Book Given To One Who Cannot Read (Isaiah 29:12)

بسم الله الرحمـن الرحيم

One of the prophecies in the Hebrew Bible concerning the advent of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is in the Book of Isaiah:

וְנִתַּ֣ן הַסֵּ֗פֶר עַל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־יָדַ֥ע סֵ֛פֶר לֵאמֹ֖ר קְרָ֣א נָא־זֶ֑ה וְאָמַ֕ר לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְתִּי סֵֽפֶר

And if the Book is given to one who cannot read, saying “Read קְרָ֣א [qә·rā] this now”, he shall say “I cannot read.”

(Isaiah 29:12)

Since the previous verse states that when the Book is given to one who can read he cannot read it because it is sealed, this verse implies that the Book is unsealed when it is given to that person who is unable to read, according to Rashi (1040-1105), the renowned French Rabbi and exegete. Clearly this prophecy in Isaiah is describing the event of the famous first revelation to the Prophet Muhammad in the Cave of Hira when the Angel Gabriel came to him and said:

اقْرَأْ‏

“Read!”

To which our Prophet ﷺ replied:

مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ

“I am not one who reads”

Indeed, the Book of Isaiah contains several prophecies describing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. On this blog I have already examined the prophecy in Isaiah 21:7 concerning the ‘rider on the camel’ which medieval Jewish rabbis declared was the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.