Ibn 'Ata'illah says in Taj al-'Arus:

Whosoever is nearing the end of his life and wants to recover what he has missed [of righteousness] should invoke with the comprehensive formulae of remembrance. By doing that, a short life will be as if it were long. An example of this is him saying “Glorified and transcendent is Allah, the Tremendous, and to Him is all praise—by the number of His creation, His self-pleasure, the weight of His Throne, and the ink of His words.” Likewise,...

QUESTION

The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) is considered 'Ummi.’

Is this a reference that he (Allah bless him and give him peace) categorically could not read and write or is it instead a reference that he was untaught by man?

There are some circles that deny the former position outright and advocate the latter meaning of 'Ummi' as the only orthodox view.

ANSWER

Preamble

There are several things that must be discussed to give this question justice....