Did Muhammad know Hebrew and Aramaic?

Question:

Was the Messenger (s.) proficient in Hebrew and Aramaic?

Response:

Ali Ibn Isa reported, that a group asked Imam Al-Baqir (a.) to allow them to enter and said: ,,Now when we reached the hallway, we heard him reading Aramaic with a beautiful voice and crying until he moved some of us to tears, while we did not understand anything he was saying. We assumed that some of the people of the book were with him, asking him to read, but when the voice stopped and we came in to him, we saw no one with him. We said to him: ,,We heard a sad voice reading Aramaic.” He said: ,,I was remembering the intimate conversation of the Prophet Elijah (a.), which moved me to tears.” [Kashf-ul-Ghummah of Al-Arbili, Volume 2 page 358]

عن علي بن عيسى أن جماعة استأذنوا على الباقر عليه السلام قالوا: فلما صرنا في الدهليز سمعنا إذا قراءة السريانية بصوت حسن يقرأ ويبكي حتى أبكى بعضنا وما نفهم مما يقول شيئا فظننا أن عنده بعض أهل الكتاب استقرأه فلما انقطع الصوت دخلنا عليه فلم نر عنده أحدا فقلنا له قد سمعنا قراءة سريانية بصوت حزين قال ذكرت مناجاة إليا النبي فأبكتني

Aban ibn Uthman reported, that Musa At-Tumairi said: ,,I came to the door of Abu Ja’far Al-Baqir (a.), in order that I may ask him, to allow me to enter, whereupon we heard a sad voice reading Hebrew and we cried when we heard the voice. We assumed that, he was delivering it to someone from the people of the book, who asked for a reading, but when he gave us the permission and we entered to him, we did not see anyone with him. We said: ,,May God grant you salvation, we heard a voice in Hebrew and we assumed that you were delivering it to someone from the people of the book, who asked you for a reading.” He said: ,,No, but I remembered the intimate conversation of Elijah (a.) with his Lord, whereupon I was moved to tears by it.” We said: ,,God sacrifice me for you, what did his conversation contain?” He said: ,,He used to say: ,,O Lord, will You punish me after I worshipped You for so long?” He named his deeds, whereupon God revealed to him: ,,I will not punish you.” Elijah (a.) said: ,,O Lord, what prevents You from not saying ,,No” after saying ,,Yes”, whereas I am Your servant and in Your control?” God then revealed to him: ,,When I give My word, I hold Myself to it.” [Basa’ir-ud-Darajat of As-Saffar, page 361 Hadith 3]

حدثنا محمد بن الحسين عن أحمد بن الحسن الميثمي عن أبان بن عثمان عن موسى التميرى قال: جئت إلى باب أبى جعفر عليه السلام لأستأذن عليه فسمعنا صوتا حزينا يقرأ بالعبرانية فبكينا حيث سمعنا الصوت وظننا انه بعث إلى رجل من أهل الكتاب يستقرأ فاذن لنا فدخلنا عليه فلم نر عنده أحدا فقلنا أصلحك الله سمعنا صوتا بالعبرانية فظننا انك بعثت إلى رجل من أهل الكتاب تستقرأه قال لا ولكن ذكرت مناجاة اليا لربه فبكيت من ذلك قال قلنا وما كان مناجاته جعلني الله فداك قال جعل يقول يا رب أتراك معذبي بعد طول صلاتي لك وجعل يعدد أعماله فأوحى الله إليه انى لست أعذبك قال فقال يا رب وما يمنعك ان لا تقول لا بعد نعم وانا عبدك وفى قبضتك قال فأوحى الله إليه انى إذا قلت قولا وفيت به

Al-Husain Ibn Alwan reported, that Imam As-Sadiq (a.) said: ,,God created the Messengers (a.) from among the possessors of determination and favored them with knowledge and we inherited their knowledge and God favored us over them in knowledge and He bestowed upon the Messenger (s.) the knowledge, that he did not teach them and He bestowed upon us the knowledge of the Messenger (s.) and their knowledge.” [Al-Fusul-ul-Muhimmah of Al-Amili, Volume 1 page 406 Hadith 5]

وعن علي بن محمد بن سعد بن حمدان بن سليمان النيسابوري، عن عبد الله بن محمد اليماني، عن مسلم بن الحجاج، عن يونس، عن الحسين بن علوان، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: إن الله خلق أولى العزم من الرسل وفضلهم بالعلم وأورثنا علمهم وفضلنا عليهم في علمهم وعلم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله ما لم يعلموا وعلمنا علم الرسول وعلمهم

Comment:

Muhammad (s.) and his successors (a.) were proficient in all languages [Read here!]