Ummah

Ummah (; Arabic: أُمَّة) is an Arabic word meaning Muslim identity, nation, religious community, or the concept of a commonwealth of the Muslim believers (أمة المؤمنينummat al-muʼminīn). It is a synonym for ummat al-Islām (أمّةْ الإِسْلَامُ, lit. 'the Islamic nation'); it is commonly used to mean the collective community of Muslim people. In the Quran, the ummah generally refers to a community, people, or group united by shared beliefs. The Quran uses the term in multiple contexts, including nations, religious communities, and communities associated with prophets. The word ummah (pl. umam) means nation in Arabic. For example, the Arabic term for the United Nations is الأمم المتحدةal-Umam al-Muttaḥidah, and the term الأمة العربيةal-Ummah al-ʻArabiyyah is used to refer to "the Arab Nation".

Ummah is distinguished from shaʻb (شَعْب, "people"), which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. The word ummah differs from the concept of a country or people. In its greater context it is used to describe a larger group of people. For example, in Arabic the word شعب shaʻab ("people") would be used to describe the citizens of Syria. However, the term ummah is used to describe the Arab people as a whole, which includes Syrians as well as the people of the Arab world. Ummah can be a supra-national polity with a common history and identity based on religion. Pan-Islamism advocates for the unity of Muslims in one nation as an Islamic country or an Islamic state.