GABRIEL BROUGHT A COVERLET OF BROCADE WITH WRITING FOR MUHAMMAD ^(pbuh) TO READ

Ramadhan in which God willed concerning him what He willed of His grace, the apostle set forth to Hira as was his wont, and his family with him. When it was the night on which God honoured him with his mission and showed mercy on His servants thereby, Gabriel brought him the command of God. 'He came to me,' said the apostle of God, 'while I was asleep, with a coverlet of brocade whereon was some writing, and said,'Read!" I said, "What shall I read?" He pressed me with it so tightly that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said, "Read!" I said, "What shall I read?" He pressed me with it again so that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said "Read!" I said, "What shall I read?" He pressed me with it the third time so that I thought it was death and said "Read!" I said, "What then shall I read?" - and this I said only to deliver myself from him, lest he should so the same to me again. He said:

"Read in the name of thy Lord who created,

Who created man of blood coagulated

Read! Thy Lord is the most beneficent,

Who taught by the pen,

Taught that which they knew not unto me"

So I read it, and he departed from me.   [5]

(ii)    MUSAYLIMA’S LETTER AND THE APOSTLE’S ANSWER

A Shaykh of Ashja' told me on the authority of Salama b. Nu'aym b. Mas'ud al-Ashja'i from his father Nu'aym: I heard the apostle saying to them when read his letter 'What do you say about it?' They said that they said the same as Musaylima. He replied, 'By God, were it not that heralds are not to be killed I would behead the pair of you!' Then he wrote to Musaylima: 'From Muhammad the apostle of God to Musaylima the liar. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. The earth is Gods. He lets whom He will of His creatures inherit it and the result is to the pious. This was at the end of the year 10.   [6]

The explanation later historians provide to the obvious conflict in the above narrative that clearly indicates that the Prophet could indeed write, is that the Prophet had the letter written by someone else. This is clearly not indicated by the text which suggests that the Prophet could both read and write.
 

(iii)    BOOK 19, NUMBER 2993 (SUNUN ABU DAUD)

Narrated Yazid ibn Abdullah:

{Body of Hadith}

We then asked: Who wrote this document for you? He replied: The Apostle of God(peace be upon him).    [7]

(iv)    SAHIH MUSLIM BOOK 13 (BOOK OF BEQUESTS -KITAB AL WASIYYA) NUMBER 4016

"Ibn Abbas reported: When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was about to leave this world, there were persons (around him) in his house, 'Umar b. al-Kbattab being one of them. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Come, I may write for you a document; you would not go astray after that. Thereupon Umar said: Verily Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) is deeply afflicted with pain. You have the Qur'an with you. The Book of Allah is sufficient for us. Those who were present in the house differed. Some of them said: Bring him (the writing material) so that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) may write a document for you and you would never go astray after him And some among them said what 'Umar had (already) said. When they indulged in nonsense and began to dispute in the presence of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), he said: Get up (and go away) 'Ubaidullah said: Ibn Abbas used to say: There was a heavy loss, indeed a heavy loss, that, due to their dispute and noise. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) could not write (or dictate) the document for them"    [8]