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

"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered me to learn some statements from writings of the Jews for him, and he said: 'For indeed by Allah! I do no trust the Jews with my letters.'" He said: "Half a month did not pass before I learned it, when he ﷺ wanted to write to the Jews I would write it to them, and when they wrote to him I would read their letters to him."

أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ أَتَعَلَّمَ لَهُ كَلِمَاتِ كِتَابِ يَهُودَ قَالَ إِنِّي وَاللَّهِ مَا آمَنُ يَهُودَ عَلَى كِتَابٍ قَالَ فَمَا مَرَّ بِي نِصْفُ شَهْرٍ حَتَّى تَعَلَّمْتُهُ لَهُ قَالَ فَلَمَّا تَعَلَّمْتُهُ كَانَ إِذَا كَتَبَ إِلَى يَهُودَ كَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِمْ وَإِذَا كَتَبُوا إِلَيْهِ قَرَأْتُ لَهُ كِتَابَهُمْ

[AI] He informed him that when the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Medina, Zaid said he was impressed with him. They said, "O Messenger of Allah, this is a boy from the Banu Najjar tribe who has with him thirteen Surahs that Allah has revealed to you." The Prophet ﷺ was delighted and said, "O Zaid, learn for me the scripture of the Jews, for by Allah, I do not trust the Jews concerning my scripture." Zaid said, "So I learned their scripture for him. It took me fifteen nights until I mastered it, and I would read to him their books when they wrote to him, and I would respond to their letters when he wrote."

أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ الْمَدِينَةَ قَالَ زَيْدٌ ذُهِبَ بِي إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَأُعْجِبَ بِي فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ هَذَا غُلَامٌ مِنْ بَنِي النَّجَّارِ مَعَهُ مِمَّا أَنْزَلَ اللهُ عَلَيْكَ بِضْعَ عَشْرَةَ سُورَةً فَأَعْجَبَ ذَلِكَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَقَالَ يَا زَيْدُ تَعَلَّمْ لِي كِتَابَ يَهُودَ فَإِنِّي وَاللهِ مَا آمَنُ يَهُودَ عَلَى كِتَابِي قَالَ زَيْدٌ فَتَعَلَّمْتُ لَهُ كِتَابَهُمْ مَا مَرَّتْ بِي خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ لَيْلَةً حَتَّى حَذَقْتُهُ وَكُنْتُ أَقْرَأُ لَهُ كُتُبَهُمْ إِذَا كَتَبُوا إِلَيْهِ وَأُجِيبُ عَنْهُ إِذَا كَتَبَ

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. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 3645)

زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَتَعَلَّمْتُ لَهُ كِتَابَةَ الْيَهُودِ وَقَالَ «إِنِّي وَاللَّهِ مَا آمَنُ يَهُودَ عَلَى كِتَابِي» فَتَعَلَّمْتُهُ فَلَمْ يَمُرَّ بِي نِصْفُ شَهْرٍ حَتَّى حَذَقْتُهُ قَالَ «إِنِّي كُنْتُ أَكْتُبُ لَهُ إِذَا كَتَبَ وَأَقْرَأُ لَهُ إِذَا كُتِبَ إِلَيْهِ» «وَقَدِ اسْتَشْهَدَا جَمِيعًا بِعَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ وَ

[AI] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered me to learn the book of the Jews, and within half a month, I had mastered it. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The Jews will never believe in my book." When I learned it, I used to write it for him.

أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَنْ أَتَعَلَّمَ كِتَابَ يَهُودَ فَلَمْ يَمُرَّ بِي نِصْفُ شَهْرٍ حَتَّى حَذَقْتُهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «مَا آمَنُ يَهُودَ عَلَى كِتَابِي» فَلَمَّا تَعَلَّمْتُ كُنْتُ أَكْتُبُ لَهُ

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. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 3645)

قَالَ زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَتَعَلَّمْتُ لَهُ كِتَابَ يَهُودَ وَقَالَ إِنِّي وَاللهِ مَا آمَنُ يَهُودَ عَلَى كِتَابِي فَتَعَلَّمْتُهُ فَلَمْ يَمُرَّ بِي نِصْفُ شَهْرٍ وَقَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ إِلَّا نِصْفُ شَهْرٍ حَتَّى حَذَقْتُهُ قَالَ أَبِي فَكُنْتُ أَكْتُبُ لَهُ إِذَا كَتَبَ وَأَقْرَأُ لَهُ إِذَا كُتِبَ إِلَيْهِ