26. Knowledge
٢٦۔ كتاب العلم
When he was sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and a Jew was also with him, a funeral passed by him. He (the Jew) asked (Him): Muhammad, does this funeral speak? The Prophet ﷺ said: Allah has more knowledge. The Jew said: It speaks. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Whatever the people of the Book tell you, do not verify them, nor falsify them, but say: We believe in Allah and His Apostle. If it is false, do not confirm it, and if it is right, do not falsify it.
أَنَّهُ بَيْنَمَا هُوَ جَالِسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَعِنْدَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ مُرَّ بِجَنَازَةٍ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ هَلْ تَتَكَلَّمُ هَذِهِ الْجَنَازَةُ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ فَقَالَ الْيَهُودِيُّ إِنَّهَا تَتَكَلَّمُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا حَدَّثَكُمْ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ فَلاَ تُصَدِّقُوهُمْ وَلاَ تُكَذِّبُوهُمْ وَقُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ بَاطِلاً لَمْ تُصَدِّقُوهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ حَقًّا لَمْ تُكَذِّبُوهُ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered me (to learn the writing of the Jews), so I learnt for him the writing of the Jews. He said: I swear by Allah, I do not trust Jews in respect of writing for me. So I learnt it, and only a fortnight passed before I mastered it. I would write for him when he wrote (to them), and read to him when something was written to him.
زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَتَعَلَّمْتُ لَهُ كِتَابَ يَهُودَ وَقَالَ إِنِّي وَاللَّهِ مَا آمَنُ يَهُودَ عَلَى كِتَابِي فَتَعَلَّمْتُهُ فَلَمْ يَمُرَّ بِي إِلاَّ نِصْفُ شَهْرٍ حَتَّى حَذَقْتُهُ فَكُنْتُ أَكْتُبُ لَهُ إِذَا كَتَبَ وَأَقْرَأُ لَهُ إِذَا كُتِبَ إِلَيْهِ