Overview

"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."

Full Product Details

Author:   Katrin A. Jomaa
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
Imprint:   State University of New York Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.227kg
ISBN:  

9781438482040

ISBN 10:   1438482043
Pages:   346
Publication Date:   02 January 2022
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

"List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Conceptual Meaning of Ummah in the Meccan Verses of the Qur'ān Ummah in the Literature Analysis of the word ummah in the Meccan verses of the Qur'ān 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 2. Ummah in the Medinan Verses of the Qur'ān 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 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 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 Qur'anic Ummah Polis and Ummah: Medium Whereby Citizens Exercise Virtuous Activity Difference between Law and SharīʿahRule 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 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 Bibliography Index Index of Qur'anic Citations"

Reviews

...Jomaa's work is a tremendous and timely gift to the field of Islamic studies and the growing subdiscipline of 'ummahology' .... At its core, Jomaa's scholarship innovatively re-imagines what it means to be a member of the ummah in the contemporary, ultimately offering a new global paradigm for performing community in in the twenty-first century. - Reading Religion

This study has much to offer the general reader, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, as well as non-specialist students in the university. It provides a compelling narrative on the meaning of umma and also many ideas for discussions on what it means to be a people guided by the good rather than by power. - Journal of Islamic Studies ...Jomaa's work is a tremendous and timely gift to the field of Islamic studies and the growing subdiscipline of 'ummahology' .... At its core, Jomaa's scholarship innovatively re-imagines what it means to be a member of the ummah in the contemporary, ultimately offering a new global paradigm for performing community in in the twenty-first century. - Reading Religion

Author Information

Katrin A. Jomaa is Assistant Professor of Islam and Politics at the University of Rhode Island.

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