Ummah

Ummah (Arabic: أمة‎) is an Arabic word meaning "community". It is distinguished from Sha'b (Arabic: شعب‎) which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. Thus, it can be said to be a supra-national community with a common history.

It is a synonym for ummat al-Islamiyah (Arabic: الأمة الإسلامية‎) (the Islamic Community), and it is commonly used to mean the collective community of Islamic peoples. In the Quran the ummah typically refers to a single group that shares common religious beliefs, specifically those that are the objects of a divine plan of salvation. In the context of Pan-Islamism and politics, the word Ummah can be used to mean the concept of a Commonwealth of the Believers (أمة المؤمنين ummat al-mu'minīn).

General usage

The word Ummah refers to "the people" in Arabic, more specifically to Muslim people with a common ideology and culture. "Ummah" is also said in the Quran by Allah referring to Muslims. It is more commonly used in Islamic countries. Muslim Ummah refers to the unity of Muslims all over the world. The Muslim Ummah is responsible for upholding the religion and therefore benefiting the community regardless whether the community is Muslim or non-Muslim.