What Does Ummah Mean?

Ummah (Arabic: الأمة) is pronounced UM-mah, with the double “m” held slightly.

Meaning

Ummah means a community, people or nation united by something they share. It comes from the same root as umm, the Arabic word for mother, suggesting a community that gathers and cares for its members. The Qur’an uses the word for many different peoples, but Muslims most often use it for the worldwide community of believers.

The Muslim ummah includes people of every colour, language and nationality — from Indonesia to Nigeria, Bosnia to Brazil. What binds them is not race or citizenship but shared faith. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ described how its members should feel toward one another:

Narrated An-Nu`man bin Bashir: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it

How Muslims use it

Muslims speak of the ummah when praying for believers suffering anywhere in the world, when gathering for Hajj, or when describing the sense of family they feel in a mosque far from home. Belonging to the ummah does not mean disliking others: Muslims are also taught to be just and kind to all people.

Example

“When the earthquake struck, the whole ummah raised money and prayed for its victims.”

To learn more, read Racism and Equality in Islam.