Ummah

'''' (; ) is an Arabic word meaning muslim identity, nation, religious community or the concept of a ''Commonwealth of the Muslim Believers'' ( '). It is a synonym for ' (, lit. 'the Islamic nation'); it is commonly used to mean the collective community of Muslim people. In the Quran, the ''ummah'' typically refers to a single group that shares common religious beliefs, specifically those that are the objects of a divine plan of salvation. 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 word ''ummah'' differs from the concept of a country or people. In its greater context it is used to describe a larger group of people. For example, in Arabic the word شعب '''' ("people") would be used to describe the citizens of Syria. However, the term ''ummah'' is used to describe the Arab people as a whole, which includes Syrians as well as the people of the Arab World.

Ummah can be a supra-national polity with a common history and identity based on religion. Pan-Islamism advocates for the unity of Muslims in one nation as Islamic country or Islamic state. Provided by Wikipedia