Subject: [Masjid Tucson] Submission weekly reminder In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful Peace be upon you, A common misconception among traditional Muslims is that the prophet Muhammad was an illiterate man. Ignorant Muslim scholars of the first two centuries after the Quran could not understand the Quran's challenge to produce anything like it. They had no idea about the Quran's mathematical composition. To fabricate a "miracle", they proclaimed Muhammad an illiterate man! They figured that this would make the Quran's extraordinary literary excellence truly miraculous. The word they relied on to bestow illiteracy upon the Prophet was "UMMY." Unfortunately for those "scholars," this word clearly means "Gentile," or one who does not follow any scripture (Torah, Injeel, or Quran) [see Quran 2:78, 3:20 & 75, 62:2]; it does NOT mean "illiterate." Those Muslims "scholars" forgot that the first word revealed in Qur'an was READ, the whole first revelation dealt with READING & WRITING, and that the second revelation was entitled THE PEN. [Quran 62:2] He is the One who sent to the gentiles a messenger from among them, to recite to them His revelations, purify them, and teach them the scripture and wisdom. Before this, they had gone far astray. [Quran 96:1-5] Read, in the name of your Lord, who created. He created man from an embryo. Read, and your Lord, Most Exalted. Teaches by means of the pen. He teaches man what he never knew. For more information, please see: Muhammad Wrote God's Revelations With His Own Hand, http://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/appendices/appendix28.html and http://www.masjidtucson.org/publications/books/SP/1986/apr/page1.html Peace.