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Does the word 'ummi' in the Quran mean illiterate?

The word 'ummi' has been used in the Quran in a number of verses. The following verse is one example:

Those who follow the messenger, the 'ummi' prophet, whom they find written down in the Torah and the Injeel that are with them. 7:157

Many translations of the Quran have wrongly translated the word "ummi" as illiterate. With a quick analysis of various Quranic verses where the word 'ummi' is used, it can be verified that this word does not mean illiterate. The correct meaning is gentile or someone who has not received a Scripture.

Let us read the following verse:

Say to those who were given the Scripture and the 'ummiyeen', "Have you submitted?" 3:20

In this verse, God commanded Muhammad to invite those who received a Scripture (the Jews and Christians) as well as the ummiyeen (plural of ummi) to submit to God.

If we use the wrong interpretation used by Muslims interpreters today of the word "ummi" of the one who cannot read or write, we would have the following translation:

"Proclaim to those who received a Scripture as well as those who cannot read or write to submit"

It is clear that this is an inaccurate translation for the following reasons:

1- The opposite of 'those who received a Scripture' is 'those who did not receive a Scripture' and not those who cannot read or write!

2- If we assume that the word 'ummi' means illiterate then is God commanding prophet Muhammad to call to submission those who received a Scripture and only the illiterate among the rest? Once again, this is very irrational and does not make any sense.

Also, let us read 62:2:

He is the One who has sent to the 'ummiyeen' a messenger from among them. 62:2

Once again, if we assume that the word "ummi" means illiterate then that would mean that God has in fact sent Muhammad only to those who cannot read or write!

It is quite obvious that God would send a messenger with a Scripture to all who did not receive a Scripture, and not only to those who cannot read and write!
Indeed, prophet Muhammad was sent to those who never received a messenger before him as confirmed in the following words:

Or do they say, "He fabricated it"? Rather, it is the truth from your Lord so that you would warn a people to whom no warner has come before you, so that they may be guided. 32:3

Now let us read the following verses where we are given more conclusive evidence that the word 'ummi' does not mean illiterate:

And among them are 'ummiyoon' who do not know of the Scripture except through hearsay. They are merely guessing.

Therefore, woe to those who write with their own hands what is supposed to be the Scripture, then say, "This is from God," that they may trade it for a cheap price. Therefore woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn. 2:78-79

1- The word "ummiyoon" is immediately followed by the words "who do not know the Scripture", which confirms the definition of the word 'ummi' as, and it is exactly as the words say: The one who never received a messenger and thus does not know the Scripture.

2- In verse 79 God warns the "ummiyoon" not to write distorted versions of the Scripture "with their own hands". How can these "ummiyoon" write distorted versions if they cannot read or write? Once again, this gives us confirmation that "ummiyoon" does not mean illiterate. It means gentiles who have not received any Scripture.

To conclude, the correct meaning of the word 'ummi' in the Quran is a gentile; one who has not received a Scripture.

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