among the kings of the earth and the leaders of various communities—and to his agents, governors, zakat collectors, and others.

Allah Most High says in two verses of His Book:

“So that you may know the number of years and the reckoning.”

He thus states that He did this so that calculation might be known. The word ummī (“unlettered”) is originally derived from ummah (“community”), the collective body of unlettered people. It denotes someone who is not distinguished from that body by a particular skill, such as reading or writing. Similarly, someone who belongs to the general public, without being distinguished from them by the knowledge particular to others, is called an ʿāmmī (“layperson”). It has also been said that the word is derived from umm (“mother”): that is, someone who remains at the level of knowledge, learning and the like to which his mother accustomed him.

The distinction by which a person rises above general unletteredness to acquire a particular skill may itself constitute excellence and perfection, as when someone is distinguished by reciting the Quran and understanding its meanings. Alternatively, it may provide a means of attaining excellence and perfection, as when someone is distinguished by writing and reading written texts. This is praiseworthy in someone who uses it to attain perfection, and blameworthy in someone who leaves it unused or employs it for evil. Someone who can dispense with it through something more beneficial to him is more accomplished and superior. For such a person, foregoing it while still achieving its intended purpose is more perfect and preferable.

Once it is clear that there are two ways of distinguishing oneself from the unlettered, “the community among whom was sent