Rasool-Allah -saww was able to read and write in seventy two...

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] ’.

[4] حدثنا عبد الله بن محمد عن الحسن بن موسى الخشاب عن على بن اسباط أو غيره قال قلت لابي جعفر عليه السلام ان الناس يزعمون ان رسول الله لم يكن يكتب ولا يقرأ It has been narrated to us Abdullah Bin Muhammad, from Al-Hassan Bin Musa Al-Khashaab, from Ali Bin Asbaat or someone else, said: ‘I said to Abu Ja’far -asws , ‘The people are alleging that Rasool-Allah -saww was neither able to write, nor able to read’.

فقال كذبوا لعنهم الله انى ذلك وقد قال الله هو الذى بعث في الاميين رسولا منهم يتلوا عليهم آياته ويزكيهم ويعلمهم الكتاب والحكمة وان كانوا من قبل لفى ضلال مبين فيكون ان يعلمهم الكتاب الحكمة وليس ويحسن ان يقرأ ويكتب He -asws said: ‘They are lying, may Allah -azwj Curse them for that, and Allah -azwj has Said: 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] , and he -saww taught them the Book and the Wisdom while he -saww was not literate?

But he -asws was excellent in reading and writing’. قال قلت فلم سمى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله اميا قال نسبت إلى مكة وذلك قول الله عزوجل لتنذر ام القرى ومن حولها فام القرى المكة فقيل امى لذلك. I said, ‘Why was the Prophet -saww called Ummy?’ He -asws said: ‘In association to Mecca, and these are the Words of Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic: And like that We Reveal to you an Arabic Quran for you to warn the mother town and ones around it [42:7] ’. The mother city is Mecca.

He -saww was called Ummy for that’. [5] ابن بابويه، قال: حدثنا أبي، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن‏ أبي عبد الله محمد بن خالد البرقي، عن جعفر بن محمد الصوفي، قال سألت أبا جعفر محمد بن علي الرضا (عليهما السلام)، فقلت: يا بن رسول الله، لم سمي النبي (صلى الله عليه و آله) الأمي؟ فقال: «ما يقول الناس؟» قلت: يزعمون أنه إنما سمي الأمي لأنه لم يحسن أن يكتب.