Book Name:Pyaray Aaqa Ka Pyara Naam
One beloved name of our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, is Ummī. It is a very famous name which also appears in the Holy Quran. Allah Almighty states:
اَلَّذِیۡنَ یَتَّبِعُوۡنَ الرَّسُوۡلَ النَّبِیَّ الۡاُمِّیَّ
Those who follow the Messenger who relates news of the unseen, the unschooled,[1]
The common meaning of the word 'Ummī' is unschooled, that is, a person who has not learned to read or write from anyone in the world. This is a very unique matter. Being unschooled and not learning to read or write would be a defect in our case, but being Ummī is a great honour for our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. This single honoured name has many great and noble qualities of our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Let's consider them:
The great scholar of the 7th century Hijri, ꜤAllāmah Fakhr al-Dīn Ḥarrālī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, states: “The meaning of the word 'Ummī' is that Allah Almighty created all people with a certain nature, but He created our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, with a distinct, incomparable, and unparalleled nature.”[2]
This means that all people who have come into this world are naturally inclined to read and write. You must have seen in your homes that when a child starts speaking, observing and understanding things, they ask many questions: “Father! What is this? What is that? What is this called? What does that thing do?'” Children ask many questions like this, sometimes even several questions in one breath. This is proof that