<P> Ummah (Arabic: أمة ‎ (ˈʊm. mæ)) is an Arabic word meaning "community". It is distinguished from Shaʻb (شعب (ʃæʕb)) which means a nation with common ancestry or geography . Thus, it can be said to be a supra - national community with a common history . </P> <P> It is a synonym for ummat al - Islām (أمة الإسلام,' the Islamic community'), and it is commonly used to mean the collective community of Islamic peoples . 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 . In the context of pan-Islamism and politics, the word ummah can be used to mean the concept of a Commonwealth of the Believers (أمة المؤمنين ummat al - muʼminīn). </P> <P> The word Ummah (pl . umam) means Nation in Arabic . For example the Arabic term for the United Nations in Arabic is الأمم المتحدة Al - Umam Al - Mutahedah, and the term الأمة العربية Al - Ummah Al - Arabeyah is used to refer to "The Arabic Nation". </P>

What does the arabic word ummah refer to