“被囚禁的人，是心被囚于上主的人；而被俘的人，是欲望奴役了他的人。”560 试想，你的一位朋友每天给你100英镑，因为你在没有任何过错的情况下需要经济上的帮助。这份善意并非只持续几天，而是持续了数年。钱始终不断地出现在你的银行账户里。然而，你渐渐忘记了施予者是谁，在这种极度忘恩的状态下，你开始感谢的是金钱，而不是把钱给你的那个人。这简要地描述了多神论和无神论。从精神层面看，这是忘恩与非理性的极致。懂得情感智慧且理性的人，总会感谢那位赐予他并非自己赚得或拥有之物的人。这是一条不容商榷的道德原则。那么，这为何描述的是多神论和无神论呢？你生命中有某些东西，是你白白领受的，但你既未赚得，也不拥有。也没有充分理由相信你应当得到它。这东西就是此刻，是下一刻，是你存在的每一刻。你并未赚得这些时刻，那么你又能做什么来赚得生命中的另一瞬间呢？这正是为什么在流行文化中我们称之为礼物：生命的礼物。这也是我们都认为它如此珍贵的原因。你并不拥有这些时刻，因为你没有能力使任何东西存在；你甚至不能创造一只苍蝇。你也不配拥有生命中的另一刻，因为它不属于你；你没有能力产生生命，哪怕只是一秒钟。鉴于这些基本事实，你必须始终怀着感恩的心，因为你总是在领受某种东西，它既非你所赚得，也非你所拥有，更非你所应得。 由于多神论者和无神论者没有可以感谢的对象,或者感谢错了对象(通常是一个被造的、依赖他者的、有限的存在),因此可以推出,他们的世界观不仅不合理,而且是极大的忘恩负义。正如第六章所讨论的,真主是自足的,万物都依赖于祂。因此,我们所说、所做、所用、所得的一切,从根本上都仅依赖于真主。由此必然推出——如果一个人神志清醒且品德端正——我们必须感激真主,并承认一切感恩都唯独属于祂。感恩与感谢是崇拜的一个关键方面。然而,伊斯兰传统中的崇拜概念并不局限于感恩,而是相当全面的。崇拜要求我们爱真主、认识真主、顺从真主,并将一切崇拜行为唯独奉献给祂。伊斯兰教中的崇拜行为包括:拜功、赞颂真主、悔罪、祈祷、行善,以及净化心灵使其摆脱精神上的疾病。这些层面的崇拜不仅合乎理性,而且在《古兰经》中也被反复提及。

“The one who is imprisoned is the one whose heart is imprisoned from God and the captive is the one whose desires have enslaved him.”560, Imagine a friend of yours gave you £100 each day because, without any fault of your own, you required financial assistance. This kindness did not last for a few days; it continued for years. The money kept on appearing in your bank account. However, you started to forget who the benefactor was, and in this state of immense ingratitude, you then began to thank the money and not the one who gave it to you. This describes polytheism and atheism in a nutshell. From a spiritual perspective, it is the height of ingratitude and irrationality. The emotionally intelligent and rational person would always thank the one who gave him something that he did not earn or own. This is a non-negotiable moral principle. Why, however, does this describe polytheism and atheism? There is something in your life that you receive freely, yet you do not earn it and do not own it. There is no good reason to believe that you deserve it either. This thing is this moment, and the next moment, and all of the moments of your existence. You do not earn these moments, so what can you possibly do to earn another instant in your life? This is exactly why in popular culture we call it a gift: the gift of life. That’s why we all consider it to be so precious. You do not own these moments because you do not have the capacity to bring anything into existence; you cannot even create a fly. You do not deserve another moment of your existence because it is not yours; you do not have the ability to produce life, even for a second. In light of these basic truths, you must always be in a state of gratitude, because you always receive something that you neither earn, nor own, nor deserve. Since polytheism and atheism have no one to thank or thank the wrong being (usually a created dependent and finite entity), it follows that their worldviews are not only irrational, but the height of ingratitude. As discussed in Chapter 6, God is independent and everything depends upon Him. Therefore, everything that we say, do, use and acquire is fundamentally dependent on God alone. It inevitably follows—if one is sane and moral—that we must be thankful to God, and acknowledge that all gratitude belongs to Him alone. Thankfulness and gratitude are a key aspect of worship. However, the concept of worship in the Islamic tradition is not restricted to gratitude, it is quite comprehensive. Worship entails that we must love, know and obey God, as well as dedicate all acts of worship to Him alone. Acts of worship in Islam include prayer, praising God, repentance, supplication, performing good deeds and purifying our hearts from their spiritual diseases. These aspects of worship are not only rational; they are also repeatedly mentioned in the Qur’an.

我在本章开头谈论感恩，因为感恩是崇拜的关键。如果你不感恩，就等于完全否认你只依赖于真主，也否认祂是给予你一切的那一位，无论多么微小。那么，除了感谢赐予我们生命的那一位，真主为何值得我们崇拜，并且有权利接受我们的崇拜呢？

I started this chapter by discussing gratitude, because gratitude is a key to worship. If you are not grateful, you completely deny the fact that you are dependent on God alone, and you deny that He is the One who provides you with everything, no matter how small. So apart from being grateful to the One who gives us life, why is God worthy of and entitled to our worship?.

认识真主。

Knowing God.

在回答这个问题之前，有必要先阐明什么是认识真主。对真主的认识，是理解真主为何值得我们崇拜的基础，因为我们无法崇拜自己一无所知的事物。正因如此，在伊斯兰传统中，走上认识真主的道路本身就是一种崇拜。

Before I answer this question, it is important to elaborate on what is meant by knowing God. Knowledge of God is essential to understanding why God is worthy of our worship, because we cannot worship something we are ignorant of. This is why, in the Islamic tradition, traversing a path of knowing God is a form of worship:

所以你要知道，除真主之外，没有应受崇拜的神明。561

“So know, that there is no deity except God.”561

认识真主，意味着我们确认祂是存在万物的唯一创造者和维系者（称为“真主主宰的独一性”）。这也要求我们在承认真主的名字和属性是独一无二、任何事物都无法与之相比的前提下，确认祂的名字和属性（称为“真主名字与属性的独一性”）。认识真主还包括我们必须知道祂在神性上是独一的；唯有祂配接受一切崇拜行为（称为“真主神性的独一性”）。需要指出的是，在伊斯兰神学中，至关重要的是要确认：没有任何事物能与真主分享祂的创造力与能力、名字与属性以及神性。一切拟人化的观念都被彻底否定。真主超越万有，至为完美，祂没有任何缺陷。伊斯兰灵修传统中的独一概念称为“坦维德”（tawheed），其词源意义是确认独一，或使某物成为独一、唯一。

To know God means that we affirm that He is the sole creator and maintainer of everything that exists (known as Oneness of God’s Lordship). It also entails that we affirm His names and attributes in the context of recognising that they are unique and that nothing can compare to God (known as Oneness of God’s Names and Attributes). Knowledge of God also involves that we must know that He is unique in His Divinity; He alone is entitled to all acts of worship (known as Oneness of God’s Divinity). It must be noted that in Islamic theology, it is critical to affirm that nothing whatsoever shares God’s creative power and ability, names and attributes and Divinity. All forms of anthropomorphism are completely rejected. God is transcendent and maximally perfect. He has no imperfections. The concept of oneness in the Islamic spiritual tradition is referred to as tawheed, which linguistically means to affirm oneness or to make something one or unique.

主的独一性

Oneness of Lordship.

真主的主宰独一性，是指确认并承认真主是存在之物的唯一创造者、主宰者和所有者。真主是维持、照管并供养万物的主。依据伊斯兰教的认主独一（tawheed）教义，凡否认这一点的人，便是以同真主并立的伙伴，这就是多神崇拜（伊斯兰神学中称为shirk）。凡相信真主的这些属性可以由任何受造物分享的人，便是把那受造物神化了，因此他们是以同真主并立的伙伴。

The oneness of God’s Lordship is to affirm and recognise that God is the sole creator, master and owner of everything that exists. God is the One who sustains, takes care of and nourishes everything. According to the Islamic doctrine of tawheed, anyone who denies this has associated partners with God, which is polytheism (known as shirk in Islamic theology). Anyone who believes that these descriptions of God can be shared by any created thing has deified that thing. Therefore, they have associated partners with God.

真主名称与属性的合一性

Oneness of God’s names and attributes.

"真主名称与属性的独一性"是指：只以真主自己所描述的名称和属性来描述真主，这些名称与属性载于《古兰经》和先知的圣训之中（某些名称，如Al-Khaaliq（创造者）和Al-Qadeer（全能者），也可以由健全的理性所肯定）。这些名称与属性，例如The-Loving（至爱者）和The-Subtle（精微者），都是被肯定的，但它们不可与被造物相比拟。真主的名称与属性完美无缺，没有任何不足或瑕疵。真主自己将其名称描述为最美的名称：

The ‘oneness of God’s names and attributes’ means to describe God only by the names and attributes by which He has described Himself, which are found in the Qur’an and the Prophetic teachings (some names such as Al-Khaaliq, The-Creator, and Al-Qadeer, The-Powerful, can be affirmed by a sound rational mind). These names and attributes, such as The-Loving and The-Subtle, are affirmed, but they are not comparable to creation. God’s names and attributes are perfect without any deficiency or flaw. God’s names are described by God Himself as the most beautiful:

“最美的名字属于真主：所以你们应当用它们来祈祷祂。”562

“The most beautiful names belong to God: so call on Him by them.”562

正如本书前文所述，真主（神）是至完美的。将这些名称和属性与受造物相比较的人，犯了拟人化的错误，因而是在以同伴与神并列。将任何受造之物与神相比较的人，犯了神化受造物的错误，这同样是以同伴与神并列的一种形式。

As has been mentioned throughout this book, God is maximally perfect. The one who compares these names and attributes to creation has committed humanisation, and therefore has associated partners with God. The one who compares any created thing to God has committed deification, which is also a form of associating partners with God.

真主独一的神性。

Oneness of God’s Divinity.

真主的独一性（即唯一的神性）在于，我们必须确认，一切崇拜行为都只能专向祂一位。凡将崇拜行为献给真主以外的任何事物，或在任何崇拜行为中寻求真主以外的任何事物的回报，此人便是以同侪归于真主。

The oneness of God’s Divinity is that we must affirm that all acts of worship must be directed to Him alone. Someone who directs acts of worship to anything other than God, and the one who seeks reward from anything other than God in any act of worship, has associated partners with Him.

在某些情况下，某些服从行为即使指向神以外的对象，也并不构成以他物与神并列（即shirk）。例如，一个人对神的爱可能有所欠缺，需要加以完善。在爱的方面以他物与神并列，是指爱某物或某人胜过神，或与爱神相等。一个人爱自己的家人，这并不构成以他物与神并列。但如果他爱家人胜过爱神，或与爱神相等，那么这便构成以他物与神并列的一种形式。

In certain contexts, some acts of obedience, if directed to other than God, do not constitute associating partners with Him. For example, one’s love for God may be deficient and require perfecting. Associating partners with God in the context of love would involve loving something or someone instead of God or as much as God. Someone can love their family and it would not constitute associating partners with God. If they loved their family instead of God, or as much as God, then that would constitute a form of associating partners with Him.

最严重的罪。

The gravest sin.

以物配主是最严重的罪。这种罪的后果是：一个以此状态死去且未悔改的人，是以不信之状态死去的。这永远不会被真主饶恕。（这适用于以物配主的重大形式。也有较轻的形式，不会导致不信，例如为真主以外的对象施舍、服从某人而不服从真主，以及为显示自己而行善。然而，以物配主的重大形式，例如向真主以外的对象祈祷，以及相信其他事物值得崇拜，则会导致不信。这一问题较为微妙，涉及许多需要考虑的变量。我建议进一步研究这一主题，因为此处的目的并不是详细展开。）

Associating partners with God is the gravest sin. The consequence of this sin is that the one who dies in such a state and has not repented dies in a state of disbelief. This will never be forgiven by God. (This applies to major forms of associating partners with God. There are lesser forms that do not lead to disbelief, such as giving charity for other than God, obeying someone instead of God and showing off one’s good deeds. However, major forms of associating partners with God such as praying to other than Him and believing other things are worthy of worship lead to disbelief. This however is a nuanced topic with many variables to consider. I suggest further study on this topic, as it is not the objective to go into detail here):

“诚然，真主不宽恕以物配他，但除此以外的罪过，祂愿意宽恕谁就宽恕谁。谁以物配主，谁就确已犯下了弥天大罪。”563

“Indeed, God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with God has certainly committed a tremendous sin.”563

然而,如果有人以他物与真主并列,但向祂忏悔并回归独一神的正道,他就会得到宽恕,其罪过也将被转化为善功:

However, if one associates partners with God and repents to Him and returns to the path of oneness, he or she will be forgiven, and their transgressions will be transformed into good deeds:

“那些不与真主同拜别的神明的人……除了那些悔罪、信道并行善的人，真主会把他们的罪恶变成善功，真主是至赦的，是至慈的。”564

“And those who invoke not any other deity along with God… Except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds; for those, God will change their sins into good deeds, and God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”564

凡是与真主同列伴侣、至死未曾悔改、且死于此种状态（并且没有任何借口）的人，实际上是自己欺压了自己，关闭了通向真主慈悯的大门。他们的心已经“永远”拒绝了真主的引导与慈悯；因此，他们使自己远离了神圣的主。那些拒绝真主的人将会恳求被送回尘世去行善，但他们的心已经“永远”拒绝了：

The one who has associated partners with God and has never repented, and dies in that state (and has no excuse), has essentially oppressed themselves by closing the door to God’s mercy. Their hearts have ‘eternally’ rejected God’s guidance and mercy; therefore, they have alienated themselves from the Divine. Those who reject God will plead to go back to earth to do righteousness, but their hearts have ‘eternally’ rejected:

“[事实正是如此——]直到其中一人死亡来临时，他说：‘我的主啊，让我回去，使我在所遗弃的（今世）中行善。’绝非如此！那只是他说出的一句话。”565

“[For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, ‘My Lord, send me back that I might do righteousness in that which I left behind.’ No! It is only a word he is saying.”565

这种自我造成的精神处境，实际上是一种否认。此人拒绝了上主所赐予他们、使其得以接纳祂的慈悲与爱的一切公正而合理的机会。

This self-imposed spiritual reality is a form of denial. The person has denied all the just and fair opportunities that God has given them to embrace His mercy and love:

“真主没有亏待他们，是他们亏待了自己。”566

“God has not wronged them, but they wronged themselves.”566

“这是你们手所作的报应。真主绝不亏待他的仆人。”567

“This is reward for what your hands have done. And God is never unjust to His servants.”567

需要指出的是,根据伊斯兰教义,如果某人未曾接受到伊斯兰教的正确讯息,并且寻求真理,那么他将有借口,并将在审判日接受考验。568 真主是至公的(Al-'Adl),任何人都不会受到不公正的对待。因此,当一位非穆斯林去世时,对其最终归宿作出判断被视为不符合伊斯兰教的做法(不过,一些学者认为这可能不适用于从未寻求真理或对伊斯兰教没有足够了解的人)。没有人知道他人心中所想,也无法知道某人是否以正确的方式接受了正确的讯息。然而,从信仰和社会的角度来看,已故的非穆斯林将按照非穆斯林的方式安葬。这并不意味着这就是他们最终的审判。事实上,真主是至公且至仁的,所以没有人会受到无情的对待,也没有人会受到不公正的对待。

It must be noted that according to Islamic theology, if someone was not given the right message of Islam, and sought the truth, they will have an excuse and will be tested on the Day of Judgment.568 God is The-Just and no one will be treated unjustly. This is why, when a non-Muslim has passed away, it is considered un-Islamic to pass judgment on their final abode (however, some scholars have said this may not apply to those who never sought the truth or had sufficient knowledge of Islam). No one knows what is in someone else’s heart and whether someone was given the right message in the right way. However, from a creedal and societal point of view, non-Muslims who died will be buried as non-Muslims. This does not mean that this is their final judgement. In reality, God is maximally and perfectly just and merciful, so no one will be treated unmercifully and no one will be treated unjustly.

凡是已经以正确、完整的方式听闻伊斯兰讯息的人，都将为自己的否认负责。而那些在未曾听闻伊斯兰讯息之前离世的人，或者听到的是被扭曲变形的讯息的人，将获得机会接受真理。

People who have heard the message of Islam in a sound and correct way will have to account for their denial. However, whoever dies without having heard the message of Islam, or heard it in a distorted form, will be given an opportunity to accept the truth.

借鉴《古兰经》各节经文与先知圣训的精神，安萨里对这一细致的立场作了总结。他认为，从未听闻伊斯兰讯息的人将得到原谅："事实上，我要说，若主意愿，当今大多数拜占庭基督徒和突厥人都将蒙受主的慈悯。我指的是那些居住在拜占庭和安纳托利亚最偏远地区、从未接触过这一讯息的人……他们是可以被原谅的。"569

Echoing the principles from the various verses of the Qur’an and the Prophetic traditions, Al-Ghazali summarises this nuanced approach. He argues that people who never heard the message of Islam will have an excuse: “In fact, I would say that, God willing, most of the Byzantine Christians and the Turks of this age will be included in God’s mercy. I’m referring here to those who live in the farthest regions of Byzantium and Anatolia who have not come into contact with the message… They are excused.”569

阿勒·غزالي还认为，那些听到关于先知穆罕默德ﷺ及其使命的负面说法的人，同样会被原谅："这些人只知道‘穆罕默德’这个名字，却不了解他的品格和特质。相反，他们从小听到的只是：一个名叫‘穆罕默德’的骗子和冒名顶替者声称自己是先知……在我看来，这一群人与前一群人相似。因为即便他们听说过他的名字，听到的却与他真实的品质截然相反。这不足以促使他们去探究［他的真实身份］。"570

Al-Ghazali also argues that the people who heard negative things of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلمand his message will also be excused: “These people knew the name ‘Muhammad’, but nothing of his character or his qualities. Instead, all they heard since childhood is that a liar and imposter called ‘Muhammad’ claimed to be a prophet… This party, in my opinion, is like the first party. For even though they’ve heard his name, they heard the opposite of what his true qualities were. And this does not provide enough incentive for them to investigate [his true status].” 570

伊斯兰的真正教义是抵御极端主义的屏障。在我看来，一切形式的极端主义都建立在一种"意识形态的僵硬"之上，这种僵硬使人心变得坚硬。我的意思是，人们对世界和他人持有不可协商、非此即彼且消极的假设。这使得一个群体将另一个群体"他者化"。"他者化"并不仅仅是把人归为不同的群体，这种做法是自然的，也是现代社会的一部分。"他者化"通常发生在一个群体以负面的方式描述另一个群体，并坚持认为该群体的每个成员都是一样的时候。这会使人心变得坚硬，阻止人们与看似不同的人进行积极的交往。 伊斯兰教并不将人"他者化"。它不断言每一个非穆斯林最终都注定毁灭或邪恶。《古兰经》十分明确地表明，构成其他群体的人"并非都一样"（571），并且称他们中的一些人为"正直的"。572

The true teachings of Islam are a barrier to extremism. In my view, all forms of extremism are based on an ‘ideological hardness’ that hardens people’s hearts. What I mean by this, is that people adopt non-negotiable, binary and negative assumptions about the world and other people. This makes one group of people ‘otherize’ another. Otherization is not simply labelling people as belonging to other groups. This is natural and part of modern society. Otherization usually happens when one group describes another group in a negative way and maintains that each member is the same. This hardens people’s hearts and prevents them from positively engaging with other people who seem to be different. Islam does not otherize people. It does not assert that everyone who is not a Muslim is ultimately doomed or evil. The Qur’an makes it quite clear that people constituting other groups “are not all alike” 571 and describes some of them as “upright”572

《古兰经》也将这一概念应用于信士：有人是善人，有人则不是。尽管如此，伊斯兰教教导人们，每一个人都必须以仁慈、怜悯和公正相待（见第14章）。

. The Qur’an also applies this concept to believers too; some are righteous and some are not. Nevertheless, Islam teaches that every human being must be treated with mercy, compassion and fairness (see Chapter 14).

崇拜的精髓。

The essence of worship.

在伊斯兰传统中，一项核心的敬拜行为是祈祷（伊斯兰神学中称为“杜阿”）。先知穆罕默德ﷺ教导说，祈祷是“敬拜的精髓”573。祈祷只能向安拉祈求，因为当我们为所需或所求之事寻求帮助时，只有祂能够助我们。向安拉以外的任何事物祈求，是多神崇拜的行为，因为此人是在向一个没有能力满足该请求的存在祈求。例如，如果有人请求一尊石像赐予他双胞胎女儿，这就是多神崇拜，因为他是在向一个没有能力满足该请求的存在祈求。然而，这并不意味着向有能力帮助你的人寻求帮助就是多神崇拜。只有当人相信安拉不是其助力的最终创造者时，才构成多神崇拜。向安拉祈祷是使我们的敬拜保持纯正的一部分，而我们向祂祈祷的方式应当怀着谦卑。安拉说：“你们当谦卑地、秘密地祈求你们的主”574，又说：“故你们当诚心地祈祷祂，宗教信仰只归祂”575。

In the Islamic tradition, a key act of worship is supplication (known as dua in Islamic theology). The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم taught that supplication is “the essence of worship”573. Supplications are to God alone, because only He can help us when we ask for help for something that we need or want. Supplicating to anything other than God is an act of polytheism, because the person is asking for something from an entity that does not have the ability to provide or fulfil that request. For example, if someone were to ask a stone idol to grant them twin girls, it would be an act of polytheism because they are supplicating to an entity that has no power to fulfil that request. This does not mean, however, that asking someone who has the ability to assist you for help is polytheism. It would only be polytheism if one were to believe that God was not the ultimate creator of their ability to help you. Supplicating to God is part of making our worship pure, and the way we supplicate to Him should be with humility. God says: “Invoke your Lord with humility”574 and “So call upon Him, [being] sincere to Him in religion.” 575.

根据伊斯兰灵修传统，宗教功修要获得接纳，需满足两个条件。第一，功修必须纯粹为了真主而行。第二，该行为本身须是伊斯兰根本经典即《古兰经》和圣训所规定的。由此自然产生一个问题：这些功修是什么？ 功修的种类很多。如前所述，凡是为了取悦真主而做的善行，都是功修。然而，有一些基本功修是伊斯兰灵修实践中不可或缺的。先知穆罕默德ﷺ将其概括为伊斯兰教的五功。它们包括：在心中确认并承认除真主外别无应受崇拜者，穆罕默德ﷺ是真主最后的使者；每天礼拜五次；若有能力，缴纳应纳的天课；在斋月（伊斯兰历的第九个月）封斋；以及有能力者朝觐。这些功修都具有深刻的意义和内在的维度。这些是伊斯兰教的基本支柱。 不过，在发展自身的灵修实践时，人还可以进行众多额外的灵修活动。其中包括：诵读《古兰经》；记念真主；清除心中的灵性疾病；自愿施舍；向他人传达伊斯兰的信息；济助贫穷者；照料动物；学习穆罕默德ﷺ的生平；背诵《古兰经》；夜间礼拜；反思自然现象，以及更多。

According to the Islamic spiritual tradition, acts of worship are accepted if they fulfil two conditions. The first is that the act of worship should be done purely for the sake of God. The second is that the action itself is prescribed by the Islamic source texts: the Qur’an and the Prophetic traditions. So a natural question that follows from this is: What are these acts of worship? The acts of worship are many. As previously mentioned, any good action that is done to please God is an act of worship. However, there are some basic acts of worship which are essential to Islamic spiritual practice. These have been summarised by the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم as the five pillars of Islam. They include: affirming and recognising in one’s heart that there is no deity worthy of worship except God and that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is God’s final messenger; praying five times a day; giving the obligatory charity if one can afford to; fasting in Ramadan (the 9th month of the Islamic calendar) and performing the pilgrimage if one is able to do so. These acts of worship have profound meanings and inner dimensions. These are the basic pillars of Islam. However, in developing one’s spiritual practice one can engage in a plethora of additional spiritual activities. These include: reciting the Qur’an; remembrance of God; removing the spiritual diseases in one’s heart; voluntary charity; conveying the message of Islam to others; feeding the poor; taking care of animals; studying the life of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم ;memorising the Qur’an; the night prayer; reflecting on natural phenomena and much more.

为什么我们所有的崇拜行为都必须只献给真主（安拉）独一的主宰？ Wait — the rule says the original says "God", not "Allah", so I must write the Chinese word for God. Corrected: 为什么我们所有的崇拜行为都必须只献给神一个主宰？

So why do all our acts of worship have to be dedicated to God alone?.

我将围绕以下几点来阐述对这个问题的回答：

I will elaborate on the following points to answer this question:

• 崇拜真主的权利是祂存在的必然事实。

• God’s right to worship is a necessary fact of His existence.

• 真主创造了万物，并维持着万物的存在。

• God has created and sustains everything.

真主为我们赐予了无数的恩典。

• God provides us with innumerable favours.

• 如果我们爱自己，就必须爱真主。 Note on the rules: the original says "God", so the Chinese word for God should be used. Following that, the translation is: • 如果我们爱自己，就必须爱神。

• If we love ourselves, we must love God.

真主是至爱的，祂的爱是最纯洁的爱。

• God is The-Loving, and His love is the purest form of love.

敬拜是我们生命的一部分。

• Worship is part of who we are.

服从真主是崇拜祂的一部分。

• Obeying God is part of worshipping Him.

真主应受崇拜的权利，是祂存在的必然事实。

God’s right to worship is a necessary fact of His existence.

最好的起点是理解真主是谁。真主按其定义,是应当受到我们崇拜的那一位;这是祂自身存在的一个必然事实。《古兰经》反复强调了真主的这一事实:"的确,我是真主,除我之外没有别的主宰,故你们应当崇拜我,为纪念我而守拜。"576

The best place to start is to understand who God is. God, by definition, is the One who is entitled to our worship; it is a necessary fact of His own existence. The Qur’an repeatedly highlights this fact about God, “Indeed, I am God. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.”576

由于真主是唯一值得我们崇拜的对象,因此我们所有的崇拜行为都应只指向祂。在伊斯兰传统中,真主被视为至圆满的存在。祂拥有一切完美的名称和属性,并且达到了可能的最高程度。例如,在伊斯兰神学中,真主被描述为“至爱者”(Al-Wadud),这意味着祂的爱是最完美、最伟大的爱。正是因为这些名称和属性,真主才必须被崇拜。 我们总是称赞人的仁慈、知识和智慧。然而,真主的仁慈、知识和智慧达到了可能的最高程度,毫无欠缺或瑕疵。因此,祂值得最广泛的赞美,而赞美真主本身就是一种崇拜。真主也是唯一有权接受我们祈求和祷告的存在。祂最清楚什么对我们有益,并且祂希望我们得到益处。拥有这些属性的存在,必须被祈祷,并被请求给予帮助。真主值得我们崇拜,是因为祂本身具有某种特质使祂如此。祂是拥有最完美名称和属性的存在。

Since God is the only Being whose right is our worship, then all of our acts of worship should be directed to Him alone. In the Islamic tradition, God is considered a maximally perfect Being. He possesses all the perfect names and attributes to the highest degree possible. For example, in Islamic theology, God is described as the The-Loving, and this means that His love is the most perfect and greatest love possible. It is because of these names and attributes that God must be worshipped. We always praise people for their kindness, knowledge and wisdom. However, God’s kindness, knowledge and wisdom are to the highest degree possible with no deficiency or flaw. Therefore, He is worthy of the most extensive form of praise, and praising God is a form of worship. God is also the only One entitled to our supplications and prayers. He knows best what is good for us, and He wants what is good for us. Such a Being with these attributes must be prayed to and be asked assistance of. God is worthy of our worship because there is something about God that makes Him so. He is the Being with the most perfect names and attributes.

一个重要的观点是，崇拜真主是祂的权利，即使我们并未从中获得任何形式的安慰。即便我们过着充满苦难的生活，依然必须崇拜真主。崇拜真主并不取决于某种互惠关系；祂赐予我们生命，我们以崇拜回报祂。请不要误解我的意思：真主赐予我们许多恩惠（我将在下文讨论），然而，祂之所以受到崇拜，是因为祂的本性，而不一定是因为祂以无限的智慧决定如何分配祂的恩赐。我们因为人的体育技能、口才、力量或其他品质而赞美他们，即便他们并未直接让我们受益。同样，真主因祂完美的名字和属性而值得极大的赞美，而不是因为祂决定在我们的生活中如何彰显这些属性。如果我们能够赞美那些属性有限且有缺陷的人，那么对于名字和属性毫无缺陷的真主，我们理应如何赞美祂呢？

An important point regarding worshipping God is that it is His right, even if we are not recipients of any type of comfort. If we were to live a life full of suffering, God must still be worshipped. Worshipping God is not dependent on some kind of reciprocal relationship; He gives us life, and we worship Him in return. Do not misunderstand what I am saying here: God showers us with many blessings (as I will discuss below); however, He is worshipped because of who He is and not necessarily how He decides—via His boundless wisdom—to distribute His bounty. We praise people due to their sporting skill, eloquence, strength or any other attribute. We do so even though they do not benefit us in any direct way. Similarly, God deserves extensive praise by virtue of His perfect names and attributes and not as a result of how He decided to manifest them in our lives. If we can praise people who have limited and flawed attributes, what does it mean on how we must praise God whose names and attributes have no deficiency or flaw?.

真主创造了万物，并维系着万物。

God has created and sustains everything.

真主创造了万物;祂持续地维系着整个宇宙,并以祂的恩惠供养我们。《古兰经》以种种方式不断重申这一理念,使聆听者或阅读者的心中生出感恩与敬畏之情:"祂为你们创造了地上的一切。"577

God has created everything; He continually sustains the entire cosmos and provides for us out of His bounty. The Qur’an continually repeats this concept in various ways, which evokes a sense of gratitude and awe in the heart of the listener or reader: “It is He who created for you all of that which is on the Earth.” 577

“难道他们以不能创造任何事物、自身反而是被造的东西，作为与安拉并列的配偶吗？”578

“Do they indeed ascribe to Him as partners things that can create nothing but are themselves created?” 578

“人类啊，你们当记住真主赐予你们的恩惠。除了真主，还有哪个造物主从天上和大地上供给你们呢？除他之外，别无应受崇拜的主，你们怎么还会被迷惑呢？”579

“O mankind, remember the favour of God upon you. Is there any creator other than God who provides for you from the heaven and Earth? There is no deity except Him, so how are you deluded?” 579

因此,我们日常所用的一切,以及我们生存所必需的一切基本事物,都是出于真主的恩赐。由此可见,一切赞美都归于祂。既然真主创造了存在的一切,祂便是万物的主宰与拥有者,我们也包括在内。因此,我们理应对祂怀有敬畏与感恩之心。既然真主是我们的主,我们就应当做祂的仆人。否认这一点,不仅是拒绝事实,更是极度的忘恩负义、傲慢与不知感恩,正如本章前面所讨论的那样。

Therefore, everything we use in our daily lives, and all of the essential things that we require to survive, are due to God. It follows then that His is all gratitude. Since God created everything that exists, He is the owner and master of everything, including us. Hence, we must be in a sense of awe and gratitude to Him. Since God is our Master, we must be His servants. To deny this is not only rejecting reality, but it is the height of ingratitude, arrogance and thanklessness, as discussed earlier in this chapter.

既然真主创造了我们,我们的存在完全依赖于祂。我们并不是自给自足的,即便我们中有些人错误地以为自己能够自足。无论我们过着奢华安逸的生活,还是贫困艰难的生活,我们最终都依赖于真主。这个宇宙中的任何事情若没有祂都不可能发生,而所发生的一切都出于祂的意志。我们在事业上的成功以及我们可能取得的伟大成就,最终都是因为真主。祂在宇宙中创造了我们用以取得成功的各种因果条件,如果祂不愿让我们成功,那么成功就永远不会实现。理解我们对真主的最终依赖,应当在心中唤起极大的感恩和谦卑之情。在真主面前谦卑自己并感谢祂,本身就是一种崇拜。通往神圣指引与慈悲的最大障碍之一,是自给自足的错觉,而这种错觉归根结底源于自我和傲慢。《古兰经》对此讲得很清楚:"但人确实悖逆,自以为自给自足。"580

Since God created us, our very existence is solely dependent on Him. We are not self-sufficient, even if some of us are deluded in thinking that we are. Whether we live a life of luxury and ease or poverty and hardship, we are ultimately dependent on God. Nothing in this universe is possible without Him and whatever happens is due to His will. Our success in business and the great things that we may achieve are ultimately because of God. He created the causes in the universe that we use to achieve success, and if He does not will our success it will never happen. Understanding our ultimate dependency on God should evoke an immense sense of gratitude and humility in our hearts. Humbling ourselves before God and thanking Him is a form of worship. One of the biggest barriers to Divine guidance and mercy is the delusion of self-sufficiency, which is ultimately based on ego and arrogance. The Qur’an makes this point clear: “But man exceeds all bounds when he thinks he is self-sufficient.”580

“有人吝啬，自以为无需他人，又否认至善——我们必使他走向艰难。当他坠落时，他的财富也无法帮助他。引导，本是我们的责任。”581.

“There is the one who is miserly, and is self-satisfied, who denies goodness—We shall smooth his way towards hardship and his wealth will not help him as he falls. Our part is to provide guidance.”581.

真主赐予我们数不尽的恩惠。

God provides us with innumerable favours.

“若你们要计算真主的恩惠，是数不尽的。人类确实是非常不义且忘恩负义的。”582

“And if you should [try to] count the favours of God, you could not enumerate them. Indeed mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful.”582

我们应当对真主永怀感激,因为我们永远无法充分感谢祂所赐予的恩惠。心脏便是说明这一点的恰当例子。人的心脏每天约跳动十万次,一年约三千七百万次。如果我们活到七十五岁,心跳次数将达到二十七亿五千九百四十万次。我们中有谁数过这么多次心跳吗?没有人数过,事实上也不可能数清。首先,人在生命最初的几年根本不会数数,那几年的心跳就已经无法计算了。其次,人睡着时无法数心跳。若要数清一生的心跳,就必须从出生那天起,包括睡眠中的每一次心跳都去计数,而每当心脏开始新的一次跳动,你都得去数,这会妨碍你正常的生活。实际上,这是不可能做到的。然而,每一次心跳对我们而言都是珍贵的。我们任何人都会愿意付出一座金山,来确保自己的心脏正常运作、维持我们的生命。可是我们却常常忘记,并否认那创造我们心脏、使其运作的主。这个例子让我们不得不得出结论:我们必须感激真主,而感恩本身就是一种敬拜。以上讨论仅涉及心跳,那么试想一下,我们对祂所赐予的其他一切恩惠应当怀有多少感激。从这个角度看,心跳之外的一切都是额外的恩赐。真主赐予我们的恩惠数不胜数,即便我们能够一一数清,也还要感谢祂赐予我们数算的能力。

We should be eternally grateful to God because we could never thank Him for His blessings. The heart is an appropriate example to illustrate this point. The human heart beats around 100,000 times a day, which is approximately 37,000,000 times a year. If we were to live up to the age of 75, the number of heartbeats would reach 2,759,400,000. How many of us have even counted that number of heartbeats? No one ever has. It is actually impossible to count that many heartbeats. Firstly, for the first few years of your life you cannot count. Already there are a few years of backlog. Secondly, you cannot count your heartbeats while you are sleeping. To be able to count a lifetime’s worth of heartbeats, you would have had to start counting each heartbeat from the day you were born and while you were asleep. This would interfere with your ability to live a normal life, as you would always be counting every time your heart started a new beat. As a practical matter it is impossible. However, every heartbeat is precious to us. Anyone of us would sacrifice a mountain of gold to ensure that our hearts function properly to keep us alive. Yet we forget and deny the One who created our hearts and enables them to function. This illustration forces us to conclude that we must be grateful to God, and gratitude is a form of worship. The above discussion just refers to heartbeats, so imagine the gratitude we must express for all the other blessings God has given us. From this perspective, anything other than a heartbeat is a bonus. God has given us favours we cannot enumerate, and if we could count them we would have to thank Him for the ability to do so.

如果我们爱自己，就必须爱真主。

If we love ourselves, we must love God.

热爱真主是崇拜的根本内容。爱有许多种类，其中之一便是自爱。自爱的产生，是出于人想要延续自身生存、获得快乐、避免痛苦的愿望，也出于满足人类需求与动机的需要。我们每个人都天生爱自己，因为我们希望幸福、满足。心理学家埃里希·弗洛姆认为，爱自己并不是傲慢或自我中心的表现。相反，自爱意味着关怀自己、为自己负责，并尊重自己。这种爱是爱他人的必要前提。如果我们不能爱自己，又怎能爱别人呢？没有什么比我们自身更接近我们；如果我们不能关怀和尊重自己，又怎能关怀和尊重他人呢？爱自己是一种“自我共情”。我们与自己的情感、思想和志向建立联系。如果我们不能与自己建立联系，又怎能与他人共情并建立联系呢？埃里希·弗洛姆呼应这一观点，他说，爱“意味着对自己的完整性和独特性的尊重，对理解自己的爱，与对另一个人的尊重、爱和理解是不可分割的。”583

Loving God is a fundamental aspect of worship. There are many types of love and one of these includes self-love. This occurs due to the desire to prolong our existence, feel pleasure and avoid pain, as well as the need to satisfy our human needs and motivations. We all have this natural love for ourselves because we want to be happy and content. The psychologist Erich Fromm argued that loving oneself is not a form of arrogance or egocentricity. Rather, self-love is about caring, taking responsibility and having respect for ourselves. This type of love is necessary in order to love others. If we cannot love ourselves, how then can we love other people? There is nothing closer to us than our own selves; if we cannot care for and respect ourselves, how then can we care for and respect others? Loving ourselves is a form of ‘self-empathy’. We connect with our own feelings, thoughts and aspirations. If we cannot connect with our own selves, how then can we empathise and connect with others? Erich Fromm echoes this idea by saying that love “implies that respect for one’s own integrity and uniqueness, love for an understanding of one’s own self, cannot be separated from respect and love and understanding for another individual.”583

如果一个人对自己的爱是必然的，那么这应当引导他去爱那位创造他的主。为什么呢？因为真主为人类创造了获得幸福与快乐、避免痛苦的物质条件和途径。真主慷慨地赐予我们生命中每一刻宝贵的时光，然而我们并未赚取或拥有这些时光。伟大的神学家安萨里（Al-Ghazali）恰当地阐明了：如果我们爱自己，就必须爱真主。

If a person’s love for himself is necessary, this should lead him to love the One who made him. Why? Because God created the physical causes and means for human beings to achieve happiness and pleasure, and avoid pain. God has freely given us every precious moment of our existence, yet we do not earn or own these moments. The great theologian Al-Ghazali aptly explains that if we love ourselves we must love God:

“因此,如果人爱自己是必然的,那么他对那位创造他、使他先得以存在、继而使他的本体连同其一切内在与外在的特性、实体与偶性得以持续的那位的爱,也必然是必然的。凡是被肉欲迷惑到缺乏这份爱的人,便是忽视了他的主和创造者。他对祂没有真实的认识;他的目光只局限于自己的私欲和感官之物。”584.

“Therefore, if man’s love for himself be necessary, then his love for Him through whom, first his coming-to-be, and second, his continuance in his essential being with all his inward and outward traits, his substance and his accidents, occur must also be necessary. Whoever is so besotted by his fleshy appetites as to lack this love neglects his Lord and Creator. He possesses no authentic knowledge of Him; his gaze is limited to his cravings and to things of sense.” 584.

真主是至爱的，祂的爱是最纯洁的爱。

God is The-Loving, and His love is the purest form of love.

真主是至爱者。祂拥有最纯洁的爱。这理应使人渴望爱祂，而爱祂正是崇拜的关键部分。试想，如果我告诉你，有这样一个人，他是世上最有爱心的人，任何其他的爱都无法与他的爱相比；这难道不会激起你强烈的愿望，去认识这个人，并最终也爱上他吗？真主的爱是最纯洁、最强烈的爱，因此任何有理智的人都会想要爱祂。

God is The-Loving. He has the purest form of love. This should make anyone want to love Him, and loving Him is a key part of worship. Imagine if I were to tell you that there was this person who was the most loving person ever, and that no other love could match his love; wouldn’t that instil a strong desire to get to know this person and eventually love him too? God’s love is the purest and most intense form of love; therefore, any sane person would want to love him too.

鉴于英语单词 love 涵盖多种含义，阐述伊斯兰教中真主之爱观念的最佳方式，是考察《古兰经》中用来描述神圣之爱的实际术语：祂的慈悯（rahmah）、祂的特别慈悯（raheem）和祂的特别之爱（muwadda）。通过理解这些术语及其与神圣本性的关系，我们的心将学会爱主。

Given that the English word for love encompasses a range of meanings, the best way to elaborate on the Islamic conception of God’s love is to look into the actual Qur’anic terms used to describe Divine love: His mercy (rahmah), His special mercy (raheem) and His special love (muwadda). By understanding these terms and how they relate to the Divine nature, our hearts will learn to love God.

怜悯

Mercy.

据说，爱的另一种说法是慈悲。真主的名字之一是“至慈的”，阿拉伯语用词是“Ar-Rahmaan”（阿尔-拉赫曼）。这一英文译文并未完全体现该词所承载的深度与强烈意味。“Ar-Rahmaan”这一名称包含三层主要含义：其一，真主的慈悲是强烈的慈悲；其二，他的慈悲是即时的慈悲；其三，这是一种强大到无物能够阻挡的慈悲。真主的慈悲涵盖万物，他也喜爱引导世人。在他的经典《古兰经》中，他说：“……而我的慈悲涵盖万物……”585

It is said that another word for love is mercy. One of God’s names is The-Merciful; the Arabic word used is Ar-Rahmaan. This English translation does not fully represent the depth and intensity that the meaning of this word carries. The name Ar-Rahmaan has three major connotations: the first is that God’s mercy is an intense mercy; the second is that His mercy is an immediate mercy; and the third is a mercy so powerful that nothing can stop it. God’s mercy encompasses all things and He prefers guidance for people. In God’s book, the Qur’an, He says, “…but My mercy encompasses all things….” 585

{它是至慈的主所教授的《古兰经》。} 586

“It is the Lord of Mercy who taught the Qur’an.” 586

在上述经文中，真主说祂是“至仁者”，这可以理解为“慈悲之主”，并且祂教授了《古兰经》。这是一个语言上的提示，用以强调《古兰经》的降示乃是真主慈悯的显现。换言之，《古兰经》就像一封写给全人类的大情书。正如真爱一般，爱者希望所爱之人得到好处，提醒他们防范陷阱与障碍，并指引他们通往幸福。《古兰经》也不例外：它呼唤人类，同时也予以警告并传达喜讯。

In the above verse, God says He is The-Merciful, which can be understood as the “Lord of Mercy”, and that He taught the Qur’an. This is a linguistic indication to highlight that the Qur’an was revealed as a manifestation of God’s mercy. In other words, the Qur’an is like one big love-letter to humanity. As with true love, the one who loves wants good for the beloved, and warns them of pitfalls and obstacles, and shows them the way to happiness. The Qur’an is no different: it calls out to humanity, and it also warns and expresses glad tidings.

特别的慈悲。

Special Mercy.

与“阿尔-拉赫曼”（Ar-Rahmaan）相关的是“阿尔-拉希姆”（Ar-Raheem）。这两个名字同出一个词根，该词根源自阿拉伯语中“子宫”一词。然而，二者的含义有着重要的区别。“阿尔-拉希姆”指的是一种特殊的怜悯，是给予那些愿意接受它的人的。凡选择接受真主引导的人，实际上就已经接受了祂的特殊怜悯。这种特殊的怜悯属于信士，并体现在天堂之中：那是与真主之间永无止境、充满喜乐的平安。

Connected to Ar-Rahmaan is Ar-Raheem. These names share the same linguistic root which comes from the Arabic word for womb. The difference in meaning however is significant. Ar-Raheem refers to a special mercy for those who want to embrace it. Whoever chooses to accept God’s guidance has essentially accepted His special mercy. This special mercy is for the believers and it is manifested in paradise; unending, blissful peace with God.

特别的爱。

Special Love.

根据《古兰经》，真主是至爱者（Al-Wadood）。这指的是一种显现出来的特殊之爱。该词源自"wud"一词，其意为通过施予的行为来表达爱："而他是至赦者、至爱者。"587

According to the Qur’an, God is The-Loving. The Arabic name is Al-Wadood. This refers to a special love that is apparent. It comes from the word wud, which means expressing love through the act of giving: “And He is The Forgiving, The Loving.” 587

上主的爱超越了一切形式的爱。祂的爱胜过世间所有的爱。例如，母亲的爱虽然无私，却源于她内心想要爱护孩子的需要。这份爱使她圆满，她通过自己的付出感到充实和满足。真主是独立的存在，自足而完美，祂不需要任何东西。真主的爱不是基于需要或渴望；因此它是最纯粹的爱，因为祂爱我们，丝毫不会从中获得任何益处。

God’s love transcends all of the different types of love. His love is greater than all worldly forms of love. For example, a mother’s love, although selfless, is based on her internal need to love her child. It completes her, and through her sacrifices she feels whole and fulfilled. God is an independent Being who is self-sufficient and perfect; He does not require anything. God’s love is not based on a need or want; it is therefore the purest form of love, because He gains absolutely nothing from loving us.

有鉴于此，我们怎能不爱那比我们所能想象的任何事物都更慈爱的主呢？先知穆罕默德ﷺ说："真主对祂的仆人，比母亲对她的孩子更加慈爱。"588

In this light, how can we not love the One who is more loving than anything we can imagine? The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “God is more affectionate to His servants than a mother to her children.”588

如果上主是最慈爱的，而祂的爱远胜于我们所经历过的任何世间之爱，那么这应当使我们对上主生出更深的爱。尤其重要的是，这应当使我们渴望通过成为祂的仆人来爱祂。安萨里（Al-Ghazali）恰如其分地说道：“对于有洞察力的人来说，实际上除了上主，并无任何值得爱的对象，除祂之外，也无人配得上爱。”589

If God is the most loving, and His love is greater than the greatest worldly love we have experienced, this should instil in us a deeper love for God. Significantly, this should make us want to love Him by being one of His servants. Al-Ghazali aptly said, “For those endowed with insight there is in reality no object of love but God, nor does anyone but He deserve love.”589

从精神层面看,真主的爱是人所能获得的最大福分,因为它是内心安宁、平静以及后世永恒喜乐的源泉。不爱真主,不仅是一种忘恩负义,更是最大的憎恨。不爱那爱的源头,便是拒绝那使爱得以产生、充满我们心灵的根本。

From a spiritual perspective, God’s love is the greatest blessing anyone can ever achieve, as it is a source of internal tranquillity, serenity, and eternal bliss in the hereafter. Not loving God is not only a form of ingratitude, but the greatest form of hate. Not loving the One who is the source of love is a rejection of that which enables love to occur and fill our hearts.

神不会强迫我们接受祂特别的爱。虽然祂凭着慈悲，以爱赐予我们生命中的每一刻，但要真正拥抱神的爱，并领受祂特别的爱，人必须与祂建立关系。仿佛神的爱一直在等待我们去接纳。然而，是我们关上了门，放下了百叶窗。我们通过否认、忽视和拒绝神，让这扇门始终紧闭。如果神强迫我们接受祂特别的爱，爱就失去了一切意义。我们有选择的权利：选择走正路，从而获得神特别的爱；或者拒绝祂的引导，承受灵性上的后果。

God does not force His special love on us. Although, by His mercy, He lovingly gives us every moment of our lives, to fully embrace God’s love and be recipients of His special love, one must enter into a relationship with Him. It is as if God’s love is waiting for us to embrace it. However, we have closed the door and put up the shutters. We have kept the door shut by denying, ignoring and rejecting God. If God were to force His special love on us, love would lose all meaning. We have the choice: to follow the right path and thereby gain God’s special love, or reject His guidance and face the spiritual consequences.

最具爱心的存在希望爱你,但要让你接纳这份爱,并使其具有意义,你必须选择去爱祂,并遵循通向祂之爱的道路。这条道路就是先知穆罕默德ﷺ的道路(见第14章):

The most loving Being wants to love you, but in order for you to embrace that love, and for it to be meaningful, you have to choose to love Him and follow the path that leads to His love. This path is the Prophetic path of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم)see Chapter 14):

“你说：‘如果你们爱真主，就当顺从我，真主就会喜爱你们，并赦宥你们的罪过。真主是至赦的，是至慈的。’”590.

“Say, [O Muhammad]: ‘If you love God, then follow me, [so] God will love you and forgive your sins. And God is Forgiving and Merciful’.”590.

崇拜是我们自身的一部分。

Worship is part of who we are.

真主之所以值得我们崇拜，是因为崇拜本就是我们自身的一部分。正如我们需要吃饭、喝水、呼吸一样，崇拜是一种与生俱来的倾向（参见第4章）。从这个角度看，我们天生就是崇拜者，因为这就是我们的本性，也是真主所赋予我们的使命。崇拜真主是一种逻辑上的必然，正如我们说一辆车是红色的。它之所以是红色，是因为我们把那种颜色定义为红色；它是红色，是由定义决定的。同样，我们按照定义就是崇拜者，因为真主如此界定并造就了我们：“我创造精灵和人类，只是为了让他们崇拜我。”591

God is worthy of our worship because worship is part of who we are. Just like our need to eat, drink and breathe, worship is an innate tendency (see Chapter 4). From this perspective, we are natural-born worshippers, because that is who we are and it is our Divinely given purpose. Worshipping God is a logical necessity, just as when we say a car is red. It is red because we have defined that colour as red; it is red by definition. Likewise, we are worshippers by definition, because God defined and made us that way: “I did not create the Jinn [spirit world], nor mankind, except to worship Me.”591

即使是不信神的人，包括那些拒绝承认神有权被崇拜的人，也会表现出崇敬、尊重和忠诚的迹象。如果你不崇拜神，你仍然会去崇拜某种东西。从伊斯兰的角度看，你最热爱和最敬重的对象，包括你赋予其终极权力、并认为自己最终依赖的一切，实质上就是你的崇拜对象。对许多人来说，这可能包括一种意识形态、一位领袖、一位家庭成员，甚至是你自己。换言之，许多人将这些事物偶像化。多神崇拜或偶像崇拜不仅仅是向某个物体祈祷或在其面前叩拜。

Even people who do not believe in God, including those who reject the fact that He is entitled to worship, manifest signs of adoration, reverence and devotion. If you do not worship God, you’ll still end up worshipping something. From an Islamic perspective, the object that you love and revere the most, including whatever you attribute ultimate power to and believe you are ultimately dependent on, is essentially your object of worship. For many people, this can include an ideology, a leader, a family member and even your own self. In other words, many people idolise these things. Polytheism or idolatry is not just about praying to or bowing down in front of an object.

真主植根于我们内心最深处的本性之中,当祂命令我们崇拜祂时,这实际上是一种慈悲与爱的体现。仿佛每个人的心中都有一个空洞。这个空洞不是物质上的,而是精神上的,需要被填满,才能获得灵魂的安宁。我们试图用新工作、假期、新房子、新汽车、爱好、旅行,或是流行的自我提升课程来填补这个空洞。然而,每当我们用这些东西填满内心时,又会出现一个新的空洞。我们永远不会真正满足,过一段时间后,又去寻找别的东西来填补精神上的空虚。然而,一旦我们用对真主的爱充满内心,这个空洞便永久地封闭了。因此,我们会感到平安,体验到一种难以言表的安宁,以及不为灾祸所扰的平静。

God is rooted in our innermost nature, and when God commands us to worship Him, it is actually a mercy and act of love. It is as if every human being has a hole in his or her heart. This hole is not physical, it is spiritual, and it needs to be filled to achieve spiritual tranquillity. We attempt to fill this hole with a new job, a holiday, a new house, a new car, a hobby, travel or taking up a popular self-help course. However, every time we fill our hearts with these things, a new hole appears. We are never truly satisfied, and after a while we seek something else to fill the spiritual void. Yet, once we fill our hearts with the love of God, the hole remains permanently closed. Thus, we feel at peace and experience a tranquillity that can never be put into words, and a serenity that is undisturbed by calamity.

服从真主是崇拜祂的一部分。

Obeying God is part of worshipping Him.

“你们要服从真主和使者，以便你们蒙受怜悯。” Note: the original says "God," so I've rendered it as the Chinese word for God (真主) rather than "Allah." The Prophet is written with ﷺ as required.593

“[A]nd obey God and the Prophet592 so that you may be given mercy.”593

当我乘坐飞机旅行时，通常会听到机长通过机上广播宣布，因为即将遇到颠簸，请系好安全带。我的一般反应是坐下、系好安全带，并希望（同时祈祷）一切顺利。我之所以服从机长的指令，是因为我明白他是关于飞机、飞机的运作方式以及颠簸影响方面的权威。我的服从源于运用我的理性能力。只有傲慢的人才会违抗一个有效的权威。我们中有谁会认真对待一个七岁的孩子告诉我们，我们的数学教授不懂得如何教微积分吗？

When I travel by plane, I usually hear the pilot announce—via the inflight audio system—to fasten our seat belts due to oncoming turbulence. My typical response involves sitting down, fastening my belt and hoping (and praying) for the best. The reason I obey the pilot’s command is that I understand he is the authority concerning the plane, how it works and the effects of turbulence. My obedience is a result of using my rational faculties. Only an arrogant person would disobey a valid authority. Would any of us take seriously a seven-year-old telling us that our maths professor does not know how to teach calculus?

同样地,违抗真主是愚蠢且毫无根据的。即便我们并不知道其中某些命令背后的全部智慧,遵从真主仍是最理性的做法。真主的命令建立在祂无限的知识与智慧之上。祂是终极的权威。否认这一权威,就好比一个两岁的孩子在一张纸上乱涂乱画,却声称自己的文采胜过莎士比亚。(实际上,这种情况更糟。)

In a similar light, disobeying God is foolish and unfounded. Obeying God, even if we do not know the full wisdom behind some of His commands, is the most rational thing to do. God’s commands are based on His boundless knowledge and wisdom. He is the ultimate authority. To deny this authority is like a two-year-old child scribbling on a piece of paper and claiming that he is more eloquent than Shakespeare. (Actually, it is worse.)

这并不意味着我们在遵从真主时要放弃自己的理智。真主亲自命令我们运用理性。然而，一旦我们确立了真主所说的话，就应当随之顺服。遵从真主意味着人应当敬畏祂。信士若想处于敬拜与顺服的状态，就应当敬畏真主。不过，这种敬畏并不是害怕敌人或邪恶势力时的那种恐惧。真主希望我们得到好处。这种敬畏更多是与令人毛骨悚然的敬畏、失去的痛楚、爱以及忧伤相关联。我们敬畏真主，是从担心失去祂的爱与喜悦的角度出发的。594 为了说明这一点，请看下面的例子：

This does not mean that we suspend our minds when obeying God. We are told by God Himself to use our reason. However, once we have established what God has said, then that should result in obedience. Obeying God entails that one should fear Him. A believer should fear God if he wants to be in a state of servitude and obedience. This fear, however, is not the type of fear that is associated with being scared of an enemy or an evil force. God wants good for us. Rather, this fear is associated with skin-shivering awe, loss, love and unhappiness. We fear God from the perspective of fearing losing His love and good pleasure.594 To explain this point, consider the following illustration:

想象你正走在一个商场里。你注意到一个小女孩正被妈妈训斥。小女孩开始哭泣，抱住妈妈的腿。她恳求妈妈原谅她，并要求拥抱。妈妈微笑着告诉孩子，她训斥她是为了保护她，确保她的安全。孩子的恐惧，是害怕失去妈妈的爱与喜悦。孩子不想失去妈妈的爱，也不想让妈妈不开心。这正是我们对真主应当怀有的那种畏惧。

Imagine you are walking through a mall. You notice a young child being told off by her mother. The child starts to cry and holds on to her mother’s leg. The child begs for her mother’s forgiveness and asks for a hug. The mother smiles and tells her child that she was telling her off to protect her and ensure she stays safe. The child’s fear is a fear of losing her mother’s love and pleasure. The child does not want to lose her mother’s love and make her unhappy. This is the type of fear we must have for God.

我们应当愿意顺服真主，因为我们畏惧违抗所带来的灵性后果。这些后果包括失去真主特别的爱；也包括断绝我们借着敬拜行为与祂建立的联系。违抗是我们逃离真主慈悯的方式，而失去真主的慈悯，则会导向一个可怕的居所，即自我招致痛苦的地狱。安萨里以这样的话概括这类畏惧，即对失去所爱之物的畏惧："凡爱某物者，必畏失去它。因此，爱不可能没有畏惧，因为所爱之物是可能失去的。"595

We should want to obey God because we fear the spiritual consequences of disobedience. These include losing God’s special love; including breaking the connection we have built with Him through our acts of worship. Disobedience is our way of running away from God’s mercy, and an absence of His mercy leads to a terrible abode of self-inflicted suffering; hell. Al-Ghazali summarises this type of fear by describing it as a fear of losing something that is loved: “Whoever loves something must fear to lose it. Hence love cannot be without fear, for the object of love is something that can be lost.”595

《古兰经》提到了对真主的敬畏，这种敬畏应当按照我在上文所作的解释来理解。然而，这部天启之书还提到了“虔敬”，在伊斯兰神学中称为“taqwaa”（敬主之心）。一部好的《古兰经》译本应当区分这两个术语。它们的含义各不相同，但又彼此交叠。对真主的敬畏，包含对损失的恐惧，以及违抗命令所带来的精神后果；而虔敬则指对真主临在的觉知与警醒：他知晓我们所做的一切，而作为真主的爱慕者，我们应当追求他的喜悦与爱。

The Qur’an mentions the fear of God, and this fear must be understood in the way I have just explained above. However, the Divine book also mentions God-consciousness, known as taqwaa in Islamic theology. A good translation of the Qur’an would distinguish the two terms. Their meanings are different and they overlap. While fear of God entails fearing loss and the spiritual consequences of disobedience, God-consciousness refers to being mindful and aware of the Divine presence; He knows what we are doing and, as lovers of God, we should want to seek His good pleasure and love.

真主需要我们的崇拜吗？

Does God need our worship?.

这个常见的疑问源于对伊斯兰传统中真主的误解。《古兰经》和先知圣训明确阐明，真主超越万物，不需要任何东西；换言之，祂是绝对独立的（参见第六章）。

This common question arises due to a misunderstanding of God in the Islamic tradition. The Qur’an and the Prophetic traditions clearly explain that God is transcendent and free of any need; in other words, He is absolutely independent (see Chapter 6).

因此，真主并不需要我们崇拜祂。我们的崇拜不会让祂获得任何益处，我们的缺失也不会减损祂分毫。我们之所以崇拜真主，是因为祂凭借自己的智慧与慈悯，如此造化了我们。真主使崇拜对我们有益，无论从今世还是后世的角度来看，都是如此。

Therefore, God does not need us to worship Him at all. He gains nothing from our worship, and our lack of it takes nothing away from God. We worship God because—through God’s wisdom and mercy— He created us that way. God made worship good and beneficial for us, from both worldly and spiritual perspectives.

为什么他创造我们是为了崇拜他？

Why did He create us to worship Him?.

接下来的问题通常是：为什么真主创造我们是为了让我们崇拜祂？真主是至善的存在，因此祂的作为不仅是善的，更是祂本性的体现。此外，真主喜爱善。真主创造了有理性的受造物，他们自由地选择崇拜祂、行善——有些人甚至在德行上达到如众先知般的崇高境界，之后被赐予永生，置身于真主的临在之中，度过永恒的亲密爱与陪伴——这是有史以来最伟大的故事。既然真主喜爱一切善，祂使这个故事成为现实的原因便十分清楚。总而言之，真主创造我们是为了崇拜祂，因为祂希望我们得到善果；换言之，祂希望我们进入乐园。祂已明确说明，那些得以进入乐园的人，是为了体验祂的慈悲而被创造的：596

What follows from this answer is usually the question: Why did God create us to worship Him? God is a maximally good Being, and therefore His actions are not only good, they are expressions of His nature. In addition, God loves good. The fact that God has created rational creatures who would freely choose to worship Him and do good—some to the point of becoming exalted in virtue like the prophets, and then being given eternal life in the presence of God—to pass an eternity of intimate love and companionship, is the greatest story ever told. Since God loves all good, it is clear why He would make this story a reality. In summary, God created us to worship Him because He wants good for us; in other words, He wants us to go to paradise. He has made it clear that those who attain paradise have been created to experience His mercy:596

{"如果你的主愿意，祂本可以使全人类成为一个统一的民族，但他们仍将继续存在分歧——除了那些受到你的主所慈悯的人——因为祂创造他们正是为此。} 597 Wait, I should correct the brace formatting: the Qur'an verse is enclosed in braces. Here is the corrected translation: {如果你的主愿意，祂本可以使全人类成为一个统一的民族，但他们仍将继续存在分歧——除了那些受到你的主所慈悯的人——因为祂创造他们正是为此。} 597

“If your Lord had pleased, He would have made all people a single community, but they continue to have their differences—except those on whom your Lord has mercy— for He created them to be this way.” 597

真主创造我们使我们崇拜祂，这是必然的。祂完美的名称和属性必然要显现出来。一位艺术家必然会创作艺术作品，因为他具有艺术的属性。更何况，真主必然会创造我们来崇拜祂，因为祂是唯一值得崇拜的主。这种必然性并非基于需要，而是真主名称和属性的显现。

God creating us to worship Him was inevitable. His perfect names and attributes were going to manifest themselves. An artist inevitably produces art work because he has the attribute of being artistic. By greater reason, God would inevitably create us to worship Him because He is the One worthy of worship. This inevitability is not based on need, but rather a manifestation of God’s names and attributes.

另一种回答这个问题的方式是认识到，我们的知识是零碎而有限的，因此我们永远无法穷尽真主智慧的全部。如前所述，如果我们能够理解真主的全部智慧，那就意味着我们将成为神，或者真主将与我们一样，这两者都是不可能的。因此，这个问题或许根本没有答案，这一事实恰恰说明了真主之知识的超越性。总之，真主因其永恒的智慧而创造我们，使我们崇拜祂；只是我们无法理解其中的缘由。

Another way of answering this question is to understand that our knowledge is fragmentary and finite, so we will never be able to fathom the totality of God’s wisdom. As previously mentioned, if we comprehended all of God’s wisdom, it would mean we would become Gods or that God would be like us. Both are impossibilities. Hence, the very fact that there may be no answer to this question indicates the transcendence of God’s knowledge. In summary, He created us to worship Him due to His eternal wisdom; we just cannot comprehend why.

要以实际的方式看待这个问题，可以用下面的比喻来说明。设想你站在悬崖边上，有人把你推进了下面的大海。这片海域里布满了鲨鱼。然而，推你下去的人给了你一张防水地图和一个氧气瓶，好让你能够航行到一座美丽的热带岛屿，在那里你将永远享受幸福。如果你是明智的，你就会使用地图，抵达岛屿的安全之地。然而，如果你执着于"你为什么要把我扔进这里？"这个问题，你很可能会被鲨鱼吞噬。对穆斯林而言，《古兰经》和先知的圣训就是那张地图和那个氧气瓶。它们是我们在人生道路上安全前行的工具。我们必须认识、爱戴并顺服真主，并将一切敬拜行为只奉献给祂。归根结底，我们可以选择忽视这一信息而伤害自己，也可以接受它，从而领受真主的爱与慈悯。

A practical way of looking at this question is explained in the following illustration. Imagine you were on the edge of a cliff and someone pushed you into the ocean below. This water is infested with sharks. However, the one who pushed you gave you a waterproof map and an oxygen tank to enable you to navigate to a beautiful tropical island, where you will stay forever in bliss. If you were intelligent, you would use the map and reach the safety of the island. However, being stuck on the question, why did you throw me in here? will probably cause you to be eaten by the sharks. For the Muslim, the Qur’an and Prophetic traditions are the map and the oxygen tank. They are our tools to navigate the path of life safely. We have to know, love and obey God, and dedicate all acts of worship to Him alone. Fundamentally, we have the choice of harming ourselves by ignoring this message, or embracing the love and mercy of God by accepting it.

自由的奴隶。

The free slave.

从存在主义的角度来看,敬拜神就是真正的解放。如果敬拜意味着最爱并顺服神,那么实际上,我们中的许多人在生活中也有其他的神。许多人想要最爱并顺服自己的自我与欲望。我们认为自己总是对的,从不愿意承认错误,并且总想把自己强加于他人。从这个角度看,我们是在被自己奴役。《古兰经》指出了这种卑下的精神状态,并描述了那些把自己的私欲、激情和妄念当作神的人,说他们比牲畜还不如:“你见过那把自己的私欲当作神明的人吗?你能做他的保护者吗?你以为他们中的大多数人能听闻或理解吗?他们只像牲畜,不,他们比牲畜还迷误。”598

From an existential perspective, worshipping God is true liberation. If worship entails loving and obeying God the most, then in reality many of us also have other gods in our lives. Many of us want to love and obey our own egos and desires the most. We think we are always right, we never want to be wrong, and we always want to impose ourselves on others. From this perspective, we are enslaved to ourselves. The Qur’an points out such a debased spiritual state and describes the one who considers his desires, passions and whims as his god, to be worse than an animal: “Think of the man who has taken his own passion as a god: are you to be his guardian? Do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are just like cattle—no, they are further from the path.”598

从自我崇拜出发，我们有时会转而崇拜各种社会压力、观念、规范和文化。它们成为我们的参照标准，我们开始热爱它们，想要更多地了解它们，并被引导去“服从”它们。例子比比皆是；以物质主义为例。我们已经痴迷于金钱和物质财富。显然，渴望金钱和财产未必是坏事，但我们却让这种追求定义了我们是谁。我们的时间和精力都投入到财富的积累中，使物质成功的错误观念成为我们生活的首要焦点。从这个角度看，物质之物开始控制我们，并引导我们去侍奉贪婪的物质主义文化，而不是侍奉真主。我理解这并不适用于每一个人，但这种过度的物质主义非常普遍。Jean M. Twenge 和 Tim Kasser 的研究得出结论：青少年中的物质主义随着代际推移而增强——该研究基于 1976 年至 2007 年的数据——并且一直保持在很高的水平。离婚、失业、种族主义、反社会行为、生活满意度下降等社会不稳定因素，与较高水平的物质主义存在一定关联。S. J. Opree 及其同事的研究也支持这一点，他们得出结论：童年时期的高度物质主义可能会降低成年后的生活满意度。

From self-worship, sometimes we move to worship various forms of social pressures, ideas, norms and cultures. They become our point of reference, we start to love them, want to know more about them, and are led to ‘obey’ them. Examples abound; take, for instance, materialism. We have become preoccupied with money and material belongings. Obviously, to want money and possessions is not necessarily a bad thing, but we have allowed our pursuit to define who we are. Our time and efforts are devoted to the accumulation of wealth, making the false notion of material success the primary focus in our lives. From this perspective, material things start to control us and lead us to serve the culture of avid materialism rather than serving God. I appreciate that this does not apply to everyone, but this form of excessive materialism is very common. Research by Jean M. Twenge and Tim Kasser concluded that materialism amongst youth has increased over generations—this study was based on data from 1976 to 2007—and it has remained very high. Social instability such as divorce, unemployment, racism, antisocial behaviour, decreased life-satisfaction and other social problems have some association with higher levels of materialism.599 This is supported by research conducted by S. J. Opree and others, where they conclude that a high level of materialism during childhood years may decrease life-satisfaction in adulthood.

显然，此类研究并非定论，还需要进行更多研究，但它支持了一种普遍的直觉：这样的优先次序显然是不正确的。我们的自我认同建立在工作、收入、财富和所拥有的物质之上。我们的身份正逐渐取决于物质因素，而不是取决于许多人认为更高尚的价值，例如我们的品德、道德标准、人道主义精神，以及与真主之外的神和其他人之间的联结。

600 Obviously, research of this kind is not entirely conclusive, and much more research needs to be done, but it supports a collective intuition that such priorities are clearly not right. Our sense of who we are is based on our jobs, earnings, wealth and possessions. Our identities are slowly becoming contingent on material factors and not on—what many would consider—higher values such as our ethics, moral standards, humanitarianism and connecting with God and other human beings.

本质上，如果我们不崇拜真主，那么我们仍在崇拜别的东西。这可能是我们自己的私欲和欲望，也可能是转瞬即逝的物质财富。在伊斯兰传统中，崇拜真主定义了我们是谁，因为这是我们天性的一部分。如果我们忘记了真主，转而崇拜那些不值得崇拜的事物，我们就会逐渐忘记自己的本我："你们不要像忘记真主的人那样，真主就使他们忘记了自己。"601

Essentially, if we are not worshipping God, we are still worshipping something else. This can be our own egos and desires, or ephemeral things like material possessions. In the Islamic tradition, worshipping God defines who we are, as it is part of our nature. If we forget God, and start to worship things that are not worthy of worship, we will slowly forget our own selves: “And be not like those who forgot God, so He made them forget themselves.” 601

我们对自身是谁的理解,取决于我们与真主的关系,而这种关系又由我们的侍奉和崇拜所塑造。从这个意义上说,当我们崇拜真主时,便从对其他"神"的顺服中解脱出来,这些"神"可以是我们自己,也可以是我们所拥有或所渴求的事物。如前所述,《古兰经》为我们提供了一个深刻的比喻:{真主为你们设了一个比喻:一个人同时属于几个互相争执的主人,与一个专属于一位主人的人,两者能相等吗?赞颂全归真主,但他们大多不知道。}602

Our understanding of who we are is dependent on our relationship with God, which is shaped by our servitude and worship. In this sense, when we worship God we are freed from submission to other ‘gods’, whether ourselves or things that we own or desire. As previously mentioned, the Qur’an presents us with a profound analogy: “God puts forward this illustration: can a man who has for his masters several partners at odds with each other be considered equal to a man devoted wholly to one master? All praise belongs to God, though most of them do not know.”602

真主实际上是在告诉我们:如果我们不崇拜真主,我们最终就会崇拜别的东西。这些东西会奴役我们,并成为我们的主人。《古兰经》的这个比喻是在教导我们:没有真主,我们就会有许多"主人",而它们都想从我们这里得到某些东西。它们彼此"互相争执",于是我们陷入痛苦、困惑与不快乐的境地。然而,真主洞察一切,包括我们自身的一切,慈悯也超过任何人,祂告诉我们:祂才是我们的主宰,只有唯独崇拜祂,我们才能真正挣脱我们用来取代祂的那些事物所加给我们的枷锁。

God is essentially telling us that if we do not worship God, we end up worshipping something else. These things enslave us and they become our masters. The Qur’anic analogy is teaching us that without God, we have many ‘masters’ and they all want something from us. They are all ‘at odds with each other’, and we end up in a state of misery, confusion and unhappiness. However, God, who knows everything, including our own selves, and who has more mercy than anyone else, is telling us that He is our master, and that only by worshipping Him alone will we truly free ourselves from the shackles of the things we have taken as replacements for Him.

为了总结本章，全心爱慕地崇拜真主，平静地顺服祂，能使你摆脱对短暂尘世的卑下崇拜，也摆脱对人类处境中肉欲与私我层面的盲目屈从。东方诗人穆罕默德·伊克巴尔的以下诗句，精辟地概括了这一点：

To conclude this chapter, lovingly worshipping God and peacefully submitting to Him frees you from the degraded worship of the ephemeral world and the lustful submission to the carnal and egotistical realities of the human condition. The following lines of poetry by the Poet of the East, Muhammad Iqbal, eloquently summarises this point:

“这一次你认为负担沉重的俯伏，能使你免于千次俯伏。”603

“This one prostration which you deem too exacting liberates you from a thousand prostrations.”603