Ijtihad Network Being Wise and Faithful Muslim in the Contemporary World
How can we live together without alienation, avoidance, and fear? How can we complement one another such that each of us can uniquely contribute to the making of our societies?
To address these and other questions, Katrin A. Jomaa examines the moral, political, and spiritual understanding of the Qur’anic term ummah, which is commonly used to refer to the worldwide Muslim community but is employed more broadly in the Qur’an itself. Drawing on theology, history, philosophy, and political science, Jomaa argues that ummah, while often defined as a group of people united by ethnicity or religion, is, in its ideal sense, a community that demands active commitment and a conscious and continuous dedication to the highest moral ideals of that community rather than mere affiliation with a particular set of religious doctrines and practices. Jomaa begins by chronologically and thematically analyzing the word “ummah” in the Qur’an, a comprehensive study currently missing from Islamic scholarship, in order to propose a novel understanding of the term that connects all its different meanings. She then compares this new definition to the Aristotelean polis, which highlights the political features of ummah, thereby situating it within contemporary discourses on liberal politics and community and creating the space for an alternative sociopolitical order to the nation-state, both as a local unit and a global system.
About the Author
Katrin A. Jomaa is Assistant Professor of Islam and Politics at the University of Rhode Island.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Conceptual Meaning of Ummah in the Meccan Verses of the Qur’an
Ummah in the Literature
Analysis of the word ummah in the Meccan verses of the Qur’an
Ummah, Appointed Term (ajal), and Associated Responsibility
Ummah, Religion, and Forefathers
Ummah and al-Kitab
Ummah and Imam
Ummah and the Covenant (al-Mithaq)
A Possible Order of a Global Ummah Composed of Different Umam?
Ummah, Ummi Prophet, and the Global Ummah
Ummah and Sovereignty
Leadership, the Book, and Justice
Land (Territory)
Ummah and Nation-State
Al-Ummah al-Wahidah and Its Differentiation across Human History
Ummah of the Prophets
Dealing with Religious Diversity
Confederates of Evil (al-Ahzab)
The Reformers (Muslihan)
Conclusion
Chapter 2
Ummah in the Medinan Verses of the Qur’an
The Notion of a Shared Ummah: Rights and Obligations
Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) Was an Ummah
Defining the Ideology and Outlook of the Muslim Ummah through Prophet Abraham
The Best Religion (Din) is Following Millat Ibrahim “al-Hanif”
Al-Manclsik (the Rituals)
The Middle Ummah (al-Ummah al-Wasat) and the Witness (Shahada)
Ummah from Ahl AI-Kitabb (Jews and Christians)
The Best Ummah (Khayr Ummah) Ever Raised Up for Humankind
Ummah of the Book and Governance
Conclusion
Chapter 3: Ummah in the Medina Constitution
Al-Mu’minan (“The Believers”)
Decrees Addressing the Believers
Decrees Addressing the Jews
Decrees Addressing Ahl as-Sahifah (the People of the Constitution)
Sacred Land (haram)
Conclusion
Chapter 4
The Ummah and Political Governance—Comparative
The Ummah and the Aristotelian Polls Khalifa and Political Animal
Khalifa
Khalifa in Early, Classical, and Modern Exegesis
Khalifa in Islamic Literature
Aristotelian Polls and Qur’anic Ummah
Polls and Ummah: Medium Whereby Citizens Exercise
Virtuous Activity
Difference between Law and Shari ah
Rule of Law (Polis and Ummah)
Resolving Conflict by Invoking Competing Virtues in Aristotle and the Qur’an
Community and State in Contemporary Political Theory
Polls and Constitution versus Ummah and al-Kitab
Introducing Reforms through the Constitution
Introducing Reforms through the Constitution
The Characters of Constitution and the Citizen Minor Each Other
Constitutional Law Transformed into Community Norm
Polls and Justice versus Urnmah and Wasiiyyah
Justice as a “Mean” and the Concept of “Wasat”
Understanding “Prophet Abraham Was an Ummah” through Aristotle’s “Unity of Virtues”
Ummah Attains Justice through Shura (Collective Judgment of Khulafa)
Justice Is Manifested in the “Common Good”
Resulting from Collective Judgment
Ummah and Political Power
The Just Leadership versus Taghut
Ulul Amr (Those Entrusted with Authority)
‘Ulul Amr in the Medina Constitution
‘Ulul Amr in the Modern Period
Bibliographic Information
Title: Ummah: A New Paradigm for a Global World
Author(s): Nadeem A. Memon, Mariam Alhashmi & Mohamad Abdalla
Publisher: SUNY Press
Length: 346 pages
ISBN: 9781438482040
Pub. Date: January 2022
