The claim that Muhammad was illiterate is a later Muslim dogma, not historical fact

Evidence

It seems unlikely that the merchant Muhammad was in fact illiterate; early Hadîth describe him drawing up legal documents. For Goldfield, the Koranic ummiyyûn (plural of ummi) refers to those peoples who have not yet received divine scriptures; Muhammad was ummi, therefore, because he belonged to a people who had benefited from no previous revelation of scripture. However, from the third Muslim century onward, the predominant Muslim tradition is that ummi means illiterate. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1462 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Muslims treated Muhammad’s illiteracy as proof of revelation, which Christians inverted; Muhammad’s alleged illiteracy was a later theological development; Muhammad’s alleged illiteracy was a later theological construction, not historical fact (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• The Koranic ummi was transformed into a claim of illiteracy centuries later #expands (0.97) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1462