Ibn Babuwayh said that it has been narrated from Sa’d Bin Abdullah...

Ibn Babuwayh said that it has been narrated from Sa’d Bin Abdullah, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Isa, from Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin Khalid Al-Barqy, from Ja’far Bin Muhammad Al-Sowfy who said, ‘I asked Abu Ja’far -asws Muhammad -asws Bin Ali -asws Al-Reza -asws , ‘O son -asws of the Rasool-Allah -saww , why has the Prophet -saww been called ‘ Al-Ummy ?’.

He -asws said: ‘What are the people saying?’ I said, ‘They are alleging that he -saww has been called ‘ Al-Ummy ’ because he -saww was illiterate and could not write well.’ فقال (عليه السلام): «كذبوا عليهم لعنة الله، أنى ذلك و الله يقول في محكم كتابه: هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ آياتِهِ وَ يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَ يُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتابَ وَ الْحِكْمَةَ فكيف كان يعلمهم ما لم يحسن؟ و الله لقد كان رسول الله (صلى الله عليه و آله) يقرأ و يكتب باثنين- أو قال بثلاثة- و سبعين لسانا، و إنما سمي الأمي لأنه كان من أهل مكة، و مكة من أمهات القرى، و ذلك قول الله عز و جل: لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرى وَ مَنْ حَوْلَها.

و أم القرى مكة، فقيل أمي لذلك». He -asws said: ‘They lie! Upon them be the Curse of Allah -azwj , I -asws for that, say that Allah -azwj has Said in the Decisive (Verse) of His -azwj Book: He it is Who Sent among the inhabitants of Mecca a Rasool from among themselves, reciting to them His Communications and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the Wisdom [62:2] . How did he -saww teach them what he -saww was not good at?

By Allah -azwj , the Rasool-Allah -saww was able to read and write in seventy two’ – (or said) – ‘seventy three’ ‘languages, and he -asws has been called ‘ Al-Ummy ’ because he -saww was from the inhabitants of Mecca, and Mecca is the mother of all towns, and that is in the Words of Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic: and for you to warn the mother town (أُمَّ الْقُرى) and the ones around it [6:92] . And the mother of towns is Mecca. So he -saww was referred to as Ummy due to that.

[6] Makkah the Mother City علي بن إبراهيم، قال: أم القرى مكة، سميت أم القرى لأنها أول بقعة خلقها الله من الأرض، لقوله تعالى: إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبارَكاً. Ali Bin Ibrahim, said, ‘The Mother City is Makkah. It has been Named as the Mother City because it was the first spot which Allah -azwj Created from the earth, in the Words of the Exalted Surely, the first House Placed for the people is the one at Bakka, Blessed, and a Guidance for the worlds [3:96] ’.

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