DR. KIRMANI’S CORNER
This section is developed through the weekly reflections of Dr. Sayed Shabbir Kirmani, our respected resident scholar. Each week, Dr. Kirmani will share his thoughts on faith, current affairs, and community matters, offering valuable insights on how Islamic teachings relate to both global and local events.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Bound By Light: The Quranic Vision of Ummah
The Quranic concept of ummah—community—transcends mere social aggregation to represent a divinely-oriented collective bound by shared consciousness of God and collective responsibility before Him. As Tafsir al-Mizan emphasizes, the authentic Quranic community emerges not from ethnic, geographic, or circumstantial bonds, but from a unified alignment with
divine purpose and moral-spiritual consciousness. This foundational understanding shapes how we approach community building in any age.
The Quran explicitly establishes community as a theological imperative. “You are the best nation produced for mankind” (3:110) addresses not an ethnically defined group but those who collectively embody righteousness, command the good, and forbid the evil. This designation carries both privilege and obligation—the community exists as a witness to humanity of divine
guidance. Tabatabai’s interpretation illuminates how this role demands internal cohesion rooted in Taqwa—a multi-layered consciousness that simultaneously protects, purifies, and elevates collective awareness.
Prophetic narratives illustrate both the potential and fragility of the Quranic community. Noah’s community exemplifies the tragedy of rejected guidance—despite his call for a thousand years, the community fractured along lines of pride and heedlessness. Conversely, Abraham’s community (the believers among his followers) demonstrates how a small group unified around spiritual truth sustains authentic identity across generations. The Prophet Muhammad’s community, according to Tafsir al-Mizan, inherited this legacy as bearers of universal guidance, with the Ahlul Bayt serving as anchors of authentic interpretation and spiritual continuity.
Building an authentic Quranic community requires several interconnected elements. First, it demands intellectual-spiritual foundation through systematic engagement with divine guidance—communities are built on knowledge, not mere sentiment. Second, it necessitates justice as a structural principle; the Quran repeatedly links community integrity to equitable relations and transparent governance. Third, it requires complementary spiritual qualities: the balance of Jamal (divine beauty—mercy, compassion, inclusion) and Jalal (divine majesty—accountability, principle, courage). Communities embodying only mercy become morally diffuse; those emphasizing only justice become spiritually cold.
The importance of building the Quranic community intensifies in contemporary contexts where fragmentation—ideological, geographic, digital—threatens collective coherence. Modern individualism, consumerism, and sectarian divisions erode the bonds that sustain communities across time and challenge. Yet the Quranic model offers an alternative: communities rooted in shared theological understanding, collective spiritual practice, committed to both individual transformation and social justice.
Contemporary community building requires recovering this integrated vision—establishing study circles, cultivating spiritually-grounded leadership, practicing consultation and transparency, maintaining economic solidarity, and modeling the synthesis of personal piety with collective responsibility. In doing so, communities become living witnesses to the validity of divine guidance.
May we have the ability to receive the Divine Mercy and extend it to others!
With Duas,
Dr. Kirmani