Characteristics of ummah

Ummah is an Arabic word that is usually translated into English as a nation. In religion, Islam
Ummah refers to the Islamic community. The definition of Ummah is a community of believers
bound together with a common purpose, that is to worship Lord and with a common goal to
advance the cause of Islam. To every Ummah, Allah Almighty sent a messenger for its guidance.
The Holy Quran uses the word Ummah to refer to the communities of the past such as the

Ummah of Prophet Musa (AS) or the Ummah of Prophet Isa (AS). In the Noble Quran Allah
(SWT) says:

“And we certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], “Worship Allah and
avoid Taghut.”

According to the religion Islam the Ummah, or Muslim community, is a group of people from
diverse backgrounds, ancestry, locations, and nationalities. Muslim Ummah is the community
without borders yet united in a very real way, though separated by distance and often
constrained by borders they are united. They are one nation or community united under the
guidance of the One Lord. In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty says:

“And verily this Ummah of yours is one Ummah and I am your Lord and Cherisher, therefore
fear me and no other.”

)143 ‫ (البقرة‬... ‫َو َك َذ ِلَك َج َع ْلَن اُك ْم ُأَّم ًة َو َس ًط ا ِلَتُك وُنوا ُشَه َداَء َع َلى الَّن اِس َو َي ُك وَن الَّر ُس وُل َع َلْي ُك ْم َش ِه يًد ا‬

 We have made you into a balanced community, so that you bear witness before humankind
and the Messenger bear witness before you… (Al-Baqarah 2:143)

)110 ‫(آل عمران‬.... ‫ُكْنُتْم َخ ْيَر ُأَّم ٍة ُأْخ ِر َج ْت ِللَّن اِس َت ْأُمُروَن ِباْلَمْع ُر وِف َو َتْن َهْو َن َع ِن اْلُم ْنَك ِر َو ُتْؤ ِم ُنوَن ِباِهَّلل‬

 You are the best community singled out for humankind; you order what is right and forbid
what is wrong and believe in Allah… (Al ‘Imran 3:110)

Community is a very important aspect of Islamic teachings. Islam emphasizes

building good individuals, good families and good community. Community is the
“Ummah.” Islamic Ummah has eight characteristics:
1. Ummah is the community of faith. Faith enlarges our community and
faith also strengthens our community. The more the people of faith the
larger is our community and the stronger the faith the better will be our
community.

2. Ummah is Balanced: Ummah avoids extremes; it follows the middle

path of moderation. It keeps the balance between the material and
spiritual, between the temporal and eternal, between the individual and
communal.

3. Ummah is of Ukhuwwah. The relationship between the members of our

community is that of Ukhuwwah. We are brothers and sisters to each
other. This means that we are equal and we must love and care for each
other. Just as blood brothers and sisters usually care for each other, so
the members of this Ummah are should care for each other.

 In order to keep this brotherhood strong, Muslims must avoid

certain things. These are mentioned especially in Surah al-Hujurat
(Surah 49):

 o Do not accept or spread rumors

 o Do not fight each other and if there is a fight then make

reconciliation quickly

 o Do not make sarcastic remarks against each other, or abuse each

other, do not have suspicion or backbite each other or spy against
each other

4. Ummah is of Shura – Shura is consultation, organization, leadership

and working together. This is the operational principle. The members of
the Ummah must work with each other under the principles of Shura.
They should be open and honest, their dealings must be transparent and
they must not do anything in their community matters against the will of
the people.
5. Ummah builds institutions – Groups cannot survive without
institutions. They need them for their survival and for their growth. Some
of the most important institutions of the Ummah are: Masajid, Schools,
and Social service programs as primary institutions. It also establishes
other economic, judicial and political institutions according to the needs
and circumstances.

6. Ummah is of Da’wah – Our mission is to invite others to the path of

God with wisdom and good preaching. We must remove suspicions and
misunderstanding from the minds of others. We must not force any one
to accept Islam but we must invite people to Islam. We do have many
things in common with the people of other faiths as well as differences.
We should build on the commonalities and where we differ we should do
so respectfully. We must not misrepresent other people and we must not
create hate against any group or religion.

7. Ummah is for the benefit of all people. ‫( َخْي َر ُأَّم ٍة ُأْخ ِر َج ْت ِللَّن اِس‬Best
community singled out for mankind.) It is said: ‫( خير الناس من ينف ع الناس‬The
best people are those who are beneficial to people.) The world today is
shrinking and people talk about “global village” or “age of globalization.”
We should not speak only of faith community and intra-faith community
but we should also pay attention to:

 Interfaith community – like minded people of different faiths should

have dialogue and should work together.

 O Global community – We are living in an interdependent world and

we should think of peace and justice for all people. It is said, “Think
globally and act locally.” Whatever we do locally in our own area or in
our own community, we must keep in mind that it may have its impact
on the global community.

 Peace and justice for all people – This should be our objective and
goal.
 May Allah guide us to understand our role and bless us to become the
model community?