Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) was an illiterate prophet who was born into a society where reading and writing were not widespread. As the Qur’an puts it, he had neither read a book nor written a sentence. (al-Ankabut 29; 48) However, when his mission began, the verses like “Read: In the name of your Lord who created.”(al-Alaq 96; 1) “He Who taught (the use of) the Pen.” (al-Alaq 96; 4) “Nun. By the pen and that which they write (therewith)” (al-Qalam 68; 1) drew attention to the significance of learning and knowledge, and so a reading and writing campaign spread quickly among the Muslim community.
Our beloved Prophet (pbuh) first had the revealed verses written. Even if there were no other use for writing in the life of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), it was indispensible to spread and to protect the Holy Qur’an. This is why Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) took all the precautions needed to spread writing. In fact, the number of those who were known as the writers of revelation was over forty.
Our Prophet (pbuh) used writing in many ways. Political letters played a significant role in his dealings with other leaders. There are close to three hundred documents sent by the Prophet (pbuh) in Muhammad Hamidullah’s al-Wasaiq al-Siyasiyyah.
The Prophet (pbuh) also benefited from writing in his educational activities. Because of the danger of being confused with the Qur’an, he had not let his sayings to be written down in the early years; but in the following years of Islam he encouraged them to be written. Abdullah b. Amr b. al-As (r.a.) narrated:
“I used to write everything I heard from the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) and I intended to memorize it. Quraish prohibited me saying:
“Do you write everything that you hear from him while the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) is a human being: he speaks in anger and happiness?” So I stopped writing and later I mentioned the incident to the Apostle of Allah (pbuh). He pointed with his finger to his mouth and said:
“Write! By Him in Whose hand my soul lies, only right comes from it.” (Abu Dawud, ‘Ilm, 3)
A man from the people of Ansar liked to sit with the Messenger of Allah and listen to his sayings, but he was not able to memorize them. He complained about his situation to the Prophet (pbuh). Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) pointed at the writing and told him:
“Ask help from your right hand.” (Tirmidhi, ‘Ilm, 12)
According to the narration of Abu Huraira (r.a.), another instance in this context happened as follows:
“When Allah granted victory to His Apostle over the people of Mecca, Allah’s Apostle stood up among the people and after glorifying Allah said,
“Allah has prohibited fighting in Mecca and has given authority over it to His Apostle and to the believers, so fighting was illegal for anyone before me, and was made legal for me for part of a day, and it will not be legal for anyone after me. Its game should not be chased, its thorny bushes should not be uprooted, and picking up lost things found there is not allowed except for one who finds and makes a public announcement for it, and he whose relative is murdered has the option either to accept compensation or to retaliate.”
Abbas (r.a.) said, “Let the ldhkhir plant be an exception, for we use it in our graves and houses.”
Allah’s Apostle said,
“Except Al-ldhkhir.” Abu Shah, a Yemenite, stood up and said,
“O Allah’s Apostle! Would you get it written for me?” Allah’s Apostle said,
“Write it for Abu Shah.” (Bukhari, Luqata, 7)
As it can be seen in the above mentioned examples, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) regarded writing as important and took precautions to encourage its spread in society. The Holy Qur’an was carefully written down from beginning to end by tens of revelation writers. Some of the traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) were also written down by some Companions during the Prophet’s lifetime.
Our Prophet (pbuh) sent letters to the rulers of the neighboring countries. Through some of those letters he invited the rulers to Islam; and with others he aimed to teach the principles of Islam to the Muslims living in the country to which they were sent.
The Companions and the members of the following generation (tabiun) followed the Prophet’s path in conveying the message of Islam. They continued to preach Islam both by writing the prophetic sayings down and by sending special letters.[1]
Letters have always been a significant means of preaching Islam. The books titled Maktubat (letters) written by prominent figures of Islam such as Imam Rabbani, Khalid al-Baghdadi, Muhammad Asad Erbili, are the compilation of an author’s letters conveying the message of Islam. Believers should also find new methods which are required because of the changing conditions of the world and employ them to reach their goal.
[1] Below is the letter written by Hasan al-Basri (q.s.), one of the prominent members of the second generation of Islam, to Umar b. Abdulaziz, the caliph of the time:
“Know that contemplation calls people to do goodness and to regret and thus stay away from bad deeds. No matter how many temporary things there are, they cannot be equal to the Eternal One. Do not be deceived by this world, which sets traps by embellished tricks, kills people by turning them into slaves of their worldly ambitions, appears to be an adorned bride, steals people’s hearts and confuses their minds. Do not be deceived by this world for its hopes are false and its ambitions are empty. The life in this world is hard and filled with pain and distress. Blessings of this world are temporary, while its pain is continuous and its calamities are painful. For Allah the Almighty, this world has worth less than a mosquito wing. This is why He has taken its love from the hearts of the prophets, saints, and those whom He loves. Those who are deceived by this world suppose that this world and everything in it are divine presents from Allah the Almighty and they forget that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not attach any value to it. From whom are you afraid as long as Allah the Almighty is with you? Do not forget death! And know that the End of the days is near.” (Abu Nuaym, II, 134-40; Attar, p. 37)