When Muhammad was on his death bed he called for writing instruments so that he could write some final instructions. If he could not write, why did he ask for such materials?
A. Most officials write through secretaries. When such an official calls for writing instruments he intends for his secretaries to write. When he says, “I will write to you” he means, “I will dictate a letter to you; my secretaries will write it, or type it.” The fact that the prophet called for writing instruments does not prove that he was literate. Q. The prophet was a successful trader. Surely he knew how to read and write. A. Being a successful trader is not proof enough that a person is literate. Many merchants are unable to compose a paragraph. As an example, my mother was a successful merchant. In all her trading years she affixed her thumbprint for a signature because she could not write her own name. In her retirement years she learnt how to write her name and a few simple words. But then she was known to be a registered student in a formal study program. This fact could not be hidden from her friends and relatives. How did Muhammad (pbuh) compose the most remarkable book of
