that entails a prohibition. For he stated that the community which followed him—the community of the middle way—is unlettered: it neither writes nor calculates. Thus, whoever writes or calculates, or does not belong to this community with respect to this ruling, will instead have followed a path other than that of the believers who constitute this community. He will therefore have done something that is not part of its religion. Departing from it is forbidden and prohibited; hence, the writing and calculation mentioned are forbidden and prohibited.

This is like his saying:

“The Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe.”

That is, this is the Muslim’s defining characteristic. Whoever departs from it departs from Islam, and whoever departs from some aspect of it departs from Islam in that respect. The same applies to his saying:

“The believer is one whom people trust with their lives and property.”

If it is asked: Why not say that its wording is declarative but its meaning is prescriptive, as in His words:

“Divorced women shall observe a waiting period,”

and:

“Mothers shall breastfeed,”

and similar statements? The meaning would then be that whoever belongs to this community should neither write nor calculate. He prohibited him from doing so, lest this be a statement contradicted by the reality it describes, since some members of the community have written or calculated.

The reply is: This meaning is valid in itself, but it is not the apparent meaning of the wording. Its apparent meaning is declarative, and departing from the apparent meaning requires evidence that makes such a departure necessary. There is no need for that here, as we have explained.