Answer:
Muslims, from an early time, were the taught about the importance of reading and writing. As this was the only way they could read and understand the Quran.
Explanation:
Unlike other religions, Muslims did not have a formal clergy and every man or woman could learn the quran themselves. Furthermore, the Quran clearly pushed its readers to explore the world, study and seek knowledge.
This built a culture of education and many Muslim scholars researched old Greek and Roman knowledge, and developed their own from it.
Within a couple of centuries, the Muslim world arose as the center of Global Knowledge and culture.