Ummah: A New Paradigm for a Global World

Description

Offers the Islamic concept of ummah as an alternative to the nation-state. 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. Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction Purpose and Focus of the Book Theoretical Background and Current Need for This Study Exegetical References Chapter 1 Conceptual Meaning of Ummah in the Meccan Verses of the Qurʾān Ummah in the Literature Analysis of the word ummah in the Meccan verses of the Qurʾān Ummah, Appointed Term (ajal), and Associated Responsibility Ummah, Religion, and Forefathers Ummah and al-Kitāb Ummah and Imām Ummah and the Covenant (al-Mīthāq) A Possible Order of a Global Ummah Composed of Different Umam? Ummah, Ummī Prophet, and the Global Ummah Ummah and Sovereignty Leadership, the Book, and Justice Land (Territory) Ummah and Nation-State Al-Ummah al-Wāḥidah and Its Differentiation across Human History Ummah of the Prophets Dealing with Religious Diversity Confederates of Evil (al-Aḥzāb) The Reformers (Muṣliḥūn) Conclusion Chapter 2 Ummah in the Medinan Verses of the Qurʾān The Notion of a Shared Ummah: Rights and Obligations Prophet Abraham (Ibrāhīm) Was an Ummah Defining the Ideology and Outlook of the Muslim Ummah through Prophet Abraham The Best Religion (Dīn) is Following Millat Ibrāhīm “al-Ḥanīf” Al-Manāsik (the Rituals) The Middle Ummah (al-Ummah al-Wasaṭ) and the Witness (Shahāda) Ummah from Ahl Al-Kitāb (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-Muʾminūn (“The Believers”) Decrees Addressing the Believers Decrees Addressing the Jews Decrees Addressing Ahl as-Ṣaḥīfah (the People of the Constitution) Sacred Land (ḥaram) Conclusion Chapter 4 The Ummah and Political Governance—Comparative The Ummah and the Aristotelian Polis Khalīfa and Political Animal Khalīfa Khalīfa in Early, Classical, and Modern Exegesis Khilāfa in Islamic Literature Aristotelian Polis and Qurʾanic Ummah Polis and Ummah: Medium Whereby Citizens Exercise Virtuous Activity Difference between Law and Sharīʿah Rule of Law (Polis and Ummah) Resolving Conflict by Invoking Competing Virtues in Aristotle and the Qur’ān Community and State in Contemporary Political Theory Polis and Constitution versus Ummah and al-Kitāb 222 Introducing Reforms through the Constitution The Characters of Constitution and the Citizen Mirror Each Other Constitutional Law Transformed into Community Norm Polis and Justice versus Ummah and Wasaṭiyyah Justice as a “Mean” and the Concept of “Wasaṭ” Understanding “Prophet Abraham Was an Ummah” through Aristotle’s “Unity of Virtues” Ummah Attains Justice through Shūra (Collective Judgment of Khulafāʿ) Justice Is Manifested in the “Common Good” Resulting from Collective Judgment Ummah and Political Power The Just Leadership versus Ṭāghūt ʾUlū ’l-Amr (Those Entrusted with Authority) ʾUlū ’l-amr in the Medina Constitution ʾUlū ’l-amr in the Modern Period Concluding Remarks Appendix Decrees addressing the Jews Decrees addressing Ahl al-Ṣaḥīfah (the people of the constitution) Bibliography Index Index of Qurʾanic Citations