Refutation 29:48 Claim

Some claim that verse 48 of Sura 29 (Al-‘Ankaboot / العنكبوت ) indicates that the prophet was illiterate and incapable of reading or writing.

Below is the Arabic and the word-by-word translation of the verse.

[29:48] You did not read the previous scriptures, nor did you write them with your right hand. In that case, the rejectors would have had reason to harbor doubts.

وَمَا كُنتَ تَتْلُوا۟ مِن قَبْلِهِۦ مِن كِتَـٰبٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُۥ بِيَمِينِكَ إِذًا لَّٱرْتَابَ ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ

1	wamā	وَمَا	And not
2	kunta	كُنتَ	you used to
3	tatlū	تَتْلُوا۟	[you] recite / read
4	min	مِن	from
5	qablihi	قَبْلِهِۦ	before it
6	min	مِن	any
7	kitābin	كِتَـٰبٍ	scripture,
8	walā	وَلَا	and not (did)
9	takhuṭṭuhu	تَخُطُّهُۥ	you write it
10	biyamīnika	بِيَمِينِكَ	with your right hand,
11	idhan	إِذًا	then
12	la-ir’tāba	لَّٱرْتَابَ	surely [he] would have doubted
13	l-mub’ṭilūna	ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ	the falsifiers / rejectors.

The mistake in understanding is to think that the claim made in 29:48 is that the prophet could not “read” ( تَتْلُوا۟ ) or “write” ( تَخُطُّهُۥ ), but this is specifically regarding the previous ( قَبْلِهِۦ ) scriptures ( كِتَـٰبٍ ).

Before jumpining into the proof that this verse is only regarding the prophet reading or writing previous scriptures, let’s consider that this is in refernce to any book. Even based on this interpretation, the verse does not state that the prophet could not read or write as a general statement. It is specifically in the context of scripture, but let’s assume this is in reference to any book. Even in that paradigm, just because someone did not read or write any book does not mean they are incapable of reading or writing. There are plenty of people today and in history who knew how to read and write yet never read or wrote a book.

But we can easily show that this is specifically in the context of the previous scriptures because if we just go three verses before and three verses after, we see that the prophet was commanded to recite ( ٱتْلُ ) what was revealed to him of the scripture and that he “read” ( يُتْلَىٰ ) it to them. This is the same word used in 29:48, which confirms that 29:48 was only regarding the previous scriptures. Therefore, if we say that the prophet was incapable of reading then this would contradict 29:45 and 29:51, where we see that this is exactly what the prophet did in refernce to the Quran.

[29:45] You shall recite what is revealed to you of the scripture, and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), for the Contact Prayers prohibit evil and vice. But the remembrance of GOD (through Salat) is the most important objective. GOD knows everything you do.

ٱتْلُ مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ

1	ut’lu	ٱتْلُ	Recite
2	mā	مَآ	what
3	ūḥiya	أُوحِىَ	it was communicated / revealed
4	ilayka	إِلَيْكَ	to you
5	mina	مِنَ	of
6	l-kitābi	ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ	the scripture,

[29:51] Is it not enough of a miracle that we sent down to you this book, being read to them? This is indeed a mercy and a reminder for people who believe.

أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ أَنَّآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَرَحْمَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

1	awalam	أَوَلَمْ	(And) is it not
2	yakfihim	يَكْفِهِمْ	it sufficient for them
3	annā	أَنَّآ	that we
4	anzalnā	أَنزَلْنَا	[we] revealed
5	ʿalayka	عَلَيْكَ	to you
6	l-kitāba	ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ	the book
7	yut’lā	يُتْلَىٰ	(which) it is recited / read
8	ʿalayhim	عَلَيْهِمْ	to them?

Additionally, 29:48 ends by saying that based on the the fact the prophet did not read the previous scripures, nor writ them down that otherwise, “the rejectors would have had reason to harbor doubts.” We have to ask between the two interpretations which would make more sense. Would the rejectors have reason to harbor doubt: if the prophet was incapable of reading or writing, or if he specifically did not read or write the previous scriptures?

If we look at other verses we see that whether the prophet could read or write was not the objection poised from the rejectors. Instead, the Quran informs us that their doubts stemmed from the thought that he was aware of the narratives in the previous scriptures.

[16:103] We are fully aware that they say, “A human being is teaching him!” The tongue of the source they hint at is non-Arabic, and this is a perfect Arabic tongue.

وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا يُعَلِّمُهُ بَشَرٌ لِسَانُ الَّذِي يُلْحِدُونَ إِلَيْهِ أَعْجَمِيٌّ وَهَٰذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيٌّ مُبِينٌ

The above verse shows that their doubt was that the prophet was being taught the scripture by one of the people of the book. Additionally, in the following vese we see that even the prophet’s enemies recognized that he could read and write, and claimed that someone else was teaching him. Again this points to their doubt was not regarding the prophet’s ability to read or write, but that he had familiarity with the previous scriptures.

[25:5] They also said, “Tales from the past that he wrote down; they were dictated to him day and night.”

وَقَالُوا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِيَ تُمْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا

If the accusation of the prophet’s writing was not true, the Quran would have refuted this specific claim. Instead, the Quran only refutes their claim that the Quran was tales from the past that were dictated to him by someone.

[53:2] Your friend (Muhammad) was not astray, nor was he deceived. [53:3] Nor was he speaking out of a personal desire. [53:4] It was divine inspiration. [53:5] Dictated by the Most Powerful.

The Quran’s knowledge of the previous scriptures is what made his adversaries speculate that someone else was teaching him, and not his ability to read or write.