Read or Recite?
"Read" or "Recite."
P: Does the most trusted Islamic sources agree that Muhammad could not read or write, or is it a fiction invented by non-Muslims?
Answer
The majority of traditional Islamic sources (Quran, Sahih Bukhari, and Muslim) hold that Muhammad was illiterate (“al-ummi”), meaning he could not read or write before receiving the Qur'an, which is considered foundational to its divine nature. This is not a fiction of non-Muslims, but rather a central, traditional pillar of Islamic faith.
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are considered the two most authentic and trusted collections of hadith (sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) in Sunni Islam, often referred to as the most reliable sources after the Quran.
P: So, these men who said Muhammad could not read or write are the most highly recognized scholars in Islamic studies. Was Muhammad able to read and write at his death according to the most trusted Islamic sources?
Answer
According to the most widely accepted and traditional Sunni Islamic sources (such as Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim), Prophet Muhammad was illiterate, meaning he could not read or write throughout his life and up to his death.
I have not so far given anything from Christian source.
P: What was the very first word the man in the Cave of Hira said to Muhammad when he supposedly received his very first revelation?
Answer
The very first word the man (not Jibril, this was later suggested by Khadijah's cousin Waraqah Ibn Nawfal) was, "Iqra." The man appeared to Muhammad in the Cave and said to him "Iqra."
P: The word can mean "read" or "recite." Now we must investigate what was the intended meaning to Muhammad. Was it "read" or was it "recite?"
Answer
According to Islamic tradition (Sahih al-Bukhari 4953), when the Angel Gabriel commanded Muhammad to "Read" (Iqra) in the Cave of Hira, Muhammad replied, "I do not know how to read" (or "I am not a reader" / Ma ana bi qari).
P: So, the answer must logically be read.
Here is the problem Muslims must contend with. Why would Allah asked Muhammad to read if he could not read? It would be a miracle if Muhammad who could not read, was able to read after the man told him to read, but Muhammad according to the most trusted Islamic sources remained illiterate till the day he died. This is the position held by Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
If the Muslim's answer is that the word "Iqra" means "recite," here is the problem. Recite would mean Muhammad had already been given the revelation and this could not possibly be the first encounter he had with Allah's messenger, the man in the cave.
The prefix "re" in the word "recite" mean to repeat again. It means to say something the person had previously said, or committed to memory.
The prefix "re-" in "recite" means "again" or "back". It comes from the Latin word recitare, which combines re- (again) with citare (to summon or cite).
Here is what we are told concerning recitation
"Expecting someone to perfectly recite a phrase, paragraph, or song they are encountering for the first time is unnatural. Memory generally requires at least five to seven exposures for information to move from short-term to long-term memory."
So, there is a problem if Muhammad was told to "read." It is a problem if he was told to "recite."
Why is this vitally important?
This is the means by which Muhammad supposedly got his revelation. If the foundational revelation of the Islamic faith is shaky, anything built upon such foundation will automatically be shaky.
The idea that one of the miracle of the Quran is that Muhammad was illiterate does not hold up. Since he was unable to read when he died, even after Allah (through the man in the Cave) told him to read.
When Jesus say to the lame man "walk" he got up and walk. When Jesus called to Lazarus from the natural world into the spirit realm, Lazarus obeyed and come back to life. Why wasn't Allah able to change the plight of Muhammad's illiteracy with his word "Iqra?"
P: Does the most trusted Islamic sources agree that Muhammad could not read or write, or is it a fiction invented by non-Muslims?
Answer
The majority of traditional Islamic sources (Quran, Sahih Bukhari, and Muslim) hold that Muhammad was illiterate (“al-ummi”), meaning he could not read or write before receiving the Qur'an, which is considered foundational to its divine nature. This is not a fiction of non-Muslims, but rather a central, traditional pillar of Islamic faith.
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are considered the two most authentic and trusted collections of hadith (sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) in Sunni Islam, often referred to as the most reliable sources after the Quran.
P: So, these men who said Muhammad could not read or write are the most highly recognized scholars in Islamic studies. Was Muhammad able to read and write at his death according to the most trusted Islamic sources?
Answer
According to the most widely accepted and traditional Sunni Islamic sources (such as Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim), Prophet Muhammad was illiterate, meaning he could not read or write throughout his life and up to his death.
I have not so far given anything from Christian source.
P: What was the very first word the man in the Cave of Hira said to Muhammad when he supposedly received his very first revelation?
Answer
The very first word the man (not Jibril, this was later suggested by Khadijah's cousin Waraqah Ibn Nawfal) was, "Iqra." The man appeared to Muhammad in the Cave and said to him "Iqra."
P: The word can mean "read" or "recite." Now we must investigate what was the intended meaning to Muhammad. Was it "read" or was it "recite?"
Answer
According to Islamic tradition (Sahih al-Bukhari 4953), when the Angel Gabriel commanded Muhammad to "Read" (Iqra) in the Cave of Hira, Muhammad replied, "I do not know how to read" (or "I am not a reader" / Ma ana bi qari).
P: So, the answer must logically be read.
Here is the problem Muslims must contend with. Why would Allah asked Muhammad to read if he could not read? It would be a miracle if Muhammad who could not read, was able to read after the man told him to read, but Muhammad according to the most trusted Islamic sources remained illiterate till the day he died. This is the position held by Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
If the Muslim's answer is that the word "Iqra" means "recite," here is the problem. Recite would mean Muhammad had already been given the revelation and this could not possibly be the first encounter he had with Allah's messenger, the man in the cave.
The prefix "re" in the word "recite" mean to repeat again. It means to say something the person had previously said, or committed to memory.
The prefix "re-" in "recite" means "again" or "back". It comes from the Latin word recitare, which combines re- (again) with citare (to summon or cite).
Here is what we are told concerning recitation
"Expecting someone to perfectly recite a phrase, paragraph, or song they are encountering for the first time is unnatural. Memory generally requires at least five to seven exposures for information to move from short-term to long-term memory."
So, there is a problem if Muhammad was told to "read." It is a problem if he was told to "recite."
Why is this vitally important?
This is the means by which Muhammad supposedly got his revelation. If the foundational revelation of the Islamic faith is shaky, anything built upon such foundation will automatically be shaky.
The idea that one of the miracle of the Quran is that Muhammad was illiterate does not hold up. Since he was unable to read when he died, even after Allah (through the man in the Cave) told him to read.
When Jesus say to the lame man "walk" he got up and walk. When Jesus called to Lazarus from the natural world into the spirit realm, Lazarus obeyed and come back to life. Why wasn't Allah able to change the plight of Muhammad's illiteracy with his word "Iqra?"
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