ummah

um-ah

umma

Explanation

This literally means ‘community’ in Arabic and can refer to any nation with a common history. Specifically, Muslims use the word to refer to the world-wide community of Muslims.

Context

For Muslims, the ummah refers to those who share in God’s plan for human beings. The Qur’an makes it clear that this includes the Jewish, Christian and pagan citizens of the community in which the first Muslims lived.