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Meaning of Ummah

Question:
Salam, 

What is the meaning of Umat? Can we only say that we are the umat of Muhammad (PBUH) or can we also say we are the umat of every messenger who came before since we have believe on all and everyone spread Islam with changed laws? 

Also I wanted to know that Christianity came for specific time but was for only specific people or for the whole world in that specific time? 

Thank you


Answer:

Salam,

It is of course true that all prophets of God had only one message, that is islam (submission to the truth), and that we believe in all of them. 
As for the word Ummah however, if we go with the use of the word in the Qur'an, then it will be more accurate to consider ourselves the Ummah of Muhammad (pbuh). 

Verses like 5:48, 2:134, 4:41, 7:34, 10:47, 13:30, 16:36, 22:34 and 23:44 are evident that the followers of every messenger are called an Ummah (the Ummah of that messenger) in the Qur'an. This is an important use of the word in the Qur'an since every Ummah is responsible for its own attitude and reaction to the messenger of God that is sent to them, as the verse 2:134 says.

​Like every other messenger, Jesus (pbuh) too was sent to his own people.


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August 2013
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