Muhammad and illiteracy - Revision history

Lightyears: Automated script replacing USC-MSA hadith numbering system for Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud

2025-11-12T20:39:13Z

Automated script replacing USC-MSA hadith numbering system for Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:39, 12 November 2025
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	"The book shall be given to a person who is not learned. And when will be asked "Read this!", he will say "I am not learned".}}		"The book shall be given to a person who is not learned. And when will be asked "Read this!", he will say "I am not learned".}}
	This could be a prediction of what Aisha described:		This could be a prediction of what Aisha described:
	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|1\|1\|3}}\|...suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "I do not know how to read."...}}		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|3\|darussalam}}\|...suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "I do not know how to read."...}}
	Isaiah 29:12, however, is as follows:		Isaiah 29:12, however, is as follows:
	{{Quote\|Isaiah 29:11-13\|		{{Quote\|Isaiah 29:11-13\|
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	====Hadiths====		====Hadiths====
	كتب (''kataba'') means "he wrote":		كتب (''kataba'') means "he wrote":
	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|1\|3\|65}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|65\|darussalam}}\|
	Narrated Anas bin Malik:		Narrated Anas bin Malik:

	'''Once the Prophet (ﷺ) wrote (كَتَبَ) a letter or had an idea of writing a letter'''. The Prophet (ﷺ) was told that they (rulers) would not read letters unless they were sealed. So the Prophet (ﷺ) got a silver ring made with "Muhammad Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)" engraved on it. As if I were just observing its white glitter in the hand of the Prophet.}}		'''Once the Prophet (ﷺ) wrote (كَتَبَ) a letter or had an idea of writing a letter'''. The Prophet (ﷺ) was told that they (rulers) would not read letters unless they were sealed. So the Prophet (ﷺ) got a silver ring made with "Muhammad Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)" engraved on it. As if I were just observing its white glitter in the hand of the Prophet.}}
	{{Quote\|{{~~Abudawud~~\|42\|~~5117~~}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Abu Dawud\|\|5136\|darussalam}}\|
	Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:		Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:

	'''The Prophet (ﷺ) wrote (كَتَبَ) a letter to Heraclius''': "From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql (Heraclius), Chief of the Byzantines. Peace be to those who follow the guidance." Ibn Yahya reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas that AbuSufyan said to him: We then came to see Hiraql (Heraclius) who seated us before him. He then called for the letter from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Its contents were: "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, from Muhammad the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql, chief of Byzantines. Peace be to those who follow the guidance. To proceed."}}		'''The Prophet (ﷺ) wrote (كَتَبَ) a letter to Heraclius''': "From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql (Heraclius), Chief of the Byzantines. Peace be to those who follow the guidance." Ibn Yahya reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas that AbuSufyan said to him: We then came to see Hiraql (Heraclius) who seated us before him. He then called for the letter from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Its contents were: "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, from Muhammad the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql, chief of Byzantines. Peace be to those who follow the guidance. To proceed."}}
	{{Quote\|{{~~Abudawud~~\|18\|~~2921~~}} (sahih)\|		{{Quote\|{{Abu Dawud\|\|2927\|darussalam}} (sahih)\|
	Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab:		Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab:

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	Ahmad ibn Salih said: AbdurRazzaq transmitted this tradition to us from Ma'mar, from az-Zuhri on the authority of Sa'id. In this version he said: The Prophet (ﷺ) made him governor over the bedouins.}}		Ahmad ibn Salih said: AbdurRazzaq transmitted this tradition to us from Ma'mar, from az-Zuhri on the authority of Sa'id. In this version he said: The Prophet (ﷺ) made him governor over the bedouins.}}
	{{Quote\|{{~~Abudawud~~\|19\|~~2993~~}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Abu Dawud\|\|2999\|darussalam}}\|
	Narrated Yazid ibn Abdullah:		Narrated Yazid ibn Abdullah:

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	وكتب (''wa-kataba'') means "and he wrote":		وكتب (''wa-kataba'') means "and he wrote":
	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|4\|53\|~~387~~}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|3161\|darussalam}}\|
	Narrated Abu Humaid As-Saidi:		Narrated Abu Humaid As-Saidi:

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	فكتب (''fa-kataba'') means "then he wrote":		فكتب (''fa-kataba'') means "then he wrote":
	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|9\|89\|~~302~~}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|7192\|darussalam}}\|
	Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The Jews should either pay the blood money of your (deceased) companion or be ready for war." '''After that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) wrote (فَكَتَبَ) a letter to the Jews''' in that respect, and they wrote that they had not killed him.}}		Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The Jews should either pay the blood money of your (deceased) companion or be ready for war." '''After that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) wrote (فَكَتَبَ) a letter to the Jews''' in that respect, and they wrote that they had not killed him.}}
	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|3\|49\|~~863~~}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|2699\|darussalam}}\|
	Narrated Al-Bara:		Narrated Al-Bara:

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	Ibn Ishaq died in 761. But in the 9th century, Bukhari recorded the narration differently:		Ibn Ishaq died in 761. But in the 9th century, Bukhari recorded the narration differently:
	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|1\|1\|3}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|3\|darussalam}}\|
	He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "'''I do not know how to read.''' (مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ)" The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3)		He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "'''I do not know how to read.''' (مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ)" The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3)
	}}		}}
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	==Hadith regarding the Ummah as an unlettered people==		==Hadith regarding the Ummah as an unlettered people==
	According to a hadith, Muhammad said that the Islamic community was a ummiyya who could not write nor count. The hadith has been understood to mean that the start of the month should be determined by moon sighting and not by calculation.<ref>https://islamqa.info/en/4713</ref>:		According to a hadith, Muhammad said that the Islamic community was a ummiyya who could not write nor count. The hadith has been understood to mean that the start of the month should be determined by moon sighting and not by calculation.<ref>https://islamqa.info/en/4713</ref>:
	{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|6\|~~2376~~}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|\|1080n\|reference}}\|
	Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported Allah's Apostle as saying:		Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported Allah's Apostle as saying:

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	7:159 "And among the people of Moses is a community which guides by truth and by it establishes justice."		7:159 "And among the people of Moses is a community which guides by truth and by it establishes justice."
	}}		}}
	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|1\|1\|3}}\|...suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "I do not know how to read."...}}{{Quote\|{{Quran\|3\|20}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|3\|darussalam}}\|...suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "I do not know how to read."...}}{{Quote\|{{Quran\|3\|20}}\|
	So if they argue with you, say, "I have submitted myself to Allah [in Islam], and [so have] those who follow me." And say to those who were given the Scripture '''and [to] the unlearned''' (وَالْأُمِّيِّينَ, ''wa-al-ummeena''), "Have you submitted yourselves?" And if they submit [in Islam], they are rightly guided; but if they turn away - then upon you is only the [duty of] notification. And Allah is Seeing of [His] servants.		So if they argue with you, say, "I have submitted myself to Allah [in Islam], and [so have] those who follow me." And say to those who were given the Scripture '''and [to] the unlearned''' (وَالْأُمِّيِّينَ, ''wa-al-ummeena''), "Have you submitted yourselves?" And if they submit [in Islam], they are rightly guided; but if they turn away - then upon you is only the [duty of] notification. And Allah is Seeing of [His] servants.
	}}<br />		}}<br />
	{{Quote\|Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on 62:2\|		{{Quote\|Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on 62:2\|
	It is He Who sent to the unlettered folk among the Arabs '''ummī means ‘one who cannot write or read a book’''' a messenger from among them namely Muhammad (s) to recite to them His signs the Qur’ān and to purify them to cleanse them from idolatry and to teach them the Book the Qur’ān and wisdom in the rulings that it contains though indeed wa-in in has been softened from the hardened form with its subject having been omitted that is to say understand it as wa-innahum before that before his coming they had been in manifest error.}}		It is He Who sent to the unlettered folk among the Arabs '''ummī means ‘one who cannot write or read a book’''' a messenger from among them namely Muhammad (s) to recite to them His signs the Qur’ān and to purify them to cleanse them from idolatry and to teach them the Book the Qur’ān and wisdom in the rulings that it contains though indeed wa-in in has been softened from the hardened form with its subject having been omitted that is to say understand it as wa-innahum before that before his coming they had been in manifest error.}}
	{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|1\|1\|3}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Bukhari\|\|\|3\|darussalam}}\|
	He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "'''I do not know how to read.''' (مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ)" The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3)		He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "'''I do not know how to read.''' (مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ)" The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3)
	}}		}}

Asmith at 04:23, 5 June 2025

2025-06-05T04:23:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:23, 5 June 2025
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			\|title=Muhammad and illiteracy
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	{{QualityScore\|Lead=4\|Structure=4\|Content=4\|Language=4\|References=4}}		{{QualityScore\|Lead=4\|Structure=4\|Content=4\|Language=4\|References=4}}
	'''Muhammad's literacy''' is a commonly mentioned topic in regards to the historicity, revelation, and compiling of the Quran. Many Muslim scholars have argued that Muhammad's illiteracy is evidence that the Quran is a divine miracle. However, skeptics disagree that this is enough to constitute a miracle and challenge the claim altogether. Among modern academic scholars there is virtual unanimity that the Quran does not in fact describe Muhammad or his people as illiterate, and that this was a reinterpretation arising some time after his death. Indeed, there is now known to be abundant evidence of significant literacy among the pre-Islamic Arabs.		'''Muhammad's literacy''' is a commonly mentioned topic in regards to the historicity, revelation, and compiling of the Quran. Many Muslim scholars have argued that Muhammad's illiteracy is evidence that the Quran is a divine miracle. However, skeptics disagree that this is enough to constitute a miracle and challenge the claim altogether. Among modern academic scholars there is virtual unanimity that the Quran does not in fact describe Muhammad or his people as illiterate, and that this was a reinterpretation arising some time after his death. Indeed, there is now known to be abundant evidence of significant literacy among the pre-Islamic Arabs.

Lightyears: Removed Tafsir al-Jalalayn for 2:78 as translation is bad. It actually just quotes the verse and defines the ummeeoona as commoners. Simplest to just remove.

2025-05-20T23:01:00Z

Removed Tafsir al-Jalalayn for 2:78 as translation is bad. It actually just quotes the verse and defines the ummeeoona as commoners. Simplest to just remove.

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:01, 20 May 2025
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	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|2\|78}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|2\|78}}\|
	And among them are '''unlettered ones''' (أُمِّيُّونَ, ''ummeeoona'') who do not know the Scripture except in wishful thinking, but they are only assuming.}}		And among them are '''unlettered ones''' (أُمِّيُّونَ, ''ummeeoona'') who do not know the Scripture except in wishful thinking, but they are only assuming.}}
	~~Tafsir Al-Jalalayn says about the verse:~~
	~~{{Quote\|Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on 2:78\|~~
	And there are some of them the Jews that are '''illiterate unlettered not knowing the Scripture''' the Torah but only desires lies which were handed down to them by their leaders and which they relied upon; and in their rejection of the prophethood of the Prophet and fabrications of other matters they have mere conjectures and no firm knowledge.}}

	====Chapter 3 Verse 20====		====Chapter 3 Verse 20====
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	Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on 3:20 says:		Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on 3:20 says:
	{{Quote\|Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on 3:20\|		{{Quote\|Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on 3:20\|
	So if they the disbelievers dispute with you O Muhammad (s) concerning religion say to them ‘I have surrendered my countenance to God that is to say I have submitted to Him I and whoever follows me’ wajh ‘countenance’ is chosen here because of its noble character for the other parts of the body will just as soon surrender once the countenance has; and say to those who have been given the Scripture the Jews and the Christians ~~'''~~and to the uninstructed the Arab idolaters''' ‘Have you submitted?’ that is to say ‘Submit!’ And so if they have submitted they have been guided from error but if they turn their backs to Islam your duty is only to deliver the Message; and God sees His servants and so requites them for their deeds — this statement was revealed before the command to fight them had been revealed.}}		So if they the disbelievers dispute with you O Muhammad (s) concerning religion say to them ‘I have surrendered my countenance to God that is to say I have submitted to Him I and whoever follows me’ wajh ‘countenance’ is chosen here because of its noble character for the other parts of the body will just as soon surrender once the countenance has; and say to those who have been given the Scripture the Jews and the Christians and to the uninstructed '''the Arab idolaters''' ‘Have you submitted?’ that is to say ‘Submit!’ And so if they have submitted they have been guided from error but if they turn their backs to Islam your duty is only to deliver the Message; and God sees His servants and so requites them for their deeds — this statement was revealed before the command to fight them had been revealed.}}
	Here, ~~according to~~ Tafsir Al-Jalalayn, ~~as well as most academic~~ scholars, the word ''ummiy'' means ~~pagan or gentile (~~i.e. those not given a scripture).		Here, in Tafsir Al-Jalalayn "and to the uninstructed" is just a translation of his quote from the Arabic verse itself, which he then simply comments are the mushrikeen Arabs. Academic scholars generally interpret that the word ''ummiy'' here means unscriptured people, i.e. those not given a scripture.

	====Chapter 3 Verse 75====		====Chapter 3 Verse 75====
	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|3\|75}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|3\|75}}\|
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	62:3 "And [to] others of them who have not yet joined them. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise."}}		62:3 "And [to] others of them who have not yet joined them. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise."}}
	~~In 62:2~~, ~~according to the tafsir Al~~-Jalalayn, the word means illiterate and refers to the illiterate Arabs:		For these verses, Tafsir al-Jalalayn gives the traditional interpretation that the word means illiterate and refers to the illiterate Arabs:
	{{Quote\|Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on 62:2\|		{{Quote\|Tafsir Al-Jalalayn on 62:2\|
	It is He Who sent to the unlettered folk among the Arabs '''ummī means ‘one who cannot write or read a book’''' a messenger from among them namely Muhammad (s) to recite to them His signs the Qur’ān and to purify them to cleanse them from idolatry and to teach them the Book the Qur’ān and wisdom in the rulings that it contains though indeed wa-in in has been softened from the hardened form with its subject having been omitted that is to say understand it as wa-innahum before that before his coming they had been in manifest error.}}		It is He Who sent to the unlettered folk among the Arabs '''ummī means ‘one who cannot write or read a book’''' a messenger from among them namely Muhammad (s) to recite to them His signs the Qur’ān and to purify them to cleanse them from idolatry and to teach them the Book the Qur’ān and wisdom in the rulings that it contains though indeed wa-in in has been softened from the hardened form with its subject having been omitted that is to say understand it as wa-innahum before that before his coming they had been in manifest error.}}

CPO675: /* Modern Academic Quotations */ Added academic quote on illiterate interpretation having apologetic aspect

2025-03-20T21:14:56Z

Modern Academic Quotations: Added academic quote on illiterate interpretation having apologetic aspect

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:14, 20 March 2025
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	In his commentary on the Quran, Gabriel Said Reynolds (a modern academic scholar) points to verse 3:20 as evidence that the word refers to those who do not know the word of God (similarly verses 3:75 and 62:2).<ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said, "The Quran and Bible:Text and Commentary", New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2018 p.54 (commentary on Q. 2:78-9)</ref> Thus, Muhammad is described as an ummi prophet in verses 7:157-158 because he came from a people to whom God had not yet sent down revelation, not because he was illiterate. As Reynolds further points out (crediting Holger Zelletin), verses 29:47-48, which are commonly cited to interpret the other verses on this topic, deny that Muhammad wrote the Quran himself, yet this does not imply that he could not read:		In his commentary on the Quran, Gabriel Said Reynolds (a modern academic scholar) points to verse 3:20 as evidence that the word refers to those who do not know the word of God (similarly verses 3:75 and 62:2).<ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said, "The Quran and Bible:Text and Commentary", New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2018 p.54 (commentary on Q. 2:78-9)</ref> Thus, Muhammad is described as an ummi prophet in verses 7:157-158 because he came from a people to whom God had not yet sent down revelation, not because he was illiterate. As Reynolds further points out (crediting Holger Zelletin), verses 29:47-48, which are commonly cited to interpret the other verses on this topic, deny that Muhammad wrote the Quran himself, yet this does not imply that he could not read:

	{{Quote\|{{Quran-range\|29\|47\|48}}\|And thus We have sent down to you the Qur'an. And those to whom We [previously] gave the Scripture believe in it. And among these [people of Makkah] are those who believe in it. And none reject Our verses except the disbelievers. And you did not recite before it any scripture, nor did you inscribe one with your right hand. Otherwise the falsifiers would have had [cause for] doubt.}}		{{Quote\|{{Quran-range\|29\|47\|48}}\|And thus We have sent down to you the Qur'an. And those to whom We [previously] gave the Scripture believe in it. And among these [people of Makkah] are those who believe in it. And none reject Our verses except the disbelievers. And you did not recite before it any scripture, nor did you inscribe one with your right hand. Otherwise the falsifiers would have had [cause for] doubt.}}Archer (2024) notes the interpretation of ''ummiy'' as meaning fully illiterate over 'unscripted' has an apologetic aspect to it.
			{{Quote\|Archer, George. The Prophet's Whistle: Late Antique Orality, Literacy, and the Quran (p. 29). University of Iowa Press. Kindle Edition.\|What about the literacy, orality, and illiteracy of Muhammad himself? Aside from some Quranic passages (to be discussed in due course) and Islamic memories from centuries later, the major issue regarding Muhammad’s own literacy is in orbit around the meaning of the Quranic term ummī.<sup>21</sup> In the seventh century, ummī and kindred terms appear to have meant something like “[one of?] the nations,” related to umma (“community” or “nation of people”). Idiomatically, ummī refers to a gentile, a non-Jew, as does the Latin gens (“people,” “race”), the Greek ethnikos (“of a [particular] nation”) and the Hebrew goyim (“the [foreign] nations”). Through this ancestry and then in the context of the Quran, ummī carries the implication of a person or people (ummiyyūn) who have not received a revelation from God; someone who is neither a Jew nor a Christian. </br></br>

			The question then stands as such: Does the Quranic ummī mean only someone from a group that has never received a book from God, or does it simply mean a people without any literature at all? Most Muslims from the eighteenth century onward have favored the second option: to say the Prophet or his people are ummī means they have no direct access to any complex literatures, scriptural or anything else. Ummī means unlettered and without any education in reading and writing. <i>Hidden in this interpretation of the word is a bit of apologetics for Islam, too.</i> If Muhammad was entirely illiterate regarding all writing, then he could not be “learning” the materials needed to “write” the Quran from elsewhere. Ergo, the Quran as a miraculous text is underscored because it seems impossible that Muhammad could have composed it without considerable access to many written texts. Muhammad’s illiteracy is evidence that the Quran is from God.}}

	====Chapter 2 Verse 78====		====Chapter 2 Verse 78====

CPO675: /* Relevant Quotations */ Have linked to a brilliant post on modern academics views against Muhammad being illiterate on the subreddit r/academicquran here, arguing against the traditional view.

2024-10-30T13:56:06Z

Relevant Quotations: Have linked to a brilliant post on modern academics views against Muhammad being illiterate on the subreddit r/academicquran here, arguing against the traditional view.

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:56, 30 October 2024
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	He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "'''I do not know how to read.''' (مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ)" The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3)		He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "'''I do not know how to read.''' (مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ)" The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3)
	}}		}}

			=== Modern Academic Quotations ===
			The Sub-Reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQuran/ r/AcademicQuran] moderator(s) have complied a list of quotes and citations from modern academics on the data as to whether Muhammad literate or not which can be read here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQuran/comments/1fz3vr8/the_data_on_muhammads_literacy/ ''The data on Muhammad's literacy'']

	==See also==		==See also==

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	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|9\|61}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|9\|61}}\|
	And among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, "He is '''an ear''' (أذن, ''udhun'')."		And among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, "He is '''an ear''' (أذن, ''udhun'')."
	}}{{Quote\|{{Quran\|7\|155-159}}\|		}}{{Quote\|{{Quran\|44\|14}}\|Yet they turn away from him and say: "'''Tutored (by others)''' (مُعَلَّمٌۭ), a man possessed!"}}{{Quote\|{{Quran\|7\|155-159}}\|
	7:155 "And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment. And when the earthquake seized them, he said, "My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before and me [as well]. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is not but Your trial by which You send astray whom You will and guide whom You will. You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us; and You are the best of forgivers."		7:155 "And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment. And when the earthquake seized them, he said, "My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before and me [as well]. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is not but Your trial by which You send astray whom You will and guide whom You will. You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us; and You are the best of forgivers."

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	{{Quote\|Julien Decharneux (2023) "Creation and Contemplation", p. 252\|The Church of the East was particarly active from this point of view with far-reaching missionary activites in the south-eastern part of the Asian world. At the time of the emergence of the Qurʾān, both the Syro-Orthodox Church and the Church of the East were already exerting their influence on the south of the Arabian Peninsula, as the records show. Most importantly, the Church of the East was established on both sides of the Persian Gulf. From the end of the 4th century at least, Christian communities had settled in the region called Beth Qatraye, covering a large zone of the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Recent archaeology shows that several monasteries existed along the coast and in the islands of the Persian Gulf. We know that these communities were connected with the regions of Sinai and the Byzantine world particularly. Some of the writings emanating from these circles were also translated in Sogdian, Ethiopic, and Arabic from the 7th century onwards.}}		{{Quote\|Julien Decharneux (2023) "Creation and Contemplation", p. 252\|The Church of the East was particarly active from this point of view with far-reaching missionary activites in the south-eastern part of the Asian world. At the time of the emergence of the Qurʾān, both the Syro-Orthodox Church and the Church of the East were already exerting their influence on the south of the Arabian Peninsula, as the records show. Most importantly, the Church of the East was established on both sides of the Persian Gulf. From the end of the 4th century at least, Christian communities had settled in the region called Beth Qatraye, covering a large zone of the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Recent archaeology shows that several monasteries existed along the coast and in the islands of the Persian Gulf. We know that these communities were connected with the regions of Sinai and the Byzantine world particularly. Some of the writings emanating from these circles were also translated in Sogdian, Ethiopic, and Arabic from the 7th century onwards.}}

			For further relevant verses and sources, see the introductory sections in the article [[Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature]].

	==The myth of pre-Islamic Arab illiteracy==		==The myth of pre-Islamic Arab illiteracy==

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	==Transfer of Information==		==Transfer of Information==
			{{Main\|Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature}}
	Humans have many means by which information transfer is possible. Verbal communication, historically, was the main mode of information sharing. Many civilizations, their histories, mythologies, and stories have been kept alive as they are passed down orally from one generation to the next.		Humans have many means by which information transfer is possible. Verbal communication, historically, was the main mode of information sharing. Many civilizations, their histories, mythologies, and stories have been kept alive as they are passed down orally from one generation to the next.

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	And among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, "He is '''an ear''' (أذن, ''udhun'')."}}		And among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, "He is '''an ear''' (أذن, ''udhun'')."}}

	~~We also know~~ that ~~during Muhammad'~~s ~~time there was a man named Waraqa b~~. ~~Naufal who studied~~ the ~~Bible~~ and ~~wrote books in Arabic and he was close to Muhammad's first wife Khadija. Once Waraqa went blind, he likely continued teaching scripture verbally.~~		Julien Decharneux, an academic scholar who specialises in Syriac traditions and the Quran, proposes that the Quranic author(s) came into contact with East Syriac Christian preachers or missionaries rather than direct accessing Christian texts. In his book ''Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background'', he notes that the Christian lore in the Quran is "always periphrastic, never detailed, and often approximative". Decharneux further explains that the repetoire of texts that would have contributed to the thought of a "standard Christian preacher" at the turn of the 7th century would vary depending on church affiliation, "but it involves among other things the Bible, apocryphal texts, exegetical commentaries, and ascetic literature. These types of texts were not ''occasionally'' read. The sources attest that they were ''omnipresent'' in the Christian scholastic and monastic life from where a 'standard preacher' would have come". Indeed, he adds, "both Syriac ''and'' Greek exegetes were extremely popular".<ref>Julien Decharneux (2023) "Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background", Berlin/Boston: DeGruyter, pp. 10-11</ref>
	~~{{Quote\|{{Muslim\|1\|301}}\|~~
	~~Khadija then took him to Waraqa b. Naufal b. Asad b.~~ '~~Abd al-~~'~~Uzza~~, ~~and~~ he ~~was~~ the ~~son of Khadija's uncle~~, i. ~~e.,~~ the ~~brother~~ of ~~her father. And he was~~ the ~~man who had embraced Christianity in~~ the ~~Days~~ of ~~Ignorance (i~~. e. ~~before Islam) and he used to write books~~ in ~~Arabic~~ and, ~~therefore~~, ~~wrote Injil in Arabic as God willed that he should write~~. ~~He was very old~~ and ~~had become blind Khadija said to him~~: ~~O uncle! listen to~~ the ~~son of your brother~~.}}

	~~This~~, ~~it is argued~~, ~~would provide Muhammad a source for Judeo~~-Christian ~~ideas~~ that ~~he could incorporate into~~ the ~~Quran~~ and ~~his teachings~~.		Decharneux further writes regarding missionary activity in the vicinity of Arabia:

			{{Quote\|Julien Decharneux (2023) "Creation and Contemplation", p. 252\|The Church of the East was particarly active from this point of view with far-reaching missionary activites in the south-eastern part of the Asian world. At the time of the emergence of the Qurʾān, both the Syro-Orthodox Church and the Church of the East were already exerting their influence on the south of the Arabian Peninsula, as the records show. Most importantly, the Church of the East was established on both sides of the Persian Gulf. From the end of the 4th century at least, Christian communities had settled in the region called Beth Qatraye, covering a large zone of the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Recent archaeology shows that several monasteries existed along the coast and in the islands of the Persian Gulf. We know that these communities were connected with the regions of Sinai and the Byzantine world particularly. Some of the writings emanating from these circles were also translated in Sogdian, Ethiopic, and Arabic from the 7th century onwards.}}

	==The myth of pre-Islamic Arab illiteracy==		==The myth of pre-Islamic Arab illiteracy==

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	'''Muhammad's literacy''' is a commonly mentioned topic in regards to the historicity, revelation, and compiling of the Quran. Many Muslim scholars have argued that Muhammad's illiteracy is evidence that the Quran is a divine miracle. However, skeptics disagree that this is enough to constitute a miracle and challenge the claim altogether. Among modern academic scholars there is virtual unanimity that the Quran does not in fact describe Muhammad or his people as illiterate, and that this was a reinterpretation arising some time after his death. Indeed, there is now known to be abundant evidence of significant literacy among the pre-Islamic Arabs.		'''Muhammad's literacy''' is a commonly mentioned topic in regards to the historicity, revelation, and compiling of the Quran. Many Muslim scholars have argued that Muhammad's illiteracy is evidence that the Quran is a divine miracle. However, skeptics disagree that this is enough to constitute a miracle and challenge the claim altogether. Among modern academic scholars there is virtual unanimity that the Quran does not in fact describe Muhammad or his people as illiterate, and that this was a reinterpretation arising some time after his death. Indeed, there is now known to be abundant evidence of significant literacy among the pre-Islamic Arabs.

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	'''Muhammad's literacy''' is a commonly mentioned topic in regards to the historicity, revelation, and compiling of the Quran. Many Muslim scholars have argued that Muhammad's illiteracy is evidence that the Quran is a divine miracle. However, skeptics disagree that this is enough to constitute a miracle and challenge the claim altogether. Among modern academic scholars there is virtual unanimity that the Quran does not in fact describe Muhammad as illiterate, and that this was a reinterpretation arising some time after his death.		'''Muhammad's literacy''' is a commonly mentioned topic in regards to the historicity, revelation, and compiling of the Quran. Many Muslim scholars have argued that Muhammad's illiteracy is evidence that the Quran is a divine miracle. However, skeptics disagree that this is enough to constitute a miracle and challenge the claim altogether. Among modern academic scholars there is virtual unanimity that the Quran does not in fact describe Muhammad or his people as illiterate, and that this was a reinterpretation arising some time after his death. Indeed, there is now known to be abundant evidence of significant literacy among the pre-Islamic Arabs.

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	This, it is argued, would provide Muhammad a source for Judeo-Christian ideas that he could incorporate into the Quran and his teachings.		This, it is argued, would provide Muhammad a source for Judeo-Christian ideas that he could incorporate into the Quran and his teachings.

			==The myth of pre-Islamic Arab illiteracy==
			Old Arabic (i.e. pre-Islamic) comprised a continuum of dialects over a large region, and is found enscribed on rocks and monuments in a variety of scripts such as Safaitic, and eventually in early Arabic scripts. Ahmad al-Jallad, a leading expert on the history of Arabic and its epigraphic evidence outlines how we now know that a sizable segment of South Arabian society was able to write even for informal purposes, and that North and West Arabia were literate societies, as traced in the extensive range of inscriptions, and even that a large number of desert nomads were able to read and write. He further writes, "Thus, the growing body of pre-Islamic evidence strongly indicates that the use of Arabic for administration in the early Islamic period does not reﬂect an ad hoc invention, but the continuation of an established tradition of administration in Arabic which must have its origins in North Arabian and Syrian scribal practices."<ref>Ahmad al-Jallad (2020) [https://www.academia.edu/43141064 Chapter 7: The Linguistic Landscape of pre-Islamic Arabia - Context for the Qur’an] in Mustafa Shah (ed.), Muhammad Abdel Haleem (ed.), "The Oxford Handbook of Qur'anic Studies", Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 122</ref>

	==Was Muhammad illiterate?==		==Was Muhammad illiterate?==
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	====Chapter 62 Verse 2====		====Chapter 62 Verse 2====
	~~This verse has traditionally been interpreted to describe the Arabs as illiterates. However, the~~ modern academic view is that again ~~it means gentile~~ or ~~pagan~~ i.e. those not given a scripture. ~~Moreover~~, modern epigraphic research (~~study of rock inscriptions~~) ~~has shown that there was a degree of literacy in the Hijaz around the time of Muhammad~~, and first century Quran manuscripts show that ~~a simple~~ Arabic orthographic standard was already in existence.		The modern academic view is that again this verse refers to gentiles or pagans i.e. those not given a scripture. The verse has traditionally been interpreted to describe the Arabs as illiterates. However, modern epigraphic research has refuted this picture (as outlined above), and first century Quran manuscripts show that an early Arabic orthographic standard was already in existence.

	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|62\|2-3}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|62\|2-3}}\|