Why the Messenger of Allah Could Not Read or Write

Now, with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the situation is different. He didn't learn how to read and write. With him, the word meant recite. For us, it means that we have to learn how to read and write. But for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), it has a different meaning: it has the meaning of reciting and repeating what Allah (swt) has revealed to him. Why? Because with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), Allah wanted him to be illiterate. It was part of the plan, the decree of Allah (ʿazza wa jal).

Allah (swt) says: if you had known scripture before this, or were able to write, then this would cause doubts in the ones who want to make doubts. So Allah (swt) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), first of all, he didn't learn any scripture before the Qur'an, and he hadn't learned the ability to read and write. So he was illiterate.

Now, why would the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), after Islam, have to learn to read and write? What purpose would that serve him? What good would that do for him when he is receiving the knowledge fresh from Allah (swt) through Jibrīl? What purpose would it be for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to learn how to read and write? For us, reading is our key to knowledge — that's how we can learn knowledge. But for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he was being taught by Jibrīl (peace be upon him), and there's nothing that books were due for him — there is no knowledge that books can offer the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when he is receiving the knowledge directly from Allah. So iqraʾ has a different meaning for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): it means recite in his case, but for us it means read, and this is how the early Muslims understood the first word that was revealed in the Qur'an.