Nationalism is an ideology that originates from the modern concept of a nation. A nation is a group of people who live under a single government in one or more territories and are connected through religion, history, culture, language, and other identity elements. This strong bond leads individuals to overlook their personal interests in favor of the public good.
Nationalism is a force that gives tangible form to national unity and prioritizes collective interests over individual benefits. In other words, nationalism is a symbol of the nation that manifests through collective emotions. These emotions can sometimes lead to intense and even fanatic interests.
In Persian, the equivalent of the Latin word nationalism is “melli-garayi.” This term consists of two parts: “nation,” which originates from the Latin root “natio,” meaning “birth” or “being born,” and is used to refer to a group of people born in the same place; and “-ism,” a Latin suffix meaning “recognition” or “idea.”
The combination of these two parts defines nationalism as a political ideology that emerged in the modern West.
By creating and spreading nationalism, the West has pursued various goals and agendas. Promoting nationalism, ethnicism, and partisanship has been among the tools through which they have largely implemented their plans in Islamic countries. The objectives and consequences of this process will be examined in the following sections of the article, In sha’ Allah.
Definition of Ummah:
The Arabic word “Ummah” has multiple meanings. Below are some of its interpretations:
1. A group of people within a specific period (a century).
2. Followers and adherents.
3. A person who is followed and leads the congregation (Imam al-Jama’ah).
Allah the Almighty says: «إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِلَّهِ حَنِيفًا…» Translation: (Abraham was a nation obedient to Allah and pure in religion, and he was not of the polytheists.)
A group of people; Allah Almighty says: «وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ…» Translation: (He found a group of people at that [well].)
Duration of time; Allah Almighty says: «وَلَئِنْ أَخَّرْنَا عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابَ إِلَى أُمَّةٍ مَعْدُودَةٍ…» Translation: (And if We withhold the punishment from them for a specified period…)
A person who is the leader of a group; The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said about Qus ibn Sa’idah: «إني لأرجو أن يبعثه الله أمة وحده» (I hope that Allah will gather them as an independent nation.)
Qatam: The Arab poet, Aashi, says: «حِسَانُ الوُجُوهِ طِوَالُ الأُمَمِ» Translation: (They have beautiful faces and tall statures.)
Religion; Allah Almighty says: «إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ…» Translation: (We found our fathers following a religion…)
One of the important meanings of the word “Ummah” is “community.” Ummah refers to any community that is united by a cause or issue; this cause may be religion, time, place, or a matter of choice or conquest.
In this article, the term “ummah” refers to the Islamic community because the unity found in the Islamic community is not found in any other party, sect, or community. The source of this unity is the command of God Almighty and the teachings of the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings be upon him, who calls upon his followers to avoid fanaticism, isolation, and disagreement.
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