一切赞颂皆归于真主。至于下文：

All praise is for Allah. As to what follows:

在二十世纪中叶，英国天体物理学家詹姆斯·金斯（James Jeans，1946年去世）在英国声名极为显赫。金斯为了履行学术职责，常往来于牛津与普林斯顿之间。在普林斯顿，他担任应用数学教授。他在物理学和天文学领域作出了多项重要贡献，尤其是在辐射和恒星演化方面。他批评了拉普拉斯关于太阳系形成的理论，并提出了另一种理论。

In the mid-20th century, the English astrophysicist James Jeans (d. 1946) became extremely famous in England. Jeans used to travel between Oxford and Princeton for his academic duties. At Princeton, he was Professor of Applied Mathematics. He has a number of key contributions in the fields of physics and astronomy, especially in relation to radiation and stellar evolution. He critiqued Laplace’s theory on the formulation of the solar system and proposed an alternate theory.

以下几项科学发现以金斯的名字命名,例如他加以完善的瑞利-金斯定律。瑞利-金斯定律是对电磁辐射光谱辐射度的一种近似描述。另一项以他命名的发现是金斯质量,它与恒星的诞生有关。该概念考虑的是气体云内的引力坍缩过程,这一过程会导致恒星的形成。月球上也有一座以他命名的环形山,火星上同样有一座以他命名的陨石坑。

A number of scientific discoveries have been named after Jeans, such as the Rayleigh-Jeans law, which he refined. The Rayleigh-Jeans law is an approximation of the spectral radiance of electromagnetic radiation. Another discovery named after him is the Jeans mass, which relates to the birth of stars. It considers the process of gravitational collapse within a gaseous cloud, which leads to the formation of a star. A lunar crater was also named after him. Likewise, a Martian crater was named after him.

任何阅读詹姆斯·金斯学术生涯的人，都会立刻注意到他身处宇宙学与物理学的前沿。近来这两门学科在很大程度上已经融合，许多宇宙学家是物理学家，反之亦然。正因如此，美国天文学家劳埃德·莫茨（卒于2004年）在其著作《物理学的故事》中写道：“我们不为将希腊天文学纳入物理学的故事而道歉，因为今天的天文学比过去任何时候都更被视为物理学的一个分支。只需考虑高能物理与宇宙学、恒星演化及核物理之间的相互关系，或星系结构与流体动力学之间的关系，就能看出这两个知识分支联系多么紧密。从某种意义上说，物理学的故事本应从希腊天文学开始，因为希腊人是最早尝试理解和解释夜空中星辰与行星运动的人。”364

Any person reading the intellectual life of James Jeans would immediately notice that he was at the frontier of cosmology and physics, as the two disciplines have merged to a great extent in recent time. Many cosmologists are physicists and vice versa. This is why the American astronomer Lloyd Motz (d. 2004) stated in his book The Story of Physics, ‘We make no apology for including Greek astronomy in our story of physics because astronomy today, more than ever in the past, is accepted as a branch of physics. We need only consider the interrelationships between high-energy physics and cosmology, stellar evolution, and nuclear physics or those between the structure of galaxies and hydro dynamics to see how closely these two branches of knowledge are related. In a sense, the story of physics properly begins with Greek astronomy, because the Greeks were the first to try to understand and explain the movements of the stars and planets in the evening sky.’364

要理解并解释天文学与物理学之间这种交叉的原因并不困难,而莫茨及其同事在这段文字中也暗示了这一点。天文学研究天体;物理学研究时间和空间中的运动、物质与能量。物理学研究这些天体的运动与行为,是十分自然的事。正因如此,物理学家会发现自己也在做天文学家的工作,而天文学家也会发现自己在做物理学家的工作。

It is not difficult to grasp or explain the cause for this overlap between astronomy and physics, which Motz and his colleague allude to in this passage. Astronomy deals with celestial bodies; physics studies movement, matter, and energy in time and space. It is natural that physics would study the movement and behaviour of these bodies. This is how physicists would find themselves becoming astronomers, and astronomers becoming physicists.

詹姆斯·金斯并不满足于只撰写专业性的论文。相反,他加入了一群专家的行列,这些专家相信将自然科学简化,以便向大众讲解的重要性。同样,英国物理学家斯蒂芬·霍金撰写了《时间简史》一书,在书中阐述了宇宙学的基本框架——该书销量超过一千万册,并被翻译成多种全球语言。这类面向大众读者的著作,使作者在各自时代成为科学革命的评论者,从而在媒体上赢得了极高的声誉。詹姆斯·金斯也扮演了同样的角色,尤其是在宇宙学领域,而这一领域恰好对广大公众读者而言极为有趣、引人深思。

James Jeans did not suffice with writing specialist proposals. Rather, he ascribed himself to a group of specialists who believed in the importance of simplifying the natural sciences for public audiences. Likewise, the British physicist Stephen Hawking wrote his book A Brief History of Time, in which he laid out the foundations of universal cosmology – over 10 million copies of this book were sold and it was translated to multiple global languages. These sorts of writings that address the public reader afford authors a great deal of fame in the media for becoming commentators of the scientific revolution in their respective eras. James Jeans played the same role, especially in the field of cosmology, which happens to be an extremely interesting and thought-provoking subject to the readership of the wider public.

詹姆斯·金斯被归入一种贬低哲学地位、将其置于自然科学之下的思潮。他认为，哲学跟随自然科学的引领，而自然科学处于发现与创新的前沿；哲学所做的，只是跟进科学已经发现的东西。按照这一思潮，哲学不过是在科学发展之后才出现的解释。金斯说：“任何时期的哲学，总是在很大程度上与该时期的科学交织在一起，因此科学中任何根本性的变革，必然会在哲学中引起反响。”365

James Jeans is ascribed to the movement that downgrades philosophy in terms of priority, compared to the natural sciences. He believes that philosophy follows the lead of the natural sciences, which are at the forefront of discovery and innovation, in the sense that philosophy only follows up on what has been already discovered by science. According to this movement, philosophy is merely an explanation that comes after the development of science. Jeans says, ‘The philosophy of any period is always largely interwoven with the science of the period, so that any fundamental change in science must produce reactions in philosophy.’365

这种对哲学颇为贬低、而将自然科学捧上神坛的评价，并非詹姆斯·金斯的首创。事实上，这是西方思想中一种流行的观点，在经验领域的人士中相当普遍。德国杰出的哲学家黑格尔（逝于1831年）对哲学的描述，就可以看出哲学屈居科学之后的承认。在他的《法哲学原理》导言末尾，他写道：“密涅瓦的猫头鹰只有在黄昏降临时才开始它的飞翔。”366 密涅瓦是罗马神话中的智慧与哲学女神，她有一只猫头鹰；在他们的观念里，猫头鹰因其白天的耐心与沉默，并因其选择无人居住的地方，而成为智慧的象征。黑格尔用这个隐喻所表达的意思是：哲学只有在白昼的事件结束之后才开始运作，它只能跟随那些事件，并且只用来解释它们。因此，这一隐喻的含义是：哲学仅仅是一种诠释的工具，而不是事件的创造者。 西方思想中还有许多其他的论述，贬低哲学的重要性，抬高自然科学及其在医学、技术和其他领域的结论。这里不是详细阐述这些的地方。这也是为什么，例如，在科学与技术方面走在前列的美国，在哲学家的产出数量上却落在后面；另一方面，已经落后于美国的欧洲，按比例而言拥有更多的哲学家。美国心理学家格兰维尔·斯坦利·霍尔以如下的话评价美国的哲学状况：“在美国，哲学家之稀少，正如挪威的蛇一样。”367 霍尔将这一现象归因于国家的年龄，以及那里的工作性质与商业投资的特点。

This somewhat degrading assessment of philosophy, compared to placing the natural sciences on a pedestal, is not the invention of James Jeans. It is in fact a popular viewpoint in Western thought and is widespread among those in the empirical field. It is possible to find an acknowledgement of philosophy playing second fiddle to the sciences in how the leading German philosopher, Hegel (d. 1831), described philosophy. In the end of his introduction to Elements of the Philosophy of Right, he said, ‘The owl of Minerva begins its flight only with the onset of dusk.’366 Minerva is the goddess of wisdom and philosophy in Roman mythology. She had an owl; in their concept, the owl was a symbol of wisdom for its patience and silence throughout the day, and because it chooses uninhabited places. What Hegel meant by this metaphor was that philosophy does not start to operate until the events of the day conclude – it can only follow those events, and it only serves to explain them. What this metaphor therefore means is that philosophy is merely a hermeneutical tool, not the creator of events. There are many other testimonies in Western thought that relegate the importance of philosophy and magnify the natural sciences and their conclusions in medicine, technology, and other areas. This is not the place to expound on that. This is why you see America, for example, which is the vanguard of the sciences and technology, lagging behind in terms of the number of philosophers it produces. On the other hand, Europe, which has fallen behind America, has proportionately a larger number of philosophers. Granville Stanley Hall, an American psychologist, assessed the state of philosophy in America with the following words: ‘Philosophers in America are as rare as snakes in Norway.’367 Hall explained this phenomenon by linking it to the age of the nation, and the nature of jobs and business investments made therein.

詹姆斯·金斯（James Jeans）最重要的著作之一是《物理学与哲学》（Physics and Philosophy）。这部书是一项比较研究，将物理学家的方法及其科学成果，与哲学家的方法及其成果进行对照。在书中，金斯详细论证了他的观点，即哲学家的成果与物理学家的成果相比显得贫乏。书中有一些引人注目的细节。例如，他评论了康德的理论，分析了它的用处，并得出结论：它并未提供任何重要的东西。随后，他试图依据物理学的结论，将哲学转向一种新的思维方法，例如因果性、自由意志等概念。

One of the most important books written by James Jeans is Physics and Philosophy. It is a comparative study between the method of physicists and their scientific output, and the method of philosophers and their output. In his book, Jeans attempts to prove his viewpoint in detail, which is that the output of philosophers is meagre compared to that of physicists. There are a number of striking details in it. For example, he commented on Kant’s theory and analysed how useful it is, concluding that it did not offer anything significant. He then attempted to switch philosophy to a new thought method in light of the conclusions of physics, such as the concepts of causality, free will, and others.

当研究者把金斯的著作置于其历史背景中时,便能准确理解这一主张的分量。金斯的《物理学与哲学》诞生于科学革命时代。当时,社会生活随着新技术、新发现和新发明的出现而发生了转变,这些成果已经融入人们的日常生活之中。这是哲学所经历过的最艰难的时期,被称为"哲学的根本问题"。许多学者——尤其是经验主义者——开始质疑哲学是否还有存在的意义,并追问哲学是否曾做出过任何有价值的贡献。

When a researcher places Jeans in his historical context, he will be able to comprehend precisely the dimensions of this proposal. Jeans’s Physics and Philosophy was born during the era of the scientific revolution, when social life had shifted based on new technologies, discoveries, and innovations that were woven into the fabric of people’s lives. This was the toughest period that philosophy ever endured, known as ‘the fundamental problem of philosophy’. Many scholars – especially empiricists – started asking whether there was any point to philosophy, and questioned whether it had contributed anything meaningful.

以下是译文： 过去一段时间里，最重要的、试图研究这一现象并反驳其反对者的论著之一，是英国哲学家伯纳德·威廉斯（卒于2003年）的文章《论憎恶与轻视哲学》。他在文章开头写道："只要哲学这门学科存在，就一直有人憎恶和轻视它。"威廉斯提出的关键观察是："如今，持这种哲学态度的人大多不是宗教人士，而是科学家，或者更典型地说，是科学的同路人，他们这样做不是以宗教的名义，而是出于一种反哲学、自信而清教徒式的科学观。"[368] 威廉斯自然对这种状况不满。他写这篇文章，正是为了反驳科学革命之后那种贬低哲学的观点。嘲笑哲学、夸大科学重要性的现象，在西方科学界极为普遍。 这就引出了一个问题：为什么一代深受西方影响和西方教育的阿拉伯青年，普遍阅读17、18、19世纪的西方哲学家，但在发展自身科学知识方面却不够强？这需要加以分析和反思。我将尝试对此作出解释。依我看来，这一代阿拉伯青年阅读的，是那些曾在西方学习哲学的阿拉伯哲学家的著作，却没有阅读阿拉伯的科学家的著作。结果，阿拉伯哲学家把他们引向了西方哲学传统，使他们以为西方的进步源于西方哲学。考虑到阿拉伯思想家所能提供的只是他们所拥有的东西，这一结果是自然而且不可避免的。 这也正是我们看到一代阿拉伯青年的原因:他们正式学习医学、工程和各门科学,业余时间却在阅读17、18、19世纪的哲学家,而不是在本国传播现代科学。这确实既奇怪又令人痛心。那些在科学领域有所造诣的人——而我们的社会正迫切需要他们——同时也是热衷阅读的人,却拒绝为社会进步出力,反而埋首于近代以前的西方历史。读者可以在地区性期刊上的哲学文章,或私人群组中的哲学圈子里追随我们的文章。可以看出,阿拉伯话语中流行的大多数西方哲学符号都属于哲学的"旧卫队",而非当代哲学的旗手,也不是哲学最新、最当代的诠释。细心观察阿拉伯和地区哲学状况的人会注意到,主导其话语的哲学符号来自16世纪(路德)、17世纪(培根、笛卡尔、霍布斯)、18世纪(洛克、休谟、卢梭、康德)、19世纪(边沁、黑格尔、叔本华、克尔凯郭尔、斯宾塞、尼采)等时期。读者应当知道,当代知识已取得突飞猛进的进步,远远超出了生活在大规模技术时代之前的哲学家们的概念框架。

One of the most significant proposals that attempted to study this phenomenon and refute its opponents is the article by the English philosopher, Bernard Williams (d. 2003), called ‘On Hating and Despising Philosophy’. He starts off the piece by saying, ‘As long as there has been such a subject as philosophy, there have been people who hated and despised it.’ The key observation offered by Williams is the following: ‘These days, most of those who take this kind of attitude to philosophy are not religious, but scientists, or – more typically – fellow travellers of science, and they take it not in the name of religion but in the interest of an anti-philosophical and confidently puritanical view of science.’368 Naturally, Williams was not pleased with this situation. He wrote this article to refute the view that denigrated philosophy after the scientific revolution. The phenomenon of mocking philosophy and magnifying the importance of science is extremely widespread among the Western scientific community. This leads us to the following question: Why is it the case that a generation of Western influenced and educated Arab youth are quite commonly reading the Western philosophers of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, but are not as strong when it comes to developing their knowledge in science? This requires some analysis and introspection. I will attempt to offer an explanation for it. In my estimation, this generation of Arab youth reads the works of Arab philosophers who had studied philosophy in the West, but they did not read the Arab scientists. As a result, the Arab philosophers led them to the Western philosophical tradition, causing them to think that the advancement of the West is a result of Western philosophy. This result was natural and inevitable, given that the Arab thinkers offered what they had. This is also why we witness a generation of Arab youth who are officially studying medicine, engineering, and the sciences spending their free time reading the philosophers of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, instead of disseminating modern science in their countries. This is indeed both a strange and a pitiful sight. Those qualified in the sciences – which our society is in desperate need of – also happen to be avid readers who are refusing to help our society progress, and are instead digging into premodern Western history. Readers can follow our articles on philosophy in regional journals, or in the circles of philosophy in our private groups. What one can notice is that most Western symbols of philosophy that are prevalent in our Arab discourse are part of philosophy’s ‘old guard’, not the contemporary flagbearers of philosophy or the most recent and contemporary renditions of the subject. A keen observer of the state of Arab and regional philosophy will notice that the symbols of philosophy that dominate their discourses are from the 16th century (Luther), 17th century (Bacon, Descartes, Hobbes), 18th century (John Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Kant), 19th century (Bentham, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Spencer, Nietzsche), and others. A reader would know that contemporary knowledge has progressed in leaps and bounds – it is far beyond the conceptualisations of the philosophers who lived before the era of mass technology.

因此，我们可以合理地认为，这一代青年放弃了对宗教的学习，转而自行研读前现代的西方哲学，并被误导以为自己已从古代走向了现代，实际上只是从一种传统转向了另一种传统。这些青年把宗教典籍称为“黄书”，而我们指出，他们不过是从“东方的黄书”转向了“西方的黄书”。借用他们自己的说法，他们仍然身处“黄色”的世界之中。

This is why it is feasible to suggest that this generation of youth, which has abandoned the study of the religion and instead taken it upon itself to read premodern Western philosophy – duped into believing that it has switched from the ancient past to modernity – has merely switched from one tradition to another. As these youth label religious texts as ‘yellow books’, we point out that they merely switched from ‘Eastern yellow books’ to ‘Western yellow books’. To use their own expression, they are still in a world of yellowness.

然而,是什么促使有文化的阿拉伯青年转向西方哲学著作,并抛弃阿拉伯科学著作呢?或许可以用两方面的因素来解释:一是阿拉伯哲学家的宣传,二是阿拉伯科学家在向大众读者简化科学方面的怠惰态度。也许还可以这样解释:科学需要金钱、实验室、设备以及科研经费,而一个写哲学的人——哲学纯粹是一种思维活动——可以在自己的房间里完成写作。由于阿拉伯政权忽视了对科学的资助,人们的思想便转向哲学以作补偿。无论实际情况如何,我们之所以陷入这场关于西方思想现状的题外讨论,是因为詹姆斯·金斯在其著作《物理学与哲学》中贬低哲学、夸大科学。本段讨论的目的,是向读者简要介绍天体物理学家詹姆斯·金斯。这是为接下来他与另一位人物——巴基斯坦数学家伊纳亚图拉·马什里基——之间一场重要对话所作的铺垫。

However, what made the cultured Arab youth turn to the books of Western philosophy and abandon the books of Arab science? Perhaps it can be explained by the duet of the propagation of the Arab philosophers and the lackadaisical approach of Arab scientists vis-à-vis simplifying the sciences to the public readership. It can perhaps also be explained by the fact that science requires money, labs, equipment, and financing for scientific research, whereas a man writing on philosophy – which is solely a mental endeavour – can do so in his own room. Because the Arab political regimes have neglected funding for science, minds have turned to philosophy to compensate. Whatever the case may be, we were led into this tangential discussion on the state of Western thought by James Jeans’s denigration of philosophy and magnification of science in his book Physics and Philosophy. The point of this discussion is to briefly introduce readers to James Jeans, the astrophysicist. It is a prelude to an important conversation between him and another person – the Pakistani mathematician, ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī.

ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī（卒于1963年）以其对数学的热忱而闻名。他19岁时完成了数学硕士学位，打破了此前的所有纪录。就在毕业当年（1907年），他前往英国，以便在剑桥大学继续学习数学。在那里，他完成了若干专题研究，同时学习东方语言和科学。他在剑桥停留了五年，直到1912年才返回印度。

ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī (d. 1963) was famed for his passion for mathematics. He completed his Masters in the subject when he was 19 years old, breaking all records set before him. In the same year of his graduation (1907), he travelled to Britain so he could continue his studies in mathematics at Cambridge. During his time there, he concluded a number of specialist studies, in conjunction with studying Oriental languages and the sciences. He stayed in Cambridge for five years until 1912, when he travelled back to India.

当ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī三十多岁时,他萌生了一个想法:结合现代科学发现来撰写《古兰经》的注释——他着手去做并完成了这项工作。1924年,他年满36岁时完成了第一卷,并将其命名为《Tazkirah》。他因此受到关注,并被临时提名为诺贝尔和平奖候选人,但诺贝尔委员会规定该著作须译成一种欧洲语言,于是他拒绝接受这一奖项。他说:“我不愿接受一个不承认我的乌尔都语的奖项。”尽管他在剑桥大学攻读过多个领域,这样的翻译工作本可以轻易委托他人完成,但他作为印度学者的自尊心占了上风。 ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī投身政治,担任过多个政府职务。之后他脱离体制独立行动,创建了名为“Khaksar运动”的政治组织。他还创办了一份周报,名为《Iṣlāḥ》。此外,他曾多次入狱。 然而,情况并不像表面上看起来那样光鲜。Mashriqī在先知传统(Sunnah)、不同先知身份对立法的影响、伊斯兰诠释学理论以及其他方面,存在若干误解。若想进一步了解ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī的个人性格及其作用,可参阅Muhammad Mālik所著、在牛津出版的《Allama Inayatullah Mashraqi》一书。需要说明的是,该书更侧重于他的政治生涯。

When ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī reached his thirties, he had an idea of writing an explanation of the Qur’an in light of modern scientific discoveries – a task that he embarked on and completed. He finished the first volume when he was 36 years old, in 1924, naming it Tazkirah. Attention drew towards him and he was provisionally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, though the Nobel Committee stipulated for it to be translated into a European language, causing him to refuse to accept the award. He said, ‘I do not wish to receive an award that does not acknowledge my Urdu language.’ Even though he specialised in a number of fields in Cambridge and any such translation project could have been easily commissioned, his self-worth as an Indian scholar took precedence. ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī entered politics, where he assumed a number of governmental roles. Then he went independent and founded a political party called the Khaksar Movement. He also founded a weekly newspaper, called Iṣlāḥ. In addition, he was jailed numerous times. Unfortunately, the picture is not as rosy as it seems. Mashriqī had a number of misconceptions regarding the prophetic tradition (Sunnah), the impact of different prophethoods on legislation, the Islamic theory of hermeneutics, and other areas. For more on the personality of ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī and his role, refer to the book Allama Inayatullah Mashraqi by Muhammad Mālik, published in Oxford. Note that the book focuses more on his political career.

现在进入核心问题，即比较两位人物：英国天体物理学家詹姆斯·金斯（James Jeans），以及印度-巴基斯坦数学家伊纳亚图拉·马什里基（ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī）。 在伊纳亚图拉·马什里基到剑桥大学进修数学期间，他结识了当时在该校任教的詹姆斯·金斯。两人相识之后，伊纳亚图拉·马什里基讲述了他们之间发生的一个故事。这个故事刊登在巴基斯坦的《Nuqoosh》杂志上，该杂志出版了一期专门纪念伊纳亚图拉·马什里基生平的特刊。之后，印度学者瓦希杜丁·汗（Waḥīduddīn Khān）从该刊转载了这个故事，收入他的著作《God Arises: Evidence of God in Nature and in Science》中。在导言里，他提到书名“God Arises”一语取自《圣经》中的一节经文。

Now to the core issue, which is to compare the two personalities: the English astrophysicist James Jeans, and the Indian-Pakistani mathematician ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī. At the same time that ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī was at Cambridge to further his studies in maths, he met James Jeans, who was teaching at the university. They came to know each other. ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī relates a story that transpired between them. This story was published by the Nuqoosh magazine in Pakistan, in a special edition dedicated to ʿInāyatullāh Mashriqī’s life. From there, it was copied by the Indian scholar Waḥīduddīn Khān in his book God Arises: Evidence of God in Nature and in Science. In the introduction, he mentioned that the phrase ‘God Arises’ is taken from a verse in the Bible.

让我们转入这段冗长的讨论。瓦希杜丁·汗说道,总而言之,这里有一件发生在英国的事件,由伊纳亚图拉·马什里奇所讲述:"那是星期日",他写道,"那是1909年。雨下得很大。我出门办事时,看见著名的剑桥大学天文学家詹姆斯·金斯爵士,腋下夹着一本圣经,正走去教堂。我走近向他问好,但他没有回应。当我再次问候时,他看着我问道:'你想要什么?''两件事',我回答道。'第一,雨下得很大,你却没有打开雨伞。'詹姆斯爵士对自己的心不在焉笑了笑,打开了雨伞。'第二',我接着说,'我想知道,像您这样享有世界声誉的人,竟然要去教堂祈祷?'詹姆斯爵士停顿了一会儿,然后看着我说:'今天傍晚来我家喝茶吧。'于是那天下午我去了他的家。恰好四点钟,詹姆斯夫人出现了。'詹姆斯爵士在等你',她说。我走进去,桌上已经备好了茶。詹姆斯爵士正陷入沉思。'你刚才的问题是什么来着?'他问道,还没等我回答,他便开始生动地描述天体的创造,以及它们所遵循的令人惊叹的秩序,它们所经过的难以想象的距离,它们所保持的不变规律,它们在轨道上穿越太空的复杂运行,它们之间的相互吸引,以及无论路径多么复杂,它们从未偏离被赋予的轨道。他对上主的权能与威严的生动叙述,使我的心开始颤抖。而他头上的头发根根竖立,双眼闪耀着敬畏与惊奇的光芒。想到上主全知全能的本性,他的双手颤抖起来,声音也哽咽了。" “你知道吗，Inayat-ullah Khan，”他说，“每当我看到上帝奇妙的创造，我整个人都会因他的威严而战栗敬畏。我去教堂时低下头说：‘主啊，您是多么伟大’，不仅是我的嘴唇，我身体的每一个部分都在与我一同说出这些话。我从祷告中获得了难以置信的平安与喜乐。与别人相比，我从祷告中得到的满足多了千倍。那么告诉我，Inayatullah Khan，现在你明白我为什么去教堂了吗？” Sir James Jeans的这番话让Inayat-ullah Mashriqi的思绪翻腾不已。“先生，”他说，“您鼓舞人心的话深深打动了我。它让我想起《古兰经》中的一节经文，如果允许的话，我想引用它。”“当然可以。”Sir James回答道。Inayat-ullah Khan随即诵读了这节经文：“山中有各种颜色的条纹，有白的、红的，也有纯黑的；人类、动物和牲畜的颜色也是各式各样。在真主的仆人中，只有那些有学问的人才真正敬畏他。”369 “那是什么？”Sir James惊呼道，“只有那些有知识的人才敬畏上帝。太妙了！太不可思议了！我花了五十年的不断研究和观察才认识到这一点。这是谁教给穆罕默德的？这真的在《古兰经》里吗？如果是这样，你可以记录我的见证：《古兰经》是一部受启示的经典。穆罕默德ﷺ是文盲，他不可能自己学到这个极其重要的事实。一定是上帝教给他的。难以置信！太不可思议了！”370

Let us turn to this lengthy discussion. Waḥīduddīn Khān says, To sum up, here is an incident which occurred in England, as related by Inayat-ullah Mashriqi: “It was Sunday”, he writes, “the year 1909. It was raining hard. I had gone out on some errand when I saw the famous Cambridge University astronomer, Sir James Jeans, with a Bible clutched under his arm, on his way to Church. Coming closer I greeted him, but he did not reply. When I greeted him again, he looked at me and asked, ‘What do you want?’ ‘Two things’, I replied. ‘Firstly, the rain is pouring down, but you have not opened your umbrella.’ Sir James smiled at his own absent-mindedness and opened his umbrella. ‘Secondly’, I continued, ‘I would like to know that a man of universal fame such as yourself is doing – going to pray in Church?’ Sir James paused for a while, then, looking at me, he said, ‘Come and have tea with me this evening.’ So I went along to his house that afternoon. At exactly 4 o’clock, Lady James appeared. ‘Sir James is waiting for you’, she said. I went inside, where tea was ready on the table. Sir James was lost in thought. ‘What was your question again?’ he asked, and without waiting for an answer, he went off into an inspiring description of the creation of the celestial bodies and the astonishing order to which they adhere, the incredible distances over which they travel and the unfailing regularity which they maintain, their intricate journeys through space in their orbits, their mutual attraction, and that they never wavered from the path chosen for them, no matter how complicated it might be. His vivid account of the Power and Majesty of God made my heart begin to tremble. As for him, the hair on his head was standing up straight. His eyes were shining with awe and wonder. Trepidation at the thought of God’s all-knowing and all-powerful nature made his hands tremble and his voice falter. ‘You know, Inayat-ullah Khan’, he said, ‘when I behold God’s marvellous feats of creation, my whole being trembles in awe at His majesty. When I go to Church I bow my head and say, “Lord, how great you are”, and not only my lips, but every particle of my body joins in uttering these words. I obtain incredible peace and joy from my prayer. Compared to others, I receive a thousand times more fulfilment from my prayer. So tell me, Inayatullah Khan, now do you understand why I go to Church?”’Sir James Jeans’s words left Inayat-ullah Mashriqi’s mind spinning. “Sir”, he said, “your inspiring words have made a deep impression on me. I am reminded of a verse of the Quran which, if I may be allowed, I should like to quote.” “Of course.” Sir James replied. Inayat-ullah Khan then recited this verse: “And in the mountains are streaks of varying shades of white, red, and raven black; just as people, living beings, and cattle are of various colours as well. Of all of Allah’s servants, only the knowledgeable of His might are truly in awe of Him.”369 “What was that?” exclaimed Sir James. “It is those alone who have knowledge who fear God. Wonderful! How extraordinary! It has taken me fifty years of continual study and observation to realize this fact. Who taught it to Muhammad? Is this really in the Quran? If so, you can record my testimony that the Quran’s an inspired Book. Muhammad was illiterate. He could not have learnt this immensely important fact on his own. God must have taught it to him. Incredible! How extraordinary!”’370

这场Jeans与Mashriqī之间的有趣讨论包含许多会让任何读者感到惊讶的要点。作为天文学学生的Jeans深受《古兰经》经文的影响，并能含泪即兴表达自己的见解，这一幕足以触动任何有信仰的人心。由于Mashriqī比Jeans年轻，而Jeans明显受到Mashriqī所拥有的对安拉信仰的影响，这反过来对这位年轻人坚固信仰产生了深远作用，仿佛Jeans对他而言是一份天赐的恩惠。

This interesting discussion between Jeans and Mashriqī contains many points that would surprise any reader. That Jeans – being the student of astronomy that he was – was deeply influenced by the Qur’anic verse and was able to tearfully offer his improvised perspective was a scene that would animate any human heart with faith. Because Mashriqī was younger than Jeans, and given that the latter was visibly influenced by the faith in Allah that Mashriqī had, this in turn had a deep influence in shoring up the youngster’s faith in Allah, as if Jeans was a godsend for him.

这个美妙的宇宙，包括它的一切星系、恒星、行星、卫星、轨道运动与行星系统，引导琼斯教授去寻找离他最近的宗教，而那恰好是基督教。试想，如果他知道安拉的《受护之书》，并看到其中奇妙的科学、立法、修辞与精神上的无可模仿之处，那会是怎样的情形呢？还要考虑到，琼斯得知安拉的话语“只有那些有知识的人才敬畏真主”时大为震惊，这句话见证了《古兰经》就是真理。《古兰经》能够触动人心，实在令人惊叹。这次讨论的一个关键之处在于，可以看出琼斯教授与他天生的人性本然（fiṭrah）是相符的，因为他赞颂安拉，并说：“主啊，你是多么伟大。”试想，如果他知道先知穆罕默德ﷺ的教导，知道他如何以最好的赞念词句、在最好的时机与安拉交谈，以至于他站立拜功时双脚都肿了起来，那又会怎样呢？此外，请看琼斯教授在赞颂安拉、与安拉交谈时，如何被平安与安适所笼罩。试想，如果他尝到了《古兰经》所赐予的平安、夜间拜（塔哈朱德）所赐予的安适，以及在安拉面前谦卑与顺服的甘甜，那会有怎样的结果呢？

This wonderful universe with all its galaxies, stars, planets, moons, orbital movements, and planetary systems led Professor Jeans to seek out the religion closest to him, which happened to be Christianity. Imagine what would have been the case had he known the Preserved Book of Allah and saw the wondrous scientific, legislative, rhetorical, and spiritual inimitability therein. Also consider that Jeans was shocked to learn the statement of Allah ‘It is those alone who have knowledge who fear God’, testifying that the Qur’an is the truth. It is indeed wondrous how the Qur’an makes human hearts feel. One key aspect of this discussion was how you can see Professor Jeans was in agreement with his innate human fiṭrah, as he glorified Allah and said, ‘Lord, how great You are.’ Imagine what would have been the case had he known the guidance of the Messenger of Allah , and how he conversed with Allah with the best of remembrance phrases and at the best of occasions, so much so that his feet became swollen as he stood in prayer. In addition, look at how Professor Jeans was overcome by peace and contentment as he conversed with Allah as he glorified Him. Imagine what would have been the result had he tasted the peace offered by the Qur’an, the contentment offered by the vigil (tahajjud) prayer, and the sweet taste of humility and submission in front of Allah.

在对真主的赞颂之中，这些迹象都向金斯教授显现出来。当他思索天地间的奇妙之时，他最终作证《古兰经》与穆罕默德的先知身份是真实的。确实，真主说了真话：“我将在宇宙间和他们自身中向他们展示我的迹象，直到他们清楚地看到这部《古兰经》是真理。难道你的主对万物不是见证者吗？”371

All these elements in the glorification of Allah manifested for Professor Jeans, as he contemplated the wonders of the heavens and the Earth, so much so that he ended up testifying that the Qur’an and the prophethood of Muhammad  are true. Indeed, Allah spoke the truth: ‘We will show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this Quran is the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is a Witness over all things?’371

这些琼斯教授在思考天地的伟大奇观与天文学之美时所感受到的情感，也曾向他之外的许多人展现。伊曼努尔·康德（卒于1804年）是德国哲学的领军人物。在他关于道德哲学的三部曲中，他在第二部的结论处以一句耐人寻味的话开篇：“我们越是经常、越是持续地思索这两件事物，心中便越会充满日新又新、不断增长的敬畏与赞叹：头顶的星空，以及心中的道德律。”372

These feelings that Professor Jeans felt, as he contemplated the great wonders of the heavens and the Earth and the beauty of astronomy, was presented to many people other than him as well. Immanuel Kant (d. 1804) was a leading figure in German philosophy. In his trilogy on moral philosophy, he started the conclusion to the second book with an interesting expression: ‘Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and the more steadily we reflect on them: the starry heavens above and the moral law within.’372

当你思索康德在叙述自身这些感受时所说的话，再看看康德在整个哲学、尤其是德国哲学中所处的核心地位，你必然会得出一个惊人的结论：即便是深陷于这些复杂学科之中的人，也不可能不被天空中的天文现象所感动。

When you ponder over what Kant said as he related these feelings in himself, and then you look at the central position that Kant holds within philosophy in general and German philosophy in particular, you will inevitably reach the spectacular conclusion that even a person who was deeply entrenched in these complex disciplines could not but be animated by the astronomical signs in the heaven.

让我们把目光从这一类科学家和哲学家身上移开,转而看看一个比他们更加可敬、纯洁、博学的群体——伊斯兰知识与信仰的领袖。若要分析这一类学者,我个人认为,无法绕过艾布·哈夫斯·巴particularly... 更正确地说:若要分析这一类学者,我个人无法绕过艾布·哈夫斯·布扎尔(Abū Ḥafṣ al-Bazzār,卒于公元749年/伊历)所讲述的故事,他在其著作《伊本·taymiyyah功绩之崇高信息》(al-Aʿlām al-ʿAliyyah fī Manāqib Ibn Taymiyyah)中有所记载。在我看来,布扎尔的这部书是迄今为止记述伊本·泰米叶美德最好的著作。诚然,伊本·阿卜杜·哈迪(Ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī)和伊本·凯西尔(Ibn Kathīr)的传记在某些方面细节更多;然而,布扎尔记述了伊本·泰米叶在昼夜之间处理各种事务时的细微举止。这种详尽的描述在别处无从找到。甚至伊本·泰米叶如何诵念"takbīr"并开始礼拜的方式,也有所记录。 或许其原因在于,布扎尔极其热衷于记录伊本·泰米叶的私人生活与时代。伊本·泰米叶常常把布扎尔留在身边。布扎尔说:"当我住在大马士革时,几乎整天、大半夜都与他在一起。他总让我坐在他身旁。"373 我羡慕那些尚未读过《伊本·泰米叶功绩之崇高信息》的人,因为这确实是最令人愉悦的读物。

Let us look beyond this class of scientists and philosophers. Let us look at a class that is more honourable, pure, and knowledgeable than them – the leaders of Islamic knowledge and faith. If we analyse this class of scholars, I for one cannot look past the story that Abū Ḥafṣ al-Bazzār (d. 749 AH) relates, which he records in his book al-Aʿlām al-ʿAliyyah fī Manāqib Ibn Taymiyyah. Bazzār’s book, in my view, is the best that has ever been written that records the virtues of Ibn Taymiyyah. Yes, the biographies written by Ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī and Ibn Kathīr have more details in some areas; however, Bazzār relates the subtle mannerisms of how Ibn Taymiyyah dealt with issues throughout the day and night. We cannot find this exposition elsewhere. Even the manner in which Ibn Taymiyyah recited takbīr and opened his prayer is recorded. Maybe the reason for this was that Bazzār was extremely interested in recording the personal life and times of Ibn Taymiyyah. Ibn Taymiyyah used to keep Bazzār close to him. Bazzār says, ‘When I was residing in Damascus, I was with him for almost all of the day and most of the night. He would make me sit next to him.’373 I am envious of anyone who has not yet read al-Aʿlām al-ʿAliyyah, for it is indeed the most joyous read.

这段关于伊本·泰米叶的故事，是巴扎尔（Bazzār）所记述的，它与我们关于天文学的话题有关。伊本·泰米叶在晨礼（Fajr）之后有一套固定的习惯。巴扎尔说：“接着，他会开始念诵安拉的尊名。众人都知道，晨礼之后，他的习惯是除非有紧急的需要，否则不与他交谈。他会继续以自己能听到的声音念诵安拉，有时声音大到坐在旁边的人也能听见。在此期间，他常常仰望天空。他的这套习惯一直持续到太阳升起、禁止礼拜的时间过去为止。”374

This story about Ibn Taymiyyah, which Bazzār relates, is connected to our topic on astronomy. Immediately after the Fajr prayer, Ibn Taymiyyah had a routine. Bazzār says, ‘Then he would start off by remembering Allah. Everyone knew that after the Fajr prayer, his habit was to not be spoken to without a dire need. He would continue to remember Allah in a voice he would be able to hear; sometimes it would be in a voice that someone sitting nearby would be able to hear. During this time, he would frequently raise his gaze to the sky. This was his routine until the Sun would rise and the unlawful time for prayer would pass.’374

看看伊本·泰米叶（Abū al-ʿAbbās Ibn Taymiyyah）在晨礼之后，是如何常常凝望天地的王国，并在忆念安拉之中度过。他把目光投向天空，因为这有助于他专注于真主的伟大。在礼拜中不允许仰望天空，唯一的原因在于天空是谦卑与敬畏之处；除此之外，并没有禁止仰望天空的规定。先知ﷺ也曾仰面望天，因为他渴望改变朝向（キブラ）的方向：“我确已看见你时常仰面望天，现在我必使你转向你所喜悦的朝向。”{我确已看见你时常仰面望天，现在我必使你转向你所喜悦的朝向。}375

Look at how much Abū al-ʿAbbās Ibn Taymiyyah used to look at the kingdom of the heavens and the Earth after the Fajr prayer, as he remembered Allah. He turned his gaze to the heaven as that helped him focus on the magnificence of the Divine. The only reason why raising the gaze to the heaven is not allowed in prayer is because it is a place to be humble and respectful; apart from that, there is no prohibition on raising the gaze to the heaven. The Prophet  used to turn his face to the sky as he yearned for the switching of the qiblah: ‘Indeed, We see you O Prophet turning your face towards heaven. Now We will make you turn towards a direction of prayer that will please you.’375

将天文学作为通往信仰之门的最佳方式之一，其意义远超普通人所提及的范畴，这正是易卜拉欣（Ibrāhīm）身边天体所发生的事情。真主在祂的经典中提到，祂向易卜拉欣展示了“天地的奇妙景象”，以达到一个明确的结果：“使他坚定信仰”。还有什么证明能比这更伟大呢？它表明天文学是通往信仰的一条途径。天体及其运行规律，作为一架阶梯，引领心灵超越疑虑而达到确信，还有什么能比它更伟大呢？“我如此将天地的奇妙景象展示给易卜拉欣，使他坚定信仰。”{我们同样将天地的奇妙景象展示给易卜拉欣，使他坚定信仰。}376

One of the best ways to leverage astronomy as a gateway to faith, which far exceeds that which is mentioned by ordinary people, is what happened to Ibrāhīm  vis-à-vis the celestial bodies. Allah mentions in his Book that He showed Ibrāhīm  ‘the wonders of the heavens and the Earth’ to achieve a clear result: ‘so he would be sure in faith’. Which proof can possibly be greater than this? It shows that astronomy is a way of ascent to faith. What can be greater than the celestial bodies and their behaviours in being a staircase for the heart to rise above doubts to reach certainty? ‘We also showed Abraham the wonders of the heavens and the Earth, so he would be sure in faith.’376

看看天地间的奇妙景象吧。凡是这样做的人，都会走进确信的乐园。真主召唤我们观察天地间的奇妙景象：“他们难道没有思考过天地的奇妙吗……？”377 无论如何，凡是读到天体物理学家詹姆斯·金斯的故事，以及他因真主创造的伟大和其体系中的创新而感动落泪的叙述的人……凡是看到康德谈论自己每当仰望头顶星空时所受的震撼与敬畏的人……凡是思考易卜拉欣·伊本·泰米叶如何在晨礼之后便将目光投向天空，直到太阳升起的人……在这一切之后，他再读到真主的话：“我还将天地的奇妙景象昭示易卜拉欣，以使他成为确信者……”378 他便会领悟《古兰经》中一个伟大的秘密，正是它在人的心灵和思想中植入了确信。

Look at the wonders of the heavens and the Earth. Anyone who does this would end up in the paradise of certainty. Allah invites us to look at the wonders of the heavens and the Earth: ‘Have they ever reflected on the wonders of the heavens and the Earth…?’377 In any case, whoever reads the story of astrophysicist James Jeans, and his animation over the magnificence of Allah’s making and the innovation in His system that led him to tears…Whoever looks at Kant’s statement when he discussed how he was impacted and awed whenever he looked at the starry heaven above us…Whoever ponders how Ibn Taymiyyah would turn his gaze to the sky after the Fajr prayer until the Sun would rise… And after all of this, he reads the statement of Allah: ‘We also showed Abraham the wonders of the heavens and the Earth, so he would be sure in faith…’378 He would have learned one of the great secrets of the Qur’an that implants certainty in the hearts and minds of humans.

每当一个人仔细思考最后这段经文——“以便他在信仰中更加坚定”——通往“ihsān”（至善）的大门就会为他敞开。它是宗教中最高的境界，高于“īmān”（信仰）与“islām”（伊斯兰）。它的含义是：仿佛亲眼见到真主那样去崇拜祂，这表明一种极为强烈的信念。当你看到星星在眼前闪耀时，就应当把握这个机会，攀登确信的顶峰。真主至知。愿真主向我们的先知穆罕默德ﷺ、他的家人和他的同伴降下祝福与问候。

Whenever a person thinks carefully of the last passage – ‘so he would be sure in faith’ – the great doors to iḥsān would open up for him. It is the highest station of the religion, sitting above īmān and islām. It means to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, denoting a very strong sense of belief. When you see the stars shining in front of your eyes, use that opportunity to ascend to the summit of conviction. Allah knows best. May Allah send benedictions and salutations on our Prophet Muhammad, his Family, and his Companions.

1433年沙瓦鲁月15日。

15 Shawwāl, 1433 AH.