到战争放下它的重担。”（47:

At this price it must also be mentioned in passing that the only Qur'anic verse touching upon the fate of prisoners of war says that: "And afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war lays down its weapons” (xlvii:

4)它并未提及奴役战俘，因此并不能将其确立为永久的战争法则。它明确规定的，乃是赎回或恩赐释放战俘；《古兰经》所确立为永久战争律法的，正是这两种做法。因此，即便穆斯林曾将战俘沦为奴隶，那也纯粹是形势所迫而采取的权宜之策，并非伊斯兰法律固有的原则。

4), It does not mention the enslaving of prisoners, which would have enforced it as a permanent rule of war, What it explicitly laid down is rather the ransoming or setting them free as a favor, for it is these two that the Qur'an prescribed as a permanent law of war, Thus if the Muslims held the prisoners of war in slavery it was purely an act of policy dictated by the force of circumstances. It does not form intrinsic principle of the Islamic law.

尽管如此,伊斯兰教普遍遵循的做法并不坚持将战俘作为奴隶。如果和平得以恢复,他们从不会被变为奴隶。先知ﷺ在白德尔战役中俘获的一些麦加战俘,他释放了他们,条件是支付赎金;同时他也出于恩惠释放了其他人。同样,他接受了纳季兰基督教代表团缴纳的人头税(Jizyah),并将他们的战俘交还给他们。所有这些高尚的行为,都旨在为人类树立先例,待人类能够摆脱过去可憎的遗毒、准备好将战俘当作人来对待时,便可以此为范例。

But despite this the practice generally followed in Islam did not insist on taking prisoners of war as slaves. If peace was restored, they were never made slaves. The Holy Prophet set at liberty some of the Meccan prisoners captured in the battle of Badr, in return for a redemption, while he freed the others as a mark of favor. Similarly, he accepted Jizyah from the Christian deputation of Najran and returned their prisoners over to them. All these noble deeds were meant to serve as precedents for mankind when once it should be able to shake off the odious legacy of its past and be ready to treat the prisoners of war as human beings.

我们还可以补充一点:穆斯林在战争中俘获的战俘从未遭受虐待、酷刑,也未被施以前文所述的那种羞辱。相反,他们发现,只要自己选择,自由之路便向他们敞开,条件是他们愿意承担随自由而来的责任。如果他们满足了这些条件,便获得释放。尽管他们中的大多数人在落入穆斯林之手前本是奴隶,而这些奴隶原是被波斯人和罗马人掳去,然后被驱赶上战场与穆斯林作战的。

We may also add that the prisoners fallen in the hands of Muslims in wars were never ill-treated, tortured or subjected to the humiliation such as described above, They, on the, other hand, found that if they chose the way to freedom lay open before them provided also that they were ready to bear the responsibilities that go with freedom, If they fulfilled these conditions they were set free, although most of them were bondsmen before falling into the hands of the Muslims, and comprised to those slaves who were seized by Persians and Romans, and packed off to fight against the Muslims.

至于妇女，伊斯兰即使对待从敌国俘获的女俘，也给予尊重。任何人都不得侵犯她们的荣誉，也不得把她们仅仅当作战争中掠获的战利品来对待。她们不再被视为所有人的共同财产，任何男人都不能随意接近她们以满足其兽性的欲望。从此，她们只属于其主人，除他之外，任何人都不得与她们建立性关系。此外，她们与男子一样，被赋予通过"穆卡塔巴"（Mukatabah）争取自由的权利；并规定，女奴一旦为其主人生下孩子，便即获得自由。

As far as the women were concerned, Islam respected them even in their captivity even if they were taken prisoners from foreign enemy lands. No one was allowed to violate their honor or treat them merely as a part of booty captured in war. They were no longer to be treated as a common property of all with every man having free access to them to gratify his animal passions. They were hence forth to belong to their masters alone. None else could establish sexual relations with them. Moreover, they were, like men, granted the right to work out their freedom through Mukatabah, besides providing that a slave-maid would be free the moment she gave birth to a child by her master.

除了母亲之外，孩子也将被视为自由人。伊斯兰教在他们被俘期间给予他们的整体待遇同样高尚而慷慨。

Besides the mother, the child would also be deemed free. The treatment given them by Islam on the whole during their captivity was equally noble and generous.

这样的奴隶制历史，正是伊斯兰教历史上最光辉的篇章之一。伊斯兰教从原则上从未认可奴隶制，而是竭尽所能，运用各种手段力图彻底消除奴隶制。它之所以暂时容忍奴隶制的存在，只是因为别无其他选择——这一问题不仅涉及穆斯林，也涉及那些不在其直接统治之下的人民。他们奴役穆斯林，使穆斯林遭受最可怕的屈辱与苦难，这迫使穆斯林对待这些人采取同样的做法，至少在对待战俘时将其当作奴隶，尽管此后在实际处置这些奴隶时并非如此。

Such is the story of slavery in Islam-a story which constitutes one of the brightest pages of human history. Islam never approved of slavery in principle as it strove hard with all the different means at its disposal to eliminate slavery once for all. It tolerated its existence for the time being just because it had no other alternative for it concerned not only Muslims but those people as well who were not under its direct control. They held the Muslims in servitude making them suffer the worst possible forms of humiliation and miseries which drove the Muslims to adopt with respect to these people a Course of like treatment, at least in treating their prisoners of war as slaves though not in their actual transactions with these slaves afterwards.

伊斯兰教在世界尚未同意终止奴隶制唯一来源——战俘沦为奴隶——的情况下，无法直接废除奴隶制。因此，当这一共识达成时，伊斯兰教欣然接受，因为它构成了伊斯兰政治制度不可更改的根本原则：人人自由，人人平等。

Islam could not effect the abolition of slavery so long as the world did not agree to put an end to the only source of slavery enslavement of prisoners of war. So when that concord was achieved Islam welcomed it as it formed the unalterable fundamental principle of its polity: liberty for all, equality for all.

至于伊斯兰历史后期某些时段出现的奴役、奴隶贩卖，以及在没有正式宗教战争的情况下掳掠和买卖穆斯林的行为，它们与伊斯兰教毫无关系。这些事情不能比今天某些穆斯林统治者以伊斯兰教的名义所犯下的恶劣罪行和罪孽更正当、更真实地归咎于伊斯兰教。

As to the instances of slavery, slave-traffic, seizure and sale of Muslims met with in some latter periods of Islamic history without any regular religious Wars having taken place, they have no relation whatsoever to Islam. They can with no more justification and truth be imputed to Islam than the vicious crimes and guilt that are perpetrated by some Muslim rulers in the name of Islam at the present times.

在这方面，我们应当牢记以下几点：（1）历史后期的各国政府以多种方式鼓励和容忍奴隶制，而并无真正的必要。它们受权力与征服欲的驱使，一个民族或阶级奴役另一个民族或阶级。其他形式的奴隶制则源于贫困、出身于被视为低人一等的阶层，以及某人在某块特定土地上作佃户等原因。伊斯兰主张废除所有这些形式的奴隶制，唯独那一种形式除外；而对于那一种形式，由于不利的环境，伊斯兰无法有效地加以遏制。奴隶制在条件成熟、有利于其废除之前，是被容忍的。

In this respect we would do well to bear the following in mind:- (1) The governments in the latter stages of history encouraged and tolerated slavery in several ways without any genuine need. They were motivated by their lust for power and conquest, one nation or class of people holding another nation or class of people in subjection. The other forms of slavery sprang up from causes such as poverty, birth into a certain class held as inferior and the fact that a man worked as a tenant on a Particular tract of land. Islam stood for the abolition of all these forms of slavery except that one and the only form of it, which, due to the unfavorable circumstances, it could not effectively check. Slavery was tolerated till such time as the circumstances should grow ripe and favor its abolition.

(2) 尽管在欧洲，奴隶制以许多形式盛行，而且并无任何真正的需要，欧洲人实际上从未废除它，即便他们最终屈尊禁止了它。欧洲的作家们自己也承认，欧洲的奴隶制之所以真正结束，是因为经济困难、缺乏自我努力的意愿以及劳动能力的低下，使奴隶对其主人而言更多成为经济负担而非资产。主人为奴隶的供养和监管所花费的金钱，远远超过奴隶努力劳作所带来的收益。因此，帮助欧洲奴隶获得解放的，纯粹是经济因素，即盈亏之计，它与那种尊重每个人的人性、并以此崇高理念使奴隶重获自由的崇高理想毫无相似之处。与欧洲各地因奴隶的不安而接连爆发的革命相比，欧洲奴隶所赢得的自由便显得微不足道，这些革命最终使主人再也无法继续将他们置于奴役之下。

(2) Despite the fact that in Europe slavery prevailed in so many forms without any genuine need, the Europeans in fact did never abolish it even when they at last condescended to ban it. European writers themselves confess that in fact slavery in Europe came to an end only when due to their economic difficulties, lack of will to exert themselves and their incapacity to work, the slaves became more of an economic liability than an asset to their masters. The master had to spend far larger amounts of money on the sustenance and supervision of their slaves than the profits they got back as a result of their exertion. It was thus a Purely economic factor just a matter of profit and loss-that helped in bringing about the liberation of these European slaves and as such it bears no analogy to the lofty ideal that respected every man for his humanity and which inspired by that lofty concept of humanity restored to the slave his freedom. The freedom thus Won by the slave in Europe sinks into insignificance when viewed in the context of those successive revolutions that broke out there as a result of the restlessness among slaves and which in the end made it impossible for their masters to hold them any longer in subjection.

这一连串的革命并未能帮助奴隶赢回自由。相反,他们在这些革命之后被更加牢固地束缚:从此他们沦为农奴,被束缚在所耕种的土地上,随着土地的买卖或转让而更换主人。奴隶不能离开土地,若擅自离开,便被法律宣布为逃亡者,被锁上铁链,用火烙烫,然后送还给主人。这种奴隶制在欧洲一直延续,直到十八世纪法国大革命才最终将其扫除。也就是说,在此之前约一千一百年,伊斯兰教就已经确立了解放奴隶的原则。

All these series of revolutions could not, however, help the slaves in winning back their liberty. They were rather as a result of these revolutions bound all the more securely, for henceforth they were held in serf hood bound to the soil they tilled and changed masters on the sale pr transfer of land. The slave could not leave the soil which, if he did, he was declared a fugitive by law, bound in chains, cauterized with fire and returned to his master, This form of slavery continued to exist in Europe till it was finally swept away by the French Revolution in the eighteenth century that is, some eleven hundred years after Islam had already enunciated the principle of emancipation.

我们不应被美丽的名称所迷惑。欧洲的法国大革命和美国的林肯废除了奴隶制，同时也确立了世界各民族共同镇压奴隶制一切形式的理解，但这些都只是名称，当然是美丽的名称。因为奴隶制在现实中真的被废除了吗？暴政不是仍然以不同的面目在世界各地横行吗？法国人在阿尔及利亚所做的，又该如何称呼？美国人对那里黑人犯下的黑暗罪行，以及英国人对南非有色人种的罪行，我们还能用什么其他词语来形容？奴隶制实际上不就是一个民族对另一个民族的屈服，以及剥夺某一类人与其他同类人所享有的权利吗？它的含义就是如此，别无其他。那么我们为何不直言其名呢？为何要把这些不同形式的奴隶制错误地称为自由、博爱和平等？因为，当其背后所犯下的罪行是人类在漫长的地球历程中所见过的最骇人听闻、最丑恶的罪行时，表面的装饰实在没有什么价值。

We should not be taken in by beautiful names. The French Revolution in Europe and Lincoln in America abolished slavery along with the understanding among the peoples the world over to suppress it in all its forms hut all these were mere names, beautiful ones, of course, for, has slavery been abolished in reality? Isn't tyranny still strutting all the world over in different guises? What is called that which the French did in Algeria? In what other terms can we describe the black crimes of the Americans towards the negroes there, and the felonies of the English against the colored people of South Africa? Is not slavery in effect the subjection of a nation to another and the deprivation of a class of people of the rights enjoyed by other men like themselves? It means just that and nothing else. Why should we not then call a spade a spade? Why misname these different forms of slavery as liberty, fraternity, and equality? For, surely the surface decoration is of little value where the crimes perpetrated underneath are of the most monstrous and hideous nature yet witnessed by mankind during their long career on the earth.

伊斯兰教对其所主张的立场十分坦率明确。它以直截了当、清晰而毫不含糊的措辞向人们阐明了它对奴隶制的看法：指出了奴隶制的真正根源，给出了通向自由的途径，以及彻底废除奴隶制的方法……而这一进程在当时因世界各民族对战俘待遇的分歧而未能得到遏制。

Islam was very frank and explicit on what it stood for and advocated. It told the people in a straightforward manner, in clear and unequivocal terms as to what it thought of slavery, that such and such was the real cause of it, this is the way out of it to freedom; and that this is the way to its outright abolition...the way that was for the time being not checked due to the disagreement among the peoples of the world as to the treatment of their prisoners of war.

然而，现代这种伪饰的文明在其真实目标和手段上既不如此坦率，也不直截了当。它只擅长一件事：把自己的外表涂上最鲜亮的颜色，外观华丽，内里却黑暗阴沉。仅仅因为突尼斯、阿尔及利亚和摩洛哥的人民要求自由和人的尊严，它就杀害了数十万人；他们要求的是在自己的家园中生活而不受外来干涉的自由，使用自己语言的自由，遵从自己信仰与宗教的自由，以及拥有自由的家园，并直接参与决定本国与世界其他地区政治和经济关系的权利。它杀害了这些无辜的人，把他们拖进没有食物和饮水的可憎地牢，侵犯他们的荣誉，奸污他们的妇女……杀了他们，剖开他们的腹部，打赌腹中的胎儿是男是女。这些骇人听闻的罪行正在发生，而二十世纪这种虚伪的文明却把它们描述为传播自由、博爱和平等的原则；与此同时，伊斯兰教在十三个世纪前对待奴隶的自愿、理想、尊重和慷慨的态度，以及它宣布奴役并非人生的永久状态而只是暂时状态的主张，却被称为落后、反动和野蛮！ 同样,这个虚伪的文明对美国人在其酒店和公共场所张贴"仅限白人"、"黑人和狗不得入内"的告示毫不觉得震惊;当一群"文明的"白人美国人残忍地私刑处死一名有色人种男子时,他们把他摔倒在地,用靴子踢来踢去直到他死去——只因他虽是有色人种,却胆敢屈从于与一名白人美国女孩发生关系的诱惑,而主动方却是她而非他。在整个过程中,警察只是袖手旁观,不加制止,也不去拯救一位与他们通过共同的语言、宗教以及人性纽带相连的同胞。他们犯下了这一切骇人的罪行,却依然如故地"文明",他们的国家仍被视为现代文明与进步的顶峰!!与此形成对照的是,当一名波斯拜火教奴隶威胁要暗杀欧麦尔,拒绝伊斯兰,也拒绝向伊斯兰国家缴纳吉兹亚时,他们被视为真正的敌人,顽固地继续对伊斯兰敌对,拒绝其和平协议的提议。正是这些人自任为阻止真理与光明传播的人,无情地运用一切手段。欧麦尔虽然明白这威胁的含义,却没有对那名奴隶说任何话。这名奴隶既未被监禁,也未被驱逐出境,欧麦尔也没有下令处决他,理由是他属于低等物种,出于纯粹的偏见和傲慢,即使亲眼见到了真理与光明,仍坚持崇拜虚妄。

But the meretricious civilization of modern times is neither so frank nor straightforward with regard to its real aims and methods. It excels in one thing only: in painting its exterior in the brightest of colors, elegant outwardly but dark and gloomy from within. It killed hundreds of thousands of people in Tunis, Algeria and Morocco just because they demanded their freedom and human dignity; freedom to live in their respective homelands without any intrusion from abroad; the freedom to speak their own tongue, to follow their creed and religion, and to have a free homeland and a direct share in determining their political and economic relations with the rest of the world. They killed these innocent people, hauled them into loathsome dungeons without food or water, violated their honor, raped their womenfolk....killed them and ripped up their bellies wagering if the child they carried was a male or a female. These monstrous crimes are committed, but the twentieth century hypocritical civilization describes them as the propagation of the principles of liberty, fraternity and equality, whereas Islam's voluntary, ideal, respectful and generous treatment of slaves thirteen centuries ago, and its declaration that slavery was not a permanent condition of life but only a temporary one, are called backwardness, reactionarism and barbarism! Similarly, this hypocritical civilization finds nothing shocking if the Americans put on their hotels and public places the notices announcing' "For the Whites only"; "The Black and Dogs not allowed"; and when a crowd of "civilized" white Americans mercilessly lynch a colored man throwing him on the ground and kicking him round with their boots till he is dead, for he despite being colored had dared succumb to the temptation of having relations with a white American girl, with the initiative, however, coming from her and not from him, while during all this the policemen stand around passively and do nothing to stop them or save one of their compatriots united to them through common bonds of language, religion as well as humanity. They perpetrate all these monstrous crimes and still they remain as "civilized" as ever, and their nation is looked upon as a pinnacle of modern civilization and progress!! As against this we see that when a Parsee slave threatened Omar with assassination, refused Islam as well as denied to pay the Jizyah to the Islamic state, they were treated as real antagonists obstinately continuing their hostilities against Islam and turning down its offer for a peaceful agreement. They were the people who took upon themselves to arrest the spread of Truth and Light ruthlessly employing all Omar did not say anything to the slave although he understood what the threat implied. The slave was neither imprisoned, nor banished from the country, nor did Omar order his execution on the plea that he belonged to a sub-human species who out of sheer prejudice and insolence insisted on worshipping falsehood even after he had with his own eyes seen the truth and the light.

多么粗鄙啊，他对待这个奴隶作为一个人的态度是何等轻蔑！当他听到威胁时，却只说："这个奴隶威胁了我。"然后便扬长而去，丝毫没有限制他的自由。直到他真的犯下了那桩滔天罪行，他才因刺杀哈里发而被起诉。

How vulgar of him and how contemptuous his attitude towards the slave as a man when he on hearing the threat said instead: "The slave has threatened me", and then went his way without in any way curtailing his freedom. He was charged with the assassination of the Caliph only after he did actually commit the heinous crime.

另一方面，我们看到非洲有色人种遭受压迫、被杀害，或者如英国报纸所说，被猎捕；当他们敢于意识到自身的人的尊严，并要求英国人民给予他们自由时，他们的人权便被剥夺。这就是英国的正义发展到顶峰，也是人类文明的最高成就！！而这恰恰就是欧洲所宣称的"崇高"和"光荣"的道德原则，欧洲正是以此为基础，自诩在全世界享有优先地位和统治权。然而就伊斯兰而言，它被认为极其野蛮且轻浮，因为它对敌人采取同等对待的做法，允许暂时将战俘沦为奴隶，但这并不意味着它在原则上赞同奴隶制。它也十分落后，因为它从未允许"猎捕人类"，也从未因人的皮肤是黑色而杀害他们。远非如此，它的保守主义达到了这样的程度，以至于宣称："即使统治你们的人是一个头部如葡萄干般的黑人奴隶，你们也要听从并服从。"

On the other hand, we see that the colored people of Africa are oppressed, killed or, as the English papers put it, are hunted down; and their human rights withheld from them as they have dared realize their human dignity and so demand of the English people their freedom. This is the English justice at its highest and the human civilization at its best!! And these precisely arc the "sublime" and "glorious" moral principles on the basis of which Europe claims precedence and dominance over the whole of the world. But so far as Islam is concerned it is extremely barbarous and frivolous, for adopting the course of a like-treatment towards its enemies, it allowed the enslaving of prisoners of war temporarily without, however, approving of slavery in principle. It is also very backward, for it never allowed 'man-hunting,' nor did it indulge in the killing of men because of their having a black skin. Far from that, its reactionarism advanced to such an extent that it declared: "Hear and obey even if the one appointed over you be a negro slave with a raisin-like head".

至于女奴，她们所引发的问题则完全不同。

As far as women-slaves were concerned, they constituted a quite different problem.

伊斯兰允许主人拥有若干在战争中俘获的女奴，并规定他可以独自与她们发生性关系，若他愿意，也可以与其中任何一位结婚。欧洲厌恶这一律法，却同时乐于接受那种最为可憎的兽性行为：男子可以与路上遇到的任何女孩发生不正当关系，以满足其兽性欲望，而不顾任何法律或人的尊严。伊斯兰的所谓罪过，实际上在于它不认可通奸。正因如此，欧洲人似乎对它如此愤怒。

Islam made it lawful for a master to have a number of slave-women captured in wars and enjoined that he alone may have sexual relations with them and that he might, if he wished, marry anyone of them. Europe abhors this law but at the same time gladly allows that most odious form of animalism according to which a man may have illicit relations with any girl coming across him on his way to gratify his animal passions without any consideration whatsoever to any law or human dignity. The guilt of Islam in reality is that it did not countenance adultery. That is why the Europeans seem so wroth with it.

在战争中被俘的女子，在其他民族中往往被迫过着可耻而卑劣的卖淫生活，因为她们无人照顾、无人看管；而她们的主人的荣誉感也极少因她们走上这种邪恶的生活道路而受到伤害。不仅如此，主人们还常常为了自身的物质利益而强迫她们这样做。然而伊斯兰教——"保守落后的伊斯兰教"——从不容许通奸，反而努力使社会远离这种可憎的道德污点。因此，伊斯兰教规定这些女奴只属于她们的主人；主人有责任供养她们，给她们提供食物，并保护她们免于落入这种堕落的境地，以清洁、体面的方式满足她们与自己的性需求。

The women captured in wars were among other nations forced to lead a shameful and vile life of prostitution, for they had none to take care of or look after them and as their masters' sense of honor was seldom injured by their pursuing such a wicked course of life. Far from it, the masters would often rather force them to it for their own material gains. But Islam, "the reactionary and backward Islam", never countenanced adultery; it rather made efforts to keep society clean of this hideous moral taint. Therefore, it enjoined that these slave women would belong to their masters only; they were to provide for their maintenance, feed and safeguard them from falling a prey to such a depravation, gratifying their sexual needs along with satisfying their own in a clean, respectable manner.

但那个自诩“有良知”的欧洲，却无法容忍这种兽性。

But the "conscientious" Europe cannot bring itself to countenance this animalism.

因此，它不仅为通奸提供一切可能的支持和法律保护，还不满足于此，凭着其帝国主义的图谋所能抵达之处，将其信条传播到世界各地。名称已经改变，但其背后的实质依然如故：女人仍然像过去一样，是男人情欲的奴隶。那么，现代娼妓尽管享有大肆宣扬的"自由"，她真的能够拒绝她的嫖客吗？那些嫖客对她毫无兴趣，只把她当作满足自身兽性欲望的工具。她真的是一个自由的女人吗？这种肮脏可憎的人体买卖，与伊斯兰教中女奴与主人之间那种纯洁而神圣的关系，毫无共同之处。

That is why it approves of adultery extending it all possible support and protection of law and then, not content with that, spreads its cult throughout the world wherever its imperialistic designs would lead it. The names have changed but the reality behind them remains unchanged: the woman is as slave to the lust of men as ever she was, for is a modern prostitute, despite all her much publicized freedom, really free to reject her customers the customers who have no interest in her save as a means to achieve the gratification of their own animal urge? Is she really a free woman? There is nothing common between this filthy, abominable trade of human bodies and that clean and spiritual bond that ties a maid to her master in Islam.

与伊斯兰相比，现代文明缺乏明确性和清晰的视野。例如，它承认卖淫是一种奴役制度，却仍以其为“社会必需”为由坚持让它存续下去。

As against Islam, modern civilization lacks definiteness and clarity of vision. It does, for instance, recognize that prostitution is an institution of slavery, but still insists on its continuance on the plea that it is a "social necessity".

欧洲人为什么把卖淫视为“社会必需”？

And why do Europeans consider prostitution a "social necessity"?

卖淫在欧洲文明中已作为一种社会必需而长期存在，原因在于一个“文明”的欧洲人不愿为了供养任何人——无论是妻子还是子女——而给自己增加负担。他想要享乐，却不想承担通常随之而来的责任。因此，他所寻求的是一个女人，无论她是谁，也无论她对他怀有何种想法，他对她又有何感受，只为满足他的性本能。他要的只是她的身体，别无其他。正因如此，他并不依恋任何特定的女人，因为他可以用街上走过的任何一个女人来满足他那兽性的欲望。

Prostitution has come to stay as a social necessity in European civilization because a "civilized" European does not want to burden himself by supporting anyone, a wife or children. He wants to have pleasure without the responsibilities that it generally carries with it. Therefore what he seeks is a woman, no matter who she is, or what she thinks of him or he of her, for the gratification of his sexual instinct. He wants her body and nothing else. As such he is far from being attached to any particular woman, for he may satisfy his animal passion with any woman walking in the street.

这正是现代时代为女性奴役所作辩护的所谓社会必要性。然而，这不过是一种虚张声势。一旦欧洲男子摆脱其虚荣与动物性的欲望，同意提升到更高的人性层面，这种必要性便随之不复存在。

This is the social necessity on the basis of which slavery of women in the modern epoch is justified. However, it is no more than a mere bluff, for it ceases to exist the moment the European man should get rid of his vanity and animal passions and agree to ascend to a higher plane of humanity.

值得在此补充一点：那些文明的西方政府最终禁止卖淫，并非出于对妓女作为人应有的尊严的尊重，也不是因为它们在道德、心理和精神上已经提升到足以免于此种罪恶的境界。事实上，这主要是因为这些妓女已经失去了利用价值，她们的位置已被普通的、耽于享乐的社交女性所取代。这种行为不再被视为犯罪，而政府也就不觉得有必要干预公民的自由。

It may also be mentioned here that the civilized western governments, which at last prohibited prostitution, did not act so out of any respect for the human status of a prostitute as such, nor did they in any way manifest their moral, psychological and spiritual elevation rendering them immune to this crime. It rather sprang out of the fact that these prostitutes had lost all their usefulness, their place having been taken by the common sybaritic society girls. The crime was no longer regarded as a crime. And the governments just did not feel any need to interfere with the freedom of its citizens.

尽管如此,欧洲人仍然厚颜无耻地指责伊斯兰教在一千三百年前对战俘妇女问题的解决方式,称其只是一种暂时的安排,并不意在永久延续。而事实上,伊斯兰所主张的制度远比他们二十世纪的现代文明所代表的制度更为优越、更为纯洁;而按照他们的看法,自己的制度才是自然且最完美的,没有人敢否认它,甚至不敢想要改变它,因为它是人类文明的巅峰,因此注定要永远存续下去。

But still the Europeans have the audacity to blame Islam for its solution of the problem of captive women thirteen hundred years ago declaring that it was just a temporary arrangement and was not meant to perpetuate for ever and notwithstanding the fact that the system Islam stood for was far more superior and cleaner to that represented by their twentieth century modern civilization, the natural and the most perfect one, according to them that none may dare disown or even think of changing, it being the pinnacle of human civilization and as such destined to last for ever.

我们不应被这些耽于享乐的现代社会女性表面上的“自由”所迷惑——她们毫无保留地把自己交给他人，并以为自己是自由的。我们知道，历来总有一群奴性之人，甘愿放弃自由，宁愿为奴，也不愿享有自由。事实上，欧洲文明正是做到了这一点。它鼓励通奸与道德败坏，无论是传统卖淫的形式，还是那些心甘情愿把自己交给男人的享乐型社会女性的存在。

We must not be taken in by the ostensible freedom with which these sybaritic modern society girls surrender themselves to others and think that they are free, for we know that there has always been a group of slaves who were glad to surrender their freedom and willingly prefer servitude to freedom. That is what European civilization has, in fact, accomplished. It encourages adultery and moral corruption be it in the form of traditional prostitution or the presence of the sybarite society girls who willingly surrender themselves to men.

简而言之,这就是欧洲直至二十世纪的奴隶制的历史:

This, in short, is the story of slavery in Europe right up to this twentieth century:

人类历史上奴役男人、女人，以及整个民族和阶层的制度，并非只有一种形式。这种奴役源于各种新的来源和原因；它之所以能够延续，并没有任何真实而切实的社会需要作为依托。而在一千三百年前，正是这样一种真实的社会需要，迫使伊斯兰教容忍某种形式的奴隶制，将其作为一种不可避免的存在。这种奴役根植于欧洲文明的卑劣本质及其与生俱来的非人性特征。

slavery of men, women, of whole nations and classes. It was a slavery that sprang up from various new sources and causes; a slavery that was sustained without any real and genuine social need such as thirteen hundred years ago forced Islam to tolerate one and an inevitable form of it. It was founded in the vileness of European civilization and its innate inhuman character.

我们还可以补充一点，共产主义国家的人民正在呻吟于一种奴役之下。在这些国家，政府是唯一的主人，其他所有人都只是随时准备听命行事的奴隶。男人和女人甚至没有选择工作或工作地点的自由，他们不过是奴隶而已。西方资本主义国家的情况也相似，那里的大资本家实际上是掌握真正权力的主人。工人阶级无能为力，完全依附于他们。

We may add a word about slavery under which the peoples of the communist countries are groaning. The government is the only master in these countries, all the other people being just slaves to it ever ready to obey orders. Men and Women do not even have the freedom to choose their job or the place they would like to work in. They are not more than slaves. A similar situation prevails in the capitalist countries of the West where big capitalists are the virtual masters who wield real power. The working classes are helpless and completely dependent upon them.

读者可能会遇到这两种制度中某一种的拥护者和支持者,但他切不可被他们响亮的标榜所蒙骗。只要他记住我们上文简要勾勒的一切,就能自行判断:资本主义和共产主义这两种制度,是否不过是延续了那些以文明和社会发展之名强加给人民的、有着数百年历史的各种奴役形式。他还能看出,在过去十四个世纪里,人类是否始终在伊斯兰的指引之外,沿着进步与荣耀的道路不断前进;还是相反,人类一直在不断沉沦,越陷越深,由此表明它是多么迫切地需要伊斯兰的指引,以便从那早已将它淹没其中的黑暗中走出来。人们甘愿接受他们从前的奴役状态。然而,某些甘于奴性的个人愿意放弃自由人的地位,这并不能成为按伊斯兰以及任何其他宗教或人生哲学而言,延续他们奴役状态的理由。不过,这一现象确实是对一种生活体系的深刻反映:这种体系所造就的经济、社会、政治、哲学和精神条件,使人们……

The reader may come across the votaries and supporters of one or the other of these systems but he should never be taken in by their loud professions if he would but keep in mind all that we have briefly sketched above. From this he can easily judge for himself if both these systems-capitalism and communism-are anything more than the continuance of all those centuries-old forms of slavery that have been imposed on the people in the name of civilization and social development. He can also see whether mankind during the last fourteen centuries has continually moved ahead on the path of progress and glory by ignoring the guidance of Islam or has it in stead been steadily sinking low going down and down showing there by how desperately it stands in need of the guidance of Islam to help it get out of the darkness it has long since been plunged in willingly accept their former state of servitude. But such readiness on the part of certain slavish individuals to forego their free human status is no justification to perpetuate their servitude according to Islam as well as any other religion or philosophy of life. This phenomenon is, however, a very sad reflection on the system of life that creates economic, social, political, philosophical and spiritual conditions under which people.