(i)L(l)iteral ignorance

No teaching today which means you guys get a bonus blog from me. How exciting! Actually, although it may not be exciting, what I want to discuss today is certainly interesting. The muslim world is divided on a lot of things, and one of the differences I want to talk about today is to do with the Holy Prophet.

There is a debate going on that concerns the abilities of the Prophet, namely to do with his literacy skills. Certain Muslims, rightly or wrongly, suggest that the Prophet was illiterate, that he was unable to read and write. For some, it is not seen as a criticism, but rather as more proof of the miracle of the Holy Prophet in revealing the Holy Quran and also the message of Islam. For others (namely Wahabbis), it is a way to belittle the Prophet and attempt to reduce his status to that of a common man. Wahabbis would like us to believe that the Prophet was a normal man, whose mission was to bring the Holy Quran and that was it. Some even refer to him as a normal postman. Describing him as illiterate is just another way of downplaying his status.

For Shias, the belief is quite different. We believe that he was in no way illiterate and today I would like to attempt to explain why, using some reliable sources and also a very important tool (not necessarily utilised by others), common sense. Unfortunately, this has become a hot topic of debate because the information available is rather sparse, but a good starting point would the Holy Quran.

When muslims debate whether the Prophet was illiterate, they often quote the following verses:

"And ordain for us good in this world's life and the hereafter, for surely we turn to Thee. He said: (As for) My chastisement, I will afflict with it whom I please, and My mercy encompasses all things; so I will ordain it (specially) for those who guard (against evil) and pay the poor-rate, and those who believe in Our communications. Those who follow the Messenger Prophet, the Ummi, whom they find written down with them in the Taurat and the Injeel (who) enjoins them good and forbids them evil, and makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful to them impure things, and removes from them their burden and the shackles which were upon them; so (as for) those who believe in him and honor him and help him, and follow the light which has been sent down with him, these it is that are the successful." (Surah 7, Verses 156-157)

The key word in the above verse is Ummi. Scholars have translated this to mean either "unlettered" or "illiterate" and this is where the confusion seems to arise. Which translation makes more sense? If we take the first meaning, then describing the Prophet as unlettered would mean that he was not formally educated or schooled, which is true, all his knowledge came direct from God and therefore that translation would make sense. If we use the second translation, then it suggests that he was unable to read and write, but does that make sense?

Further tafsir of these verses reveals that Ummi was a term used to describe the Arabs, as they were often illiterate and uneducated. Hence, perhaps God was defining the Prophet as an Arab, which he was. Ummis also refers to the people of Mecca - the Ummul-Qura and God goes on to state that: "It is He who raised among the ummies a messenger from amongst them, who recites His signs to them, reforms them and teaches them the book and the wisdom." (Surah 62, Verse 2). The Prophet was a Meccan, but it is absurd to think that Allah sent an illiterate to teach the illiterates.

Continuing to use the Quran, God clearly states why he sent the Holy Prophet: "And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds." (Surah 21, Verse 107) He was sent for all of mankind. Also, in the Quran, when God talks about Prophet Isa (a.s.) he mentions that Isa was able to speak from the cradle, when he was just a baby: "He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet." (Surah 19, Verse 30) So, God describes a Prophet who was able to speak from the cradle as a baby, and then for the Prophet who has been sent for all of mankind, to suggest that he unable to read or write is surely a mistake. And lastly, the first verse revealed to the Prophet on the night of Qadr was "Read in the name of your Lord Who created." (Surah 96, Verse 1). Why did God ask the Prophet to read, if he was unable to?

Moving from the Quran and onto events that occured during the Prophet's life, there is the well documented event (Sahih Muslim, Book 13, Hadith 4016) that occured near the time of the Prophet's death. He requested a pen and paper from Umar as he wished to write his last will. Umar denied him that request, but nonetheless, why would the Prophet ask for a pen and paper if he was unable to write?

Furthermore, there is another incident which took place in the Prophet's life as quoted by Ibn Ishaq in the book "The Life of Muhammed: Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasulallah." In it he describes a letter exchange between the Holy Prophet and a man named Musaylima bin Habib who was claiming to be a Prophet of God:

"MUSAYLIMA'S LETTER AND THE APOSTLE'S ANSWER THERETO

Musaylima had written to the apostle (Prophet Muhammad):
>From Musaylima the apostle of God to Muhammad the apostle of God. Peace upon you. I have been made partner with you in authority. To us belongs half the land and to Quraysh half, but Quraysh are a hostile people...

Then he (Prophet Muhammad) wrote to Musaylima:
>From Muhammad the apostle of God to Musaylima the liar. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. The earth is God's. He lets whom He will of His creatures (to) inherit it and the result is to the pious...

This was at the end of the year 10 (after Hijra). There were other instances in the history of early Islam where Prophet Muhammad sent many letters to Kings and other heads of state, inviting them to embrace God's religion. The only plausible conclusion is that he realized the importance of written communication, as God has taught in the earliest revelation. Ibn Ishaq's chronicle on this issue provides a historical evidence to support the fact that Muhammad was indeed a literate prophet."

The above extract confirms that the Prophet engaged in writing and reading in order to spread the message of Islam. Finally, putting on the hat of common sense, is it not nonsensical to think that the Prophet was illiterate? He was sent by God to spread the religion of Islam throughout the world, he was sent to a region rife with problems, including illiteracy, therefore does it make sense that God sent an illiterate Prophet to teach illiterate people? Also, the Prophet was a successful businessman and tradesman, dealing with the finances and wealth of his first wife, Bibi Khadija (a.s.). In order to do so, would he not need to be able to read and write?

For many Muslims, the Prophet's illiteracy is used as a tool to hail his miracle of the Holy Quran even more, but that is not necessary. The Quran is the greatest miracle for mankind and doesn't need any surrounding intervention to make it bigger. For those who claim the Prophet was illiterate in an attempt to belittle him, they are surely mistaken. The Holy Prophet was sent for all of mankind, he was not simply a postman sent to deliver the Quran. Without him there is no Islam. Who else is there to explain the teachings and meanings of the Quran and Islam? I hope this blog has addressed the issue over the Prophets alleged illiteracy although I am sure many people will disagree, if any of you are reading, then please leave a comment and we can discuss this topic further.

Take care all,
Thoughts just flow, when do they have to make sense?