Illiteracy Does Not Mean Not Knowing How to Read and Write
Editorial verification status: this atom is extracted from an explanatory audiovisual source, and has now been linked to the closest books within Shahrur’s project at the book level. For precise academic citation, consult the original book and the original episode together.
Statement formulation
Shahrur explains the “illiterate” person as not necessarily someone who cannot read or write, but as someone who is neither Jewish nor Christian in the Qur’anic usage that he explains.
Explanation
He affirms that describing the Prophet as illiterate does not mean ignorance of reading and writing in an absolute sense. He says that this description is tied to a historical/religious context, where it was used in contrast to Jews and Christians. He therefore rejects the common meaning that turned illiteracy into a purely cognitive attribute. This aligns with his method of unpacking terminology within the Revelation.
Its place in the episode’s argument
It serves the episode’s aim of correcting concepts associated with the Book, the Muṣḥaf, and the Prophet.
Limits of the claim
It does not deny the possibility of a secondary lexical meaning of illiteracy, but it does deny restricting it to ignorance of reading and writing.
Brief evidence
“Illiteracy does not mean lack of knowledge of reading and writing.”
Nearby links
- Shahrur - the Prophet
- Book The Book and the Qur’an
- Shahrur - Islam