Amanda:
Pre-Islamic Arabia was rife with injustice. The
wealthy and powerful clans ruled and anyone who wasn’t born into the privilege
of that life was at the mercy of the system.
The weakest members of that society were often exploited and
discarded. Therefore, when our Prophet
Muhammad [Peace and Blessings be upon Him] brought the message of Islam, which demands
equality for both genders and the redistribution of wealth through obligatory
charity, it produced both a spiritual and a social revolution.
Muhammad himself was an orphan, and tradition holds
that he was unable to read or write. Although
he was known for his good character, he had very little in the way of education
or resources to make him the great revolutionary he would become later in his
life. I often reflect on our prophet in
my own activism, remembering that by most worldly standards, his contemporaries
considered him “unqualified” to lead.
But Muhammad’s humility and willingness to submit to God allowed him to
spread the word and advocate on behalf of the disadvantaged, producing a
beautiful new way of life for their entire community that inspires us to do the
same today. I have to remind myself
regularly that God doesn’t call the qualified—but qualifies the ones He calls.
This is the second of three posts by Guest Writers LeeAnne, Amanda & Yaira. Please join their conversation by leaving a comment below.
What surprises me about the Prophet's biography is that he stayed illiterate up until his death in his mid sixties. A man of his intelligence would have been able to learn to read and write sometime during his life. Even in his later years, he was around scholars that could teach him to do so. I know it was customary to be able to memorize works of poetry, etc. But nothing can replace the ability to read and write as an individual. Isn't it amazing that the message to Muhammad from the angel Gabriel was "Read". It is amazing that God may qualify the ones he does call to lead. It might have made it more possible for millions to believe he was qualified had he been literate.
ReplyDeleteComment by David M: Although I don't think the issue of Muhammad's literary ability is critical to supporting his message and that of Islam, I suspect that a claim of total illiteracy is over-stated. He was, according to the tradition, a successful merchant who traveled extensively in the area. It seems reasonable to assume that he at least had the literacy required to operate his business. At the same time, he may have been functionally illiterate as a writer and poet. Also, my understanding is that Gabriel's message to Muhammad was not "Read"; it was recite. I think that the name of the Muslim sacred text, Qur'an or Koran, means recite or the recitation or continuously recited.
DeleteDavid, you are correct that the word Quran comes from the root "to recite." I believe that this why Muslims often undertake to memorize and recite chapters of Quran. Some gifted people can recite the entire Quran, which is no small thing, given its length. Jewish liturgy also consists of recitations of biblical text, and the Hebrew root, q-r-a, similarly means to recite (also to read). A central section of the morning & evening prayers is the Qriat Shema, the recitation of the Shema (Deut. 6:4-9, 11:13-21 & Numbers 15:37-41).
DeleteBefore he became a Prophet, Muhammed(pbuh) was called "Al-Amin" or the trustworthy one and was often alled upon to settle disputes. On one such occassion, after the rebuilding of the Kaba, a dispute arose of which tribe would have the priviege of putting the black stone to the Kaba. Muhammed (pbuh) was called to settle the dispute---He spread out the sheet, put the stone in the middle, then asked all the tribal leaders to carry the stone to the site by lifting the sheet. Thus all were able to participate and the dispute was settled peacefully.
ReplyDeleteThis shows literacy is not a measure of a man's character or his leadership......
This reminds me of Moses' acting as judge or settler of disputes in the book of Exodus, after the Israelites leave Egypt. He was not illiterate, but "slow of speech." I think many prophets and biblical figures(in the Hebrew Bible, at least)are described as having a challenge or personal trait that they overcome. They are not perfect or typically charismatic leaders. Tziporah
DeleteDavid M. posted a thought similar to one I've had. Muhammad helped run a trading/shipping business for Khadijah, right? Eventually he ran it for her until he turned 40. I figure he had to at least have been able to read & write receipts, bills of lading, etc. But then, today there are people who handle shipping documents in the trucking industry or draft memos, but if you were to put "As You Like It" in Shakespearean English in front of them, they'd look at it & say "Huh?"
ReplyDeleteMoebius