Al-Baqarah 2:78

<h2>The Meaning of `Ummi</h2><p>Allah said, </p><div class="arabic uthmani">وَمِنْهُمْ أُمِّيُّونَ</div><p>(And there are among them Ummyyun people) meaning, among the People of the Book, as Mujahid stated. Ummyyun, is plural for Ummi, that is, a person who does not write, as Abu Al-`Aliyah, Ar-Rabi`, Qatadah, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i and others said. This meaning is clarified by Allah's statement, </p><div class="arabic uthmani">لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ الْكِتَـبَ</div><p>(Who know not the Book) meaning, are they not aware of what is in it. </p><p>Ummi was one of the descriptions of the Prophet because he was unlettered. For instance, Allah said, </p><div class="arabic uthmani">وَمَا كُنتَ تَتْلُو مِن قَبْلِهِ مِن كِتَـبٍ وَلاَ تَخُطُّهُ بِيَمِينِكَ إِذاً لاَّرْتَـبَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ </div><p>(Neither did you (O Muhammad ) read any book before it (this Qur'an) nor did you write any book (whatsoever) with your right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have doubted) (29:48). </p><p>Also, the Prophet said, </p><div class="arabic uthmani">«إِنَّا أُمَّةٌ أُمِّيَّةٌ لَا نَكْتُبُ وَلَا نَحْسِبُ، الشَّهْرُ هكَذَا وَهكَذَا وَهكَذَا»</div><p>(We are an Ummi nation, neither writing nor calculating. The (lunar) month is like this, this and this (i.e. thirty or twenty-nine days.) </p><p>This Hadith stated that Muslims do not need to rely on books, or calculations to decide the timings of …

Among them are unlettered folk who know the Scripture not except from hearsay. They but guess.

And there are among them illiterates, who know not the Book, but (see therein their own) desires, and they do nothing but conjecture.

And there are among them (Jews) unlettered people, who know not the Book, but they trust upon false desires and they but guess.

And among them are uneducated who know the Scripture only through hearsay, and they only speculate.