Literacy, Acceptance of Islam & Collectors of Sadqa

It is narrated about Hazrat Abu Abas bin Jabr that he could write in Arabic prior to the advent of Islam. Even though it was not customary in Arabia to write at the time. When Hazrat Abu Abas and Hazrat Abu Burdah bin Nayar accepted Islam, they both had destroyed the idols of Banu Haritha.

Hazrat Umar (ra) and Hazrat Usman (ra) would send those two to collect Sadqa [charity] from the people, meaning that they managed the department of finance.

(Al-Tabkaat-ul-Qubra Li-ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p. 238, Dar-e-Ihyaa, Al-Turath Al-Arabi, Beirut, 1996)