The Trans- Ummah, the Extended State, and the Question of Universality (A study in the Meanings of the Quranic Texts)

Abstract

The central idea around which this paper rotates is that there is- in the Islamic perspective of political sociology- a mutual relationship between the Ummah and the state. The assumption here is that the essential characteristics of the state stem from the characteristics of the Ummah. As a demographic, extra-territory, timeless and multi-ethnical, all is such an embracing Ummah that stands as the constituent domain of the state as well as its social incubator. Likewise, the state as a material entity- with a legal status- stands as an embodiment of the Ummah. This would also make it a kind of an extended state the boundaries of which end only where its demographic extension ends. To prove this hypothesis, we attempt in this paper to discern the meanings of the Qur’anic texts that are relevant to this setting. The analysis will proceed through two integrated themes: the first one looks into the textual meanings that portrays the existence of an Ummah- united around a doctrinal identity that serves as a melting pot for nationalistic, linguistic, and relativistic ties. The second theme looks into textual meanings that indicate the emergence of an Ummah- upholding a political program, which transcends geographical borders, and promises victory and firm establishment on the land.