The Scribes of Aws and Khazraj and the Complete

كتبة الأوس والخزرج وأهل الكمال

Al-Waqidi: writing in Arabic was rare among Aws and Khazraj; some Jews had taught Arabic writing, and the boys learned it in early Medina. When Islam came, those who wrote were Sa'd ibn 'Ubada ibn Dulaym, al-Mundhir ibn 'Amr, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Zayd ibn Thabit (may God be pleased with him) — who wrote Arabic and Hebrew — Rafi' ibn Malik, Usayd ibn Hudayr (may God be pleased with him), Ma'n ibn 'Adi al-Balawi the Ansars' ally, Bashir ibn Sa'd, Sa'd ibn al-Rabi', Aws ibn Khawli and Abdallah ibn Ubayy. The kamil — who joined writing, archery and swimming — were Rafi' ibn Malik, Sa'd ibn 'Ubada, Usayd ibn Hudayr, Abdallah ibn Ubayy and Aws ibn Khawli; and of Jahiliya Yathrib, Suwayd ibn al-Samit and Hudayr al-Kata'ib. Zayd ibn Thabit: 'the Prophet ﷺ ordered me to learn the Jews' script — I do not trust the Jews with my correspondence — and before half a month passed I had learned it: I wrote his letters to the Jews, and when they wrote to him I read their letters'.