衰落与复兴都是人们所发起的思想动能的产物。若这种努力或动能建立在全面的思想之上，并且人们依此前行，复兴便可以期待。反之，若缺乏这种全面的思想，人们不以任何此类思想作为其参照框架，衰落则可能占据上风。

Both decline and revival are products of the intellectual momentum which people initiate. The revival is expected to occur if such an effort or momentum is built upon a comprehensive thought and the people proceeded accordingly. On the contrary, the decline is expected to prevail if this comprehensive thought is absent and the people fail to consider any such thought as their frame of reference.

因此，任何有关穆斯林乌玛当前所面临衰落之因素的讨论或研究，都必须涉及这一问题。通过考察穆斯林乌玛的思想史可以发现，头三代穆斯林始终以伊斯兰作为唯一的参照框架。他们按照先知ﷺ的教导来接受伊斯兰，即通过深入而全面的思考过程来审视现实。通过这一思想过程建立起来的伊斯兰信仰（Aqeedah），成为穆斯林思维的依据。这一信仰也成为圣门弟子（Sahabah）理解伊斯兰律例与制度的基础，他们正是以此来规范自己的生活。

Therefore, any discussion or research related to the factors resulting in the current decline the Ummah is facing must address this issue. By surveying the intellectual history of the Muslim Ummah, one discovers that Muslims during the first three generations maintained Islam as the sole frame of reference. They adopted Islam the way the Prophet (saaw) instructed them to - by scrutinizing the reality through a deep and comprehensive thinking process. The Islamic Aqeedah, built through this intellectual process, became a reference for the thinking of Muslims. This Aqeedah would serve as the foundation upon which the Sahabah would build their understanding of the Islamic rules and systems to govern their lives with.

穆斯林对这一过程尤为关切,先知(saaw)also密切留意,一旦发现任何偏离都会加以纠正。无论偏差大小,他都会立即纠正圣门弟子,并制止任何产生的误解。例如,当先知ﷺ…… Wait, I need to fix that: the "(saaw)" abbreviation should be replaced by ﷺ, and the translation should be clean. Corrected: 穆斯林对这一过程尤为关切,先知ﷺ密切留意,一旦发现任何偏离都会加以纠正。无论偏差大小,他都会立即纠正圣门弟子,并制止任何产生的误解。例如,当先知ﷺ

Muslims were particularly concerned about this process, and the Prophet (saaw) kept a vigilant eye in correcting any diversion in this approach. He would immediately correct the Sahabah and censor any misunderstanding that arose, regardless of its magnitude. For example, when the Prophet (saaw)

他曾告诉圣门弟子：天堂的居民是为天堂而被创造的，火狱的居民是为火狱而被创造的。圣门弟子问他：“那我们为什么还要工作呢？”他ﷺ告诉他们：“你们应当工作，每个人都将走向他被创造的目的。”在这件事中，先知ﷺ察觉到圣门弟子的思想存在问题：他们把自己的行为与幽玄之事联系起来，消极地理解为与安拉的知识相关。先知ﷺ随即纠正了这一误解，向他们解释：穆斯林应当把自己的行为与他能够理解和感知的事物相联系，即沙里尔的命令（Hukm Sharii），而不应与他无法测度或理解的幽玄之事相联系。

told the Sahabah that the people of Jannah were created for the Jannah, and the people of Jahannam were created for Jahannam, the Sahabah asked him, "Then why would we work?" He (saaw) told them, "You should work, and each one will proceed towards what he was created for." In this incident, the Prophet (saaw) detected a problem in their thinking when the Sahabah sought to connect their actions in a negative fashion with the Ghaib, in this case what they perceived as the being the Knowledge of Allah (swt). The Prophet (saaw) immediately corrected this misunderstanding by explaining to them that the Muslim should connect his actions with what he can comprehend and perceive, which is the Hukm Sharii, rather than with what he cannot fathom or comprehend, which is the Ghaib.

另有一次,在先知的儿子易卜拉欣去世之后发生了日食。ﷺ

In another incident, an eclipse occurred after the death of Ibrahim, the son of the Prophet (saaw).

有些人开始错误地将日食的发生与这一事件联系起来。先知ﷺ立即纠正了他们的理解,向人们解释说,不应将任何自然现象与人的生死相联系,因为二者之间并无关系。他对圣门弟子说:"太阳和月亮都是真主的迹象,它们的日食或月食并非因为任何人的诞生或死亡。"这种纠正不仅发生在先知ﷺ在世时,也延续到了圣门弟子的时代。据记载,阿布·伯克尔曾在人们错误理解以下经文时加以纠正:

Some people began to mistakenly connect the occurrence of the eclipse to this incident. The Prophet (saaw) immediately corrected their understanding by explaining to the people that they should not connect any natural phenomenon with the process of life and because there is no relationship between the two. He told the Sahabah, "Both the sun and the moon are signs of Allah, and they do not have their eclipse due to the birth or death of any individual." This correction process did not just happen during the time of the Prophet (saaw) but also continued during the Era of the Sahabah. It was reported that Abu Bakr corrected the people when they incorrectly understood the following ayah:

"信道的人们啊！你们应当自律。你们如果遵循正道，迷误者便不能损害你们。你们众人的归宿都在真主那里。"（5:105）

"O You who believe. Guard your own selves. If you follow guidance, no harm can come to you from those who go astray. The return of all of you is to Allah." [TMQ 5:105].

有些人误解了这节经文，声称穆斯林只应关心自己，不必关心他人。艾卜·伯克尔向他们解释说，这节经文并不意味着停止劝善戒恶（Amr bil-Ma'ruf wa nahy anil-Munkar）。相反，这节经文是命令穆斯林不要跟从那些犯错的人。经文还提到，这些人所犯的错误不会伤害穆斯林，除非他们跟随他们并犯同样的错误。艾卜·伯克尔在阐明经文的正确含义之后，还引用了一段圣训，其中先知ﷺ说：

Some people misunderstood this ayah to claim that a Muslim should care only for himself and not have any concern for others. Abu Bakr explained to them that the ayah is not an indication to stop enjoining the good and forbidding the evil (Amr bil-Ma'ruf wa nahy anil-Munkar). Instead, the ayah is ordering the Muslims not to follow such persons who commit mistakes. The ayah further mentions that the mistakes committed by such individuals will not harm the Muslims unless they follow them and commit the same mistakes. Abu Bakr, after explaining the ayah's correct meaning, also quoted a hadith in which the Prophet (saaw) said:

“你们要继续履行劝善戒恶（Amr bil-Ma'ruf wa nahy anil-Munkar），继续追究压迫者的责任，并迫使他停止压迫。否则，安拉将降下惩罚，你们即使向安拉祈祷，你们的祈祷也不会被应允。”另有一次，欧麦尔·本·赫塔卜诵读这节经文时说：

"You will continue performing Amr bil- Ma'ruf wa nahy anil-Munkar, and you will continue to hold the oppressor accountable and force him to cease his oppression. Otherwise, Allah will send a punishment, and you will make Du'a to Allah but your Du'a will not be answered." In another incident, Umar ibn al Khattab was reciting the ayah:

“以及水果和草料。”[TMQ 80:31] 一位圣门弟子问他：“这个‘abba’是什么？”欧麦尔注意到他是在询问与幽玄事物相关的内容，便指示他不要这样做，而应满足于这节经文的总体含义，即描述后乐园的恩赐。此外，欧麦尔意识到，这段经文的总体含义是清楚的，即使不理解“abba”一词的含义，也能够领会。另一个说明这一纠正过程的例子发生在穆斯林与罗马人在雅尔穆克战役中交锋时。一位被罗马军队人数压倒的穆斯林说：“阿拉伯人太少，罗马人太多。罗马人是多么强大，阿拉伯人是多么弱小。”哈立德·本·瓦利德回答道：“你应当说：‘穆斯林是多么强大，罗马人是多么弱小’，因为士兵会因胜利而变得强大，因失败而变得弱小。”在这一事件中，哈立德纠正了关于军队力量对比的全部标准，并向那人解释说，衡量一支军队强大与否，应当以其胜利为依据，而不是以其人数多少为依据。

"and fruits and abba." [TMQ 80:31] A sahabi asked him, "What is this 'abba'?" Umar noticed that he was asking about something related to the Ghaib and instructed him not to do so and to be content with the ayah's general meaning of describing the bounties of the Jannah. Also, Umar realized that the general meaning of the text is clear and can be understood without understanding the meaning of the word "abba." Another example which illustrates this corrective process occurred when the Muslims faced the Romans in the Battle of Yarmuk. A Muslim who was overwhelmed by the numbers of the Roman Army stated, "Arabs are too little and Romans are too many. How great the Romans are and how little the Arabs are." Khalid ibn al-Walid replied, "You should say, 'How great Muslims are and how little the Romans are,' since the soldiers will be great by the victory and will be little by the defeat." In this incident, Khalid corrected the entire criteria of the balance of power between armies, and explained to that individual that the measure of an army's greatness should be based on its victories and not on its size.

这些例子说明，先知（saaw）以及此后的圣门弟子都极为关注思维过程。他们会纠正人们对某一概念的误解，也会纠正需要被纠正者的思维方式。因此，穆斯林始终努力消除伊斯兰教中一切外来的思想，以保持对伊斯兰教的正确理解，并杜绝任何偏离的可能出现。穆斯林也十分谨慎地维护他们对生活的观点，同时保存他们对信仰（Aqeedah）、伊斯兰思想与律例的理解，以及他们理解伊斯兰教所依循的方法。

These examples illustrate that the Prophet (saaw) as well as the Sahabah after him were very concerned about the thinking process. They would correct the misunderstanding of a certain concept in addition to addressing the way of thinking of anyone whom they needed correction. Therefore, Muslims always strove to eliminate any alien idea from Islam in order to preserve the correct understanding of Islam and eliminate the possibility of any divergence emerging. Muslims paid careful attention towards maintaining their point of view towards the life in addition to preserving their understanding of the Aqeedah, the Islamic thoughts and rules, and the mechanism through which they understood Islam.

然而到了第三代，一些穆斯林在思想中吸收了外来观念，开始出现偏离正道的迹象。因此，穆斯林对伊斯兰的理解逐渐衰退。穆斯林本应保持较高的理解水平，但由于多种因素的累积，他们未能做到。导致穆斯林思想衰退的三个最重要因素是：希腊哲学、东方哲学，以及近代西方的思想入侵。

However, by the third generation, patterns of divergence began to appear in the thinking of some Muslims when they incorporated some alien ideas into their thinking. Consequently, the understanding of Islam among Muslims gradually deteriorated. Even though Muslims are expected to maintain a high level of understanding, they failed to do so as a result of an accumulation of several factors. The three most significant factors which contributed to the decline of the thinking among Muslims were: Greek Philosophy, the Oriental or Eastern Philosophies, and the recent Western intellectual invasion.

希腊哲学可以被视为一种特定的人生观，因为它有自己的信仰体系（’Aqeedah）以及若干关键的基本思想。这些思想共同形成了一种以逻辑为基础的独特思维方式。

Greek philosophy can be considered a specific outlook toward life since it has an Aqeedah as well as certain key fundamental thoughts, all of which produce a unique way of thinking based upon logic.

这种哲学通过两条途径传入穆斯林世界:一是生活在伊斯兰国家统治之下的基督徒,二是翻译运动。那些受穆斯林统治的基督徒本已掌握希腊哲学,因为基督教已失去一切理性思想与概念,因此无法作为构建任何实质性思想的基础。由于这一缺陷,基督徒开始转向希腊哲学和逻辑,以建立他们的思想体系。不幸的是,一些穆斯林也受到希腊思想的影响,开始研习希腊哲学,认为这样做能使他们用同样的工具在理智上与基督徒相抗衡。

This philosophy was exposed to Muslims through two channels: The Christians living under the Islamic State, and the Translation movement. The Christians who were ruled by Muslims were already equipped with the Greek philosophy because Christianity became devoid of any rational thoughts and concepts and, therefore, could not be considered as an basis for building any substantial thoughts upon. Due to this deficiency, the Christians began to look towards Greek philosophy and logic in order to their system of thoughts. Unfortunately, some Muslims were influenced by the Greek thoughts as well, and they began studying Greek philosophy, thinking that doing so would enable them to intellectually face the Christians with the same tools.

他们没有意识到，钻研希腊哲学必然会使他们受其影响。

They failed to realize that delving into Greek philosophy would lead them to be influenced by it.

穆斯林没有理解到，任何一种思维方式都是由一种独特的阿盖代（aqeedah，信仰根基）所界定的，因此一个人采纳任何一种思维方式，最终都会受到塑造这种思维方式的那一信仰根基的影响。

The Muslims did not understand that any way of thinking is defined by a unique Aqeedah, which will result in the person adopting any way of thinking to ultimately be influence by the Aqeedah which shaped such a way of thinking.

一个说明穆斯林如何依赖希腊哲学来支撑其论点的例子是：基督徒宣称，在授予麦尔彦的安拉之言中，基督即是“圣言”。按照他们的论证，既然“圣言”是安拉的属性之一，那么它就是永恒的，因为任何描述性的形容词都与其所描述的对象相连。而在此例中，对象是安拉，安拉是永恒的，因此与安拉相关的任何属性也都是永恒的。基督徒由此推出的结论是：基督是永恒的，而非受造的。为了支持这一主张，他们引用了《圣经》中的这段经文：“太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神。” 一些穆斯林，例如穆尔泰齐赖派，认为反驳基督徒论点的最佳方法是主张《古兰经》是受造的。依他们的看法，如果说作为安拉之言的《古兰经》是受造的，那么基于基督也是安拉之言这一点，就会得出基督也是受造的结论。因此，关于安拉属性的整个讨论都受到了这一思路的影响。穆尔泰齐赖派宣称，安拉的属性与安拉的本体之间没有任何区别，二者是同一的。他们传播这样一种观点：对安拉本体的描述与其本体不可分离。依他们的看法，如果安拉的属性（它们是永恒的）与其本体分离，那就会导致存在多个永恒之物，从而为三位一体的存在提供了理由。

An example illustrating how the Muslims relied upon Greek philosophy to substantiate their arguments was when the Christians claimed that Christ in the Word of Allah that was given to Mariam. According to their argument, since the word is one of Allah's Attributes, it is eternal because any descriptive adjective is connected to the object it is describing. And because the object in this instance is Allah, Who is eternal, then any attribute related to Allah is also eternal. The conclusion that the Christians derived as a result of this logic is that Christ is eternal and not created. To support their claim, they quoted the following from the Bible: "In the beginning, there was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Some Muslims, such as the Mu'tazilah, thought that the best method to counter the Christian argument was to claim that the Qur'an was created. According to them, saying that the Qur'an, which is Allah's Word, is created would lead to the conclusion that Christ is also created on the basis that Christ is also Allah's Word. As a result, the entire concept of discussing the Attributes of Allah influenced by this approach. The Mu'tazilah claimed that no difference exists between Allah's Attributes and His Essence, and that both are one and the same. They propagated the notion that the descriptions of Allah's Essence are not separated from His Essence. According to them, if the Attributes of Allah, which are eternal, are separated from His Essence, this would result in the existence of several eternal things, which would justify the existence of the Trinity.

两种对穆斯林影响最为重大的东方哲学是印度哲学和波斯哲学。许多波斯人和印度教徒皈依了伊斯兰教，但他们试图调和其旧有思想与所接受的新伊斯兰思想。最终，他们的许多哲学与文献被译成阿拉伯文，因此，婆罗门教、二元论以及马兹达克的思想等诸多概念在穆斯林中传播开来。异端（Zanadiqah）

Two of the most significant Eastern philosophies that influenced Muslims were the Indian and the Persian philosophies. Many Persians and Hindus became Muslims, but they attempted to reconcile between their old thoughts and the new Islamic thoughts they adopted. Eventually, many of their philosophies and literature was translated into Arabic, and as a result, many of their concepts, such as Brahmanism, Dualism, and the ideas of Mazdak, spread among Muslims. Heretics (Zanadiqah)

……在穆斯林历史上首次出现，其中一些人宣扬马兹达克的共产主义学说，另一些人则提倡婆罗门教，其根源在于通过折磨肉体来提升精神层面的观念。除了个人之外，还出现了一些整个教派，其根基与结构已超出伊斯兰的范围，其中包括卡拉米塔派和哈什沙辛派（刺客派）。

emerged for the first time in Muslim history, some propagating the Communistic teachings of Mazduk,2 while others promoting Brahmanism,3 which is rooted in the notion of torturing the body in order to elevate the spiritual aspect. In addition to individuals, entire sects whose foundation and structure exceeded the boundaries of Islam emerged, among them the Karamitah and Hashashin (Assassins).

伊斯兰教徒中苏菲主义的迅速传播，是东方哲学影响最为明显的成果之一。苏菲主义最初是一种号召，要求穆斯林让自己远离世俗事务，例如财务与政治事务以及物质享受，只专注于后世。

The rapid spread of Sufism among Muslims was one of the most evident products of the Eastern philosophies. Sufism began as a call for Muslims to detach themselves from the worldly issues, such as financial and political affairs and material enjoyments, and to focus solely on the Hereafter.

然而，苏菲主义后来吸收了许多外来观念，例如婆罗门教思想、化身说和二元论。此后，苏菲主义从一种主张使人远离世俗事务的呼吁，演变为一套完整的哲学体系，拥有自己的观念、符号、思维方式、秩序、文学和诗歌。苏菲思想以其独特的符号和表达方式而著称，除苏菲主义者自身之外，无人能够理解。例如，苏菲主义者声称，每一节经文或每一段圣训都有两层含义：一层是普通人所理解的表面含义，另一层是只有他们才能领会的隐秘（Batini）含义。他们为这一立场辩解，认为由于他们所进行的某些修行和敬拜之举，一切对他们而言都已被揭开面纱。以下是一些经文及苏菲主义者赋予它们的隐秘含义的例子：安拉（SWT）说：“祂使两海汇合，二者之间有一道屏障，它们不能逾越。”［古兰经 55:19-20］著名苏菲主义者伊本·阿拉比就这节经文说道：“两海（咸水海与淡水海）分别指肉体与灵魂，二者在人的存在中相遇。”

However, Sufism later incorporated many alien ideas such as Brahmanism, Incarnation, and Dualsim. Since then, Sufism evolved from a call to detach the people from the life affairs into a comprehensive philosophy with its own ideas, symbols, way of thinking, order, literature, and poetry. The Sufi thought became distinguished in its usage of distinct symbols and styles of communication that no one except the Sufis themselves could comprehend. For example, the Sufis claimed that each ayah or hadith has two meanings: One that is understood by common people (the apparent meaning), and the Batini (hidden) meaning, which only they can understand. They justified this stance on the basis that everything became unveiled to them as a result of certain practices and acts of devotion which they conducted. Below are some examples of some ayahs along with the Batini meanings which the Sufis attributed to them: Allah (saws) says, "He has let loose the two seas which meet together; between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress." [TMQ 55:19-20] Ibn Arabi, a prominent Sufi, stated regarding this ayah: "The two seas (the saltwater and freshwater seas) refer respectively to the physical body and the spirit, and they meet in the human existence.

当穆斯林正处于理智衰退的状态时，欧洲开始在世界上崛起为新的思想力量。在此期间，欧洲经历了文艺复兴，这使资本主义作为一种新的意识形态应运而生。资本主义意识形态以世俗信条为基础，该信条界定了教会与国家之间的关系。霍布斯和卢梭等思想家开始宣扬新兴的民主、自由、个人主义和自由主义等概念。与思想发展同步的是科学思维方式的兴起，欧洲接受了这一方式。所有这些思想发展把欧洲带入了工业革命。随着资本主义意识形态和工业革命的出现，西方作为世界上新的思想和物质力量而崛起。

While Muslims were experiencing a state of intellectual decline, Europe began to emerge as a new intellectual power in the world. During this time, Europe experienced the Renaissance, which resulted in the emergence of Capitalism as a new ideology. The Capitalist ideology had as its foundation the Secular creed which defined the relationship between Church and State. Thinkers such as Hobbs and Rosseau began propagating the newly-emerging concepts of Democracy, Freedom, Individualism, and Liberty. Parallel to the intellectual development was the emergence of the scientific way of thinking, which Europe embraced. All of these intellectual developments ushered Europe into the Industrial Revolution. With the emergence of the Capitalist ideology and the Industrial Revolution, the West emerged as a new intellectual and material force in the world.

穆斯林对自身的军事优势感到满足,要么没有察觉,要么无视欧洲大部分地区正在发生的深刻变化。他们坚信伊斯兰不可被征服,伊斯兰国家作为世界第一强国延续了上千年的悠久历史,以及他们击败十字军和蒙古人的能力,这些都进一步加深了这种满足感。此外,穆斯林曾横扫欧洲,最远抵达法国中部和维也纳,这一事实也使这种满足感更加强烈。

Muslims, content with their military superiority, were either unaware or heedless of the sweeping changes which were occurring throughout most of Europe. This contentment was further strengthened by their belief that Islam could not be conquered, the long history the Islamic State enjoyed as the First State in the world for a millennium, and their ability to defeat both the Crusaders and the Moguls. Further adding to this feeling of contentment was the fact that the Muslims were able to sweep across Europe, ultimately reaching Central France and Vienna.

尽管奥斯曼国家是一个军事巨人,但其政治和思想影响却微乎其微。穆斯林在政治和思想上的衰落,是由若干内部因素累积所致,而这种衰败在奥斯曼国家时期变得更加普遍和明显。处于衰落中的穆斯林对欧洲所发生的突变缺乏准备,因此欧洲所取得的进步让穆斯林猝不及防,使他们深感震惊。在此之前,穆斯林不断地向新的土地扩展疆界;而在奥斯曼国家时期,穆斯林却眼睁睁看着欧洲各国,尤其是西班牙、葡萄牙、荷兰、英国和法国,在不同地区殖民穆斯林的土地。过去,欧洲人为了与其他民族和中国等遥远地区进行贸易,不得不穿越穆斯林世界。然而,随着瓦斯科·达·伽马、麦哲伦、哥伦布等人发现新的贸易航线,欧洲在这方面不再仅仅依赖穆斯林。

Although the Ottoman State was a military giant, its political and intellectual influence was miniscule. Politically and intellectually, the Muslims were declining due to the accumulation of several internal factors, and this deterioration became more widespread and obvious during the days of the Ottoman State. The Muslims in this state of decline were ill-prepared in dealing with the sudden changes that swept through Europe, and consequently the progress that Europe experienced was a shock to the Muslims that took them by surprise. While the Muslims before continuously expanded their frontiers to new lands, the Muslims during the days of the Ottoman State witnessed the European Nations, particularly Spain, Portugal, Holland, Britain, and France, colonizing Muslim lands in different regions. In the past, the Europeans were forced to cross the Muslim world in order to trade with other nations and territories in remote areas such as China. However, with the discovery of new trade routes by Vasco De Gama, Magellen, Columbus, and others, Europe no longer depended solely upon the Muslims in this regard.