What is the meaning of the hadeeth “We are an unlettered nation, we do not write or calculate”?

 

What is the meaning of the hadeeth “We are an unlettered nation, we do not read or write”? Does this contradict what the Muslims are doing nowadays of seeking education?

 

Praise be to Allaah. 

The wording of the hadeeth is not as mentioned
in the question. We will quote it here:

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:  “We are an unlettered
nation, we do not write or calculate. The month is such-and-such or
such-and-such – meaning sometimes it is twenty-nine and sometimes it
is thirty.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1814; Muslim, 1080)

This hadeeth was narrated concerning the issue of
the beginning of the lunar month, and it indicates that there is no
need to resort to astronomical calculations in order to know when the
month begins. We should rely on visual sighting of the moon when it
is new, then we will know that the month has begun. The hadeeth was
quoted to explain that we should rely on sighting of the moon and not
on calculations. It did not come to urge the ummah to remain ignorant
and not to learn arithmetic and all other useful sciences. So this hadeeth
does not contradict what Muslims are doing nowadays of seeking education
in different branches of science which will benefit their worldly interests.
Islam is the religion of knowledge; it calls for knowledge and obliges
every Muslim to learn what Allaah has enjoined upon him and to learn
whatever rulings of sharee’ah he needs to know about acts of worship
and dealings with others. With regard to worldly sciences such as medicine,
engineering, agriculture, etc., Muslims have to learn whatever the ummah
needs to know. If the Muslims need to manufacture a needle, there has
to be someone among them who can learn how to make this needle.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah wrote a very useful
discussion on this hadeeth; there follows a selection of his comments
on it:

“The phrase ‘We are an unlettered nation’ is not
telling them to be like that. They were unlettered before Islam came,
as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

‘He it is Who
sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves’

[al-Jumu’ah 62:2]

‘And
say to those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and
to those who are illiterates (Arab pagans): Do you (also) submit yourselves
(to Allaah in Islam)?’

[Aal ‘Imraan
3:20]

Although this is how they were before the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) was sent to them, they were not commanded to become like
that. Some of the implications of being unlettered were to remain, but
as we shall see, they were not commanded to remain as they were in every
sense…

 Among the nation to which Allaah sent
him were some who could read and write a great deal, just as there were
among his Companions. There were also some who could calculate. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was sent with some obligations which involve calculation.
It was narrated that when the person he had appointed to take care of
the zakaah, Ibn al-Latabiyyah, came to him, he  calculated the
total amount collected. He had a number of scribes, such as Abu Bakr,
‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan, ‘Ali, Zayd and Mu’aawiyah, who would write down the
Revelation, and would write contracts and write his letters to the people
to whom Allaah had sent him, the kings of the earth and the leaders
of groups, and to his workers, governors, etc. Allaah says in His Book
(interpretation of the meaning):

“… that you might
know the number of the years and the reckoning”

[Yoonus 10:5; al-Israa’
17:12]

This is mentioned in two places in the Qur’aan, where
Allaah tells us that He has created [the sun and moon] so that the calculations
may be known. 

The word ummi
(unlettered or illiterate) comes from the same root as the word ummah
(nation). It refers to one who is not distinguished from the rest of
the people by knowing how to read or write. It is akin to the word ‘aammi
which is used to describe a regular person (one of the ‘aammah
or masses) who is not distinguished from them by having knowledge which
they do not have. It was also said that the word ummi
is connected to the word umm
(mother), because he has learned no more than his mother taught him,
and so on. 

The distinction which takes him out of the
ranks of the regular, unlettered people into the ranks of those who
have specialized knowledge may be a virtue in and of itself, as in the
case of those who read Qur’aan and understand its meaning, or it may
be a means which helps to reach that level of virtue, as when a person
is distinguished from them by his being able to write and read. So the
one who uses that knowledge to pursue perfection is to be praised, whilst
the one who neglects it or uses it for evil purposes is to be condemned.
Whoever does away with it in favour of something that is more beneficial
is more perfect, and if you can achieve the aim without using these
means, then that is even better. 

Thus it is clear that being distinct from
the unlettered is of two types. The first nation to which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) was sent was the Arabs, through whom the Message was conveyed
to all the other nations, because it was sent in their tongue. They
were mostly illiterate, and they had no advantage of having knowledge
or a scripture etc., although by nature they were more ready to learn
than other nations. They were like a plowed field that is ready to be
sown, but there was no one to do the task and they had no scripture
they could read that had been revealed from Allaah, as the People of
the Book had, or any analytical science like the Sabaeans and others
had. Writing existed among them, but to a very small extent. They had
some knowledge of the type that is acquired by common sense, but which
does not make an individual distinct from any other unlettered person;
for example, they knew of the Creator, and they held good characteristics
in high esteem, and they had some knowledge of astronomy, genealogy
and poetry. So they deserved to be called unlettered in all senses of
the word, as Allaah said concerning them (interpretation of the meaning):

“‘He
it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from
among themselves’

[al-Jumu’ah 62:2]

‘And
say to those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and
to those who are illiterates (Arab pagans): Do you (also) submit yourselves
(to Allaah in Islam)?’

[Aal ‘Imraan
3:20]

So the unlettered or illiterate were described as being
opposite to the People of the Book, for the kitaabi
(one of the People of the Book) is something other than the ummi
(unlettered).

 When he was sent among them, it became
obligatory upon them to follow the Book that he brought and to ponder
its meanings, understand it and act upon it. Allaah made this Book an
explanation for all things, and their Prophet taught them everything,
even (the etiquette of) defecation. They became people of a Book and
people of knowledge, indeed, they became the most knowledgeable of people
and the best of them in beneficial knowledge. They lost the feature
of blameworthy and imperfect illiteracy, which is the lack of knowledge
and a revealed Book, and they gained knowledge of the Book and wisdom.
They inherited the Book, as Allaah said concerning them (interpretation
of the meaning):

“He
it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from
among themselves, reciting to them His Verses, purifying them (from
the filth of disbelief and polytheism), and teaching them the Book (this
Qur’aan, Islamic laws and Islamic jurisprudence) and Al-Hikmah
(As-Sunnah: legal ways, orders, acts of worship of Prophet Muhammad).
And verily, they had been before in manifest error”

[al-Jumu’ah 62:2]

They were unlettered in every sense of
the word, but when he taught then the Book and al-Hikmah,
Allaah said concerning them (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then
We gave the Book (the Qur’aan) as inheritance to such of Our slaves
whom We chose (the followers of Muhammad). Then of them are some who
wrong their ownselves, and of them are some who follow a middle course,
and of them are some who are, by Allaah’s Leave, foremost in good deeds”

[Faatir 35:32]

“And this is
a blessed Book (the Qur’aan) which We have sent down, so follow it and
fear Allaah (i.e. do not disobey His Orders), that you may receive mercy
(i.e. saved from the torment of Hell).

Lest you (pagan
Arabs) should say: ‘The Book was sent down only to two sects before
us (the Jews and the Christians), and for our part, we were in fact
unaware of what they studied.’

Or lest you (pagan
Arabs) should say: ‘If only the Book had been sent down to us, we would
surely, have been better guided than they (Jews and Christians).’”

[al-An’aam 6:155-157]

 And Allaah answered the prayer of al-Khaleel
(Ibraaheem) for them, when he said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Our
Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own (and indeed Allaah
answered their invocation by sending Muhammad), who shall recite unto
them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book (this Qur’aan) and Al-Hikmah
(full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood)

[al-Baqarah 2:129]

 So there are kinds of illiteracy which
are haraam, kinds which are makrooh and kinds which are a shortcoming
and failure to do that which is better. A person who does not know how
to read al-Faatihah or
any part of the Qur’aan, is called by the fuqahaa’ in their discussion
on al-salaah (prayer), ummi
(unlettered), the opposite of whom is a qaari’
(one who reads or recites). They say: it is not correct for a qaari’
to be led in prayer by an ummi,
but it is permissible for an ummi
to lead another ummi in
prayer; and they discuss other issues of the same nature. What they
mean by ummi here is one
who cannot read what is necessary, regardless of whether he can write
and calculate or not.

 This illiteracy also includes neglecting
what is obligatory, for which a man will be punished if he is able to
learn it but he does not do so.

 There is also the kind of illiteracy
which is blameworthy, such as that which Allaah described in the case
of the People of the Book, when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“And
there are among them (Jews) unlettered people, who know not the Book,
but they trust upon false desires and they but guess”

[al-Baqarah 2:78] 

This is a description of one who does not
understand the word of Allaah or act upon it; all he does is to recite
it. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: The Qur’aan was revealed to be acted upon,
so recitation implies acting upon it. The ummi
in this sense may read the letters of the Qur’aan, etc., but he does
not understand it; when he speaks about matters of knowledge, he speaks
superficially, based on conjecture. This person is also regarded as
ummi and deserves to be
blamed, just as Allaah condemned him for his lack of obligatory knowledge,
whether this knowledge is fard ‘ayn
(obligatory on each individual) or fard
kafaayah (obligatory on the community as a whole but not
on each individual)

 There is also the kind of ‘illiteracy’
which is better and more perfect, such as the one who only reads a part
of the Qur’aan and he only understands what he has learned. He only
understands as much of sharee’ah as he has to know. Such a person is
also called ummi (illiterate),
and others who learn and act upon the Qur’aan are better and more perfect
than him.

 These matters which distinguish a person
are virtues, and if a person fails to attain them, he is missing out
on something that is obligatory either on him as an individual (fard
‘ayn) or is obligatory on the community (fard
kafaayah) or is mustahabb (recommended). These attributes of perfection and
virtue may be attributed to Allaah and His Prophets in general terms.
Allaah is All-Knowing and All-Wise, and He combines knowledge and beneficial
speech in all that He wants, tells and wills. The same is true of His
Prophets and our Prophet, the leader of the knowledgeable and wise.

 With regard to the distinguishing features
which are means to attaining virtues, but which one can do without and
use alternative means, these are things like writing and numeracy. If
a person does not have these abilities, knowing that virtue cannot be
achieved without them, not having them is a sign of imperfection. If
a person acquires them and uses them to perfect himself – like the one
who learns how to read and then uses that to read the Qur’aan and read
useful books or write other things that will be of benefit to people
– then this is a virtue in his case. But if he uses it for purposes
that will harm him or other people – like the one who reads misguided
books or writes things that will harm people, like forging the writing
of rulers, judges and witnesses – then this will be bad for him, and
will be a sin and imperfection. Hence ‘Umar forbade teaching women how
to write. If it is possible to do without it yet still achieve perfect
knowledge, then this is better, and this was the case with our Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), of whom Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those
who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write
(i.e. Muhammad) whom they find written with them in the Tawraat (Torah)
and the Injeel (Gospel)…”

[al-A’raaf 7:157]

His being unlettered did not mean that he was lacking
in knowledge or the ability to recite by heart, for he is the leader
of all imaams in that regard. What it meant was that he was not able
to write or to read anything that was written, as Allaah said of him
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Neither
did you (O Muhammad) read any book before it (this Qur’aan), nor did
you write any book (whatsoever) with your right hand…”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:48]

 [Then he (Ibn Taymiyah – may Allaah
have mercy on him) went back to discussing the hadeeth “We are an unlettered
nation, we do not write or calculate…” and stated that there is a corroborating
report which refers to what is meant by this hadeeth. Then he said:]

 When this is compared with his comment
that the month may be thirty or twenty-nine days, it becomes clear that
what is meant is that with regard to the new moon (beginning of the
month), we have no need for writing or calculations, because sometimes
it is (thirty days) and sometimes it is (twenty-nine days). What differentiates
between them is the sighting (of the new moon), there is nothing else
that differentiates between them, such as writing or calculation.

Thus is becomes clear that the “illiteracy”
mentioned here is a characteristic which is praiseworthy in several
senses:

 it
means doing without writing and calculations in favour of something
whichis clearer and more apparent, namely, (sighting) the new moon.

-
  
Writing and calculation may involve errors…

Etc.