A Prophet from Makkah
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ ۖ فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ الَّذِي يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَكَلِمَاتِهِ وَاتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ {158}
Say: ‘O you people! I am a Rasool of Allah to you all, Who for Him is the Kingdom of the skies and the earth. There is no god except Him, He Causes to live and die. Therefore believe in Allah and His Rasool, the prophet, the Ummy (From Makkah) who believes in Allah and His Words, and follow him, so you may be rightly Guided’ [7:158]
حدثنا احمد بن محمد عن ابى عبد الله البرقى عن جعفر بن محمد الصوفى قال سألت ابا جعفر عليه السلام محمد بن على الرضا عليه السلام وقلت له يابن رسول الله لم سمى النبي الامي قال ما يقول الناس قال قلت له جعلت فداك يزعمون انما سمى النبي الامي لانه لم يكتب
It has been narrated to us Ahmad Bin Muhammad, from Abu Abdullah Al-Barqy, from Ja’far Bin Muhammad Al-Sowfy who said:
‘I said to Abu Ja’far-asws, ‘O son of Rasool-Allah-saww, why was the Prophet-saww called ‘Al-Ummy’?’ He-asws said: ‘What do the people say.’ I said to him-asws, ‘May I be sacrificed for you-asws, they are alleging that the Prophet-saww was called ‘Al-Ummy’ because he-saww could not write.’
فقال كذبوا عليهم لعنة الله انى يكون ذلك والله تبارك وتعالى يقول في محكم كتابه هو الذى بعث في الاميين رسولا منهم يتلوا عليهم آياته ويزكيهم ويعلمهم الكتاب والحكمة
‘He-asws said: ‘They are lying about him-saww, may Allah-azwj Curse them! I-asws say that, and Allah-azwj Blessed and Exalted has Said in His-azwj Decisive Book: He is the One Who Sent among the inhabitants of Makkah, a Rasool from them, reciting His Verses upon them and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the Wisdom [62:2].
فكيف كان يعلمهم مالا يحسن والله لقد كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله يقرأ ويكتب باثنين وسبعين أو بثلثة وسبعين لسانا وانما سمى الامي لانه كان من اهل مكة و مكة من امهات القرى وذلك قول الله تعالى في كتابه لتنذر ام القرى ومن حولها
‘‘How was he-saww able to teach them if he-saww was not good in it. By Allah-azwj! Rasool-Allah-saww was able to read and write in seventy two to seventy three languages, and he-saww has been called ‘Al-Ummy’ because he-saww was an inhabitant of Mecca, and Makkah is the mother (Umm) of all towns, and these are the Words of Allah-azwj the Exalted in His-azwj Book: And like that We Reveal to you an Arabic Quran for you to warn the mother town and ones around it [42:7].’[1]
[1] Basaair Al Darajaat – P 5 CH 4 H 1