在讨论伊斯兰对"阶级"概念的立场之前，先弄清楚通常所说的"阶级制度"是什么意思，可能会有所帮助。

Before we discuss Islam's attitude regarding the concept of classes it may be useful to try to understand what is generally meant by a "class system".

在中世纪欧洲，例如，存在三个截然不同的阶层：贵族、教士和普通民众。

In medieval Europe, for instance, there were three distinct classes: the nobility, the clergy and the common people.

教士们有自己独特的服饰。在那个时代，教会的权力与国王和皇帝的权力相当，有时还与之对立。教皇声称是他赋予了国王权力，但国王们竭力摆脱他的影响，以便独立统治。由于虔诚的教徒所捐献的财产以及对他们征收的各种税赋，教会变得极其富有，有时甚至能够拥有自己的军队。另一方面，贵族从祖先那里继承贵族身份，并将其传给子孙。一个人生来即属贵族，并一直保有这一身份直至去世，无论他在一生中做过多么高尚或卑劣的事情。

The clergy had their own distinctive clothes. In those ages the power of the church was equal and at times opposed to that of kings and emperors. The Pope claimed that it was he who conferred power on kings but they strove to get rid of his influence in order to rule independently. Owing to the property donated by the religious people and the exactions imposed on them, the church became so rich that at times it could have armies of its own. On the other hand, the nobility inherited nobleness from their forefathers and passed it on to their descendants. A man belonged to the nobility by birth and remained as such until his death regardless of whatever noble or mean actions he might have done in his lifetime.

在封建时代，贵族对居住在其领地上的平民拥有绝对的权力。立法、司法和行政权力全都掌握在他们手中。他们的喜好与任性就是统治百姓的法律。由于代议会议是由属于这一阶层的成员组成的，他们所制定的法律自然是为了保护自己，维护他们自身的特权和利益，并使这些特权和利益笼罩在一层不可侵犯的光环之下。

In the feudal age the nobility exercised absolute powers over the common people who lived in their estates. All the legislative, judicial and executive powers were in their hands. Their whims and fancies were the laws by which they ruled over the people. Since representative councils were composed of members belonging to this class, it was only natural that the legislations they made would aim at protecting themselves, safeguarding their own privileges and interests which they surrounded by an air of inviolability.

至于普通民众，他们没有任何特权或权利。他们继承了贫困、奴役和屈辱，并将其传给了自己的后代。

As for the common people, they had no privileges or rights. They inherited poverty, slavery and humiliation and passed them on to their descendants.

随后发生的重大经济发展催生了资产阶级：这一新兴阶级渴望取代贵族，并夺取他们的特权与声望。正是在这一新兴阶级的领导下，普通民众发动了法国大革命。这场革命表面上废除了等级制度，并在理论上宣布了自由、博爱和平等的原则。

The significant economic development which took place afterwards led to the emergence of the bourgeoisie: the new class which aspired to displace the nobility and to assume their privileges and prestige. It was under the leadership of this emerging class that the common people launched the French Revolution which seemingly abolished the class system and declared in theory, the principles of liberty, fraternity and equality.

在现代，资产阶级取代了旧时的贵族。可以看到，这种取代是以一种隐蔽的方式发生的，并伴随着经济发展所必需的某些变化。但其基本原则从未改变。事实是，资产阶级仍然掌握着财产、权力，并有能力将政府机器导向他们所期望的方向。尽管民主选举中表现出一种自由的假象，资本主义却懂得如何渗入议会和政府机构，以各种名义、借助歪门邪道，实现其见不得人的目的。

In modern times, the capitalist classes have replaced the old nobility. It will be noticed that such replacement took place in a disguised manner and was accompanied by certain changes necessitated by economic development. But the basic principle has never changed. The fact is that the capitalist class still has the property, the power and the ability to steer the government's machinery into the direction they desire. Despite the appearances of freedom manifested in democratic elections, capitalism knows how to sneak into parliaments and government offices in order to achieve its shady ends by crooked means and under various names.

需要记住的是，像英国这样的国家——人们常说的民主的守护者——至今仍保留着上议院，他们称之为上议院或贵族院。此外，英国仍在沿用一项古老的封建法律，依据该法律，死者的全部财产只由其长子继承。很明显，这样的法律旨在把地产和财产保留在少数人手中。如此一来，家族财富便不会被分散，这些家族也将保有中世纪封建阶层曾经拥有的旧有声望与影响力。

It is to be remembered that a country like Britain-the patron or democracy as we are often told-still has a House of Lords or the Upper House as they call it. Moreover, Britain still applies an ancient feudal law by virtue of which all the property of a dead man passes to his eldest son alone. It is quite clear that such a law aims at keeping estates and properties in the hands of a limited number of people. In this way families' fortunes will not be distributed and such families will retain the old prestige and influence which the feudal classes had in the Middle Ages.

阶级制度建立在一个错误的假设之上：即财产就意味着权力，拥有财产的阶级也就拥有权力。这样的阶级会对立法权施加影响。因此，这一阶级会通过直接或间接的手段制定保护自身的法律，使普通民众服从其统治，从而剥夺他们的合法权利。

The class system is based on the wrong assumption that property means power and that the class which owns property has the power as well. Such a class will exercise an influence over the legislative power. Consequently such a class will, by direct or indirect means, make legislations which protect it and subject the common people to its own authority, thus depriving them of their legal rights.

鉴于上述对阶级的定义，可以确切地说，伊斯兰教中从来不存在阶级制度。这一点可以从以下事实中清楚地看出：

In the light of the above-mentioned definition of classes, it may be truly said that there has never been a class system in Islam. This can be clearly seen from the following facts:

伊斯兰教中并没有旨在使财产保留在特定人手中的律法。《古兰经》明确说："这样，财富就不会仅仅在你们中间富人之间流转"（59:7）。因此，伊斯兰教制定了确保财富不断分散和重新分配的律法。根据伊斯兰继承法，遗产应当分配给众多人。

There are no laws in Islam which aim at keeping the property in the hands of particular persons. The Holy Qur'an plainly says: ''In order that if may not merely make a circuit between the wealthy among you" (Iix: 7). Therefore, Islam made laws that ensured continual fragmentation and redistribution of wealth. According to the Islamic law of inheritance, inherited property should be distributed among a large number of persons.

遗产从来不会只传给一个人,除非在极其罕见的情况下:此人没有兄弟姐妹,也没有其他亲属。即便在这种罕见的情况下,伊斯兰教也采取了必要的预防措施,规定应将一部分遗产分给与死者没有亲属关系的贫困者。这一规定可以被视为现代遗产税的先驱。《古兰经》规定:"分配遗产时,若有亲属、孤儿和贫民在场,你们就从遗产中周济他们,并且对他们说和善的话。"(4:8)

An inheritance is never passed on to a single person except in the very rare case where such a person has no brothers, sisters or any other kindred. Even in such rare cases, Islam took the necessary precautions by prescribing that a portion of the inheritance should go to the deprived people who are not related to the dead man. This provision may be regarded as a predecessor of modern inheritance tax. The Holy Qur'an prescribed that "if at the time of division (of inheritance) other relatives or orphans or poor are present, feed them out of the (property) and speak to them words of kindness and justice" (iv : 8).

正是通过这种方式,伊斯兰解决了财富积累所带来的问题。财产归属于个人本身,而非归属于某个特定阶层,因为当他们去世后,财产将按照新的比例重新分配。

It was in this way that Islam solved the problem resulting from the accumulation of property. Property goes to individuals as such and not as members of a particular class, because when they die the property will be redistributed according to new proportions.

历史见证，伊斯兰社会中的财产不断易手，并不局限于民族中的某一派别。

History bears witness that property in the Islamic society was constantly changing hands without being confined to a particular faction of the nation.

这由此得出一个重要结论：在伊斯兰教中，立法并非某个特定阶层的特权。在伊斯兰国家中，任何人都不得随意制定自己所希望的法律，因为所有人都依照同一套伊斯兰法律来对待，这些法律是由真主启示的，对人与人之间不作任何区别。

This leads to an important conclusion: Legislation in Islam is not the prerogative of a particular class. In the Islamic state no one is allowed to make the legislations he desires because all people are treated according to the same Islamic laws which were revealed by God and which hold no distinctions among people.

因此可以得出，伊斯兰社会是一个无阶级的社会。由此可以理解，阶级的存在与立法特权的存在密切相关。

It follows that the Islamic society is a classless society. It will be understood that existence of classes is closely connected with the existence of a legislative prerogative.

在没有这种特权、且没有人能够制定损害他人利益而保护自身利益之法律的地方，就不会有阶级之分。

Where such a privilege is non-existent, and no one can make legislations which safeguard his own interests at the expense of others, there will be no classes.

现在我们来解释两节相关的经文，如果粗心地阅读，可能会引起一些疑惑。

Now let us explain how two relevant verses which, if read carelessly might lead to some doubts.

“真主在给养方面，使你们中有些人比另一些人享有更多的恩赐”（16:71）。

"God has bestowed his gifts of sustenance more free/y on some of you than on others" (xvi: 71).

“我们使他们中的一些人在等级上高过另一些人”（43:32）。

“We raised some of them above others in ranks" (xliii: 32).

The user's message is a question, not a text marked for translation as a passage, but per the system instruction, I translate the user's text. The text to translate is: "Do such verses mean that Islam recognizes the class system?" 这些经文是否意味着伊斯兰教承认阶级制度？

Do such verses mean that Islam recognizes the class system?

这两节经文只是描述地上实际发生的情况，无论是在伊斯兰统治之下还是其他情况。它们说明人们在地位和生计上各有差别。以俄罗斯为例：是否所有人都拿相同的工资？在生计上，是否有些人比另一些人更占优势？所有被征召的人是否都成为军官或士兵，还是其中有些人在级别上高于其他人？人与人之间存在差别是不可避免的事实。这两节经文并没有给出这些差别的具体原因。它们也没有说明这种差别是基于资本主义、共产主义，甚至伊斯兰的考量。它们没有说这种差别按照我们的标准是公正还是不公正的。这两节经文只是说明，这种差别存在于地上的各处。当然，地上所发生的一切，都在真主的旨意范围之内。

These two verses merely describe what is actually taking place on earth, be it under Islamic rule or otherwise. They state that people differ in rank and livelihood. Let us take Russia for example. Do all people get the same wages or are some people more privileged than others in livelihood? Are all the conscripted people made officers or soldiers or are some of them raised above others in rank? The existence of differences among the people is an inevitable fact. The two verses do not give a Particular reason for such differences. They do not even state that such preference is based on capitalist, communist or even Islamic considerations. They do not say that such preference may be just or unjust by our standards. The two verses merely say that such preference exists everywhere on earth. But, of course, all that takes place on earth falls within the sphere of God's will.

至此应当已经清楚，伊斯兰社会是一个没有阶级、也没有立法特权的社会。须留意的是，财富和财产上的差异不应与阶级问题混为一谈，除非这些财产和财富赋予其所有者某种立法上的特权和个人特权。只要所有人在法律面前——实际上而非仅在理论上——是平等的，财富上的差异就不会导致阶级的出现。

It must have become clear by now that the Islamic society is a society without classes or legislative privileges. It will be noticed that the existence of differences in wealth and property should not be confused with the question of classes unless such property and wealth conferred upon their owners any legislative and individual privileges. Differences in wealth will not lead to the emergence of classes so long as all people are-actually, not in the theory only-equal before the law.

应当指出，伊斯兰教下的土地所有权并不赋予土地所有者任何特权或权利，使他们得以奴役或剥削他人。

It should be pointed out that the ownership of land under Islam did not confer upon landowners any special privileges or rights by which they might enslave or exploit others.

同样的情况也会出现在一个真正的伊斯兰社会中，如果资本主义存在于其中的话，尤其是因为统治者并非从有产阶级那里获得权力，而是由民众选举产生，并且是在执行真主的律法。 Wait: the system says God, never "Allah". So "真主" is wrong. Corrected: 同样的情况也会出现在一个真正的伊斯兰社会中，如果资本主义存在于其中的话，尤其是因为统治者并非从有产阶级那里获得权力，而是由民众选举产生，并且是在执行上帝的律法。

The same thing would have happened if capitalism had existed in a truly Islamic society, especially because the ruler does not derive his power from the propertied class but he is elected by the nation and is carrying out the law of God.

除上述之外，任何社会都不可能实现财富在所有个体之间的平均分配；在共产主义社会中更是如此。它宣称已经消灭了阶级制度，但事实上，无论其宣称是否属实，它只留下了一个统治阶级，该阶级压制着所有其他阶级。

In addition to the above-mentioned, there can be no community wherein wealth can be equally distributed among all individuals; surely not in the communist society which, truly or not, claims to have abolished the class system though in fact it has left one ruling class which suppresses all other classes.