by shared beliefs. The Quran uses the term in multiple contexts, including nations, religious communities, and communities associated with prophets. The word ummah (pl. umam ) means nation in Arabic. For example, the Arabic term for the United Nations is ????? ??????? , and the term ????? ??????? is used to refer to "the Arab Nation".

Ummah is distinguished from ' (??? , "people"), which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. The