“They are the foundation of the Book” (3:7).

An ummah is a community whose members share a physical constitution, an era, or a language. Allah Most High says:

“There is no creature on earth, nor bird that flies on its two wings, but they are communities like you” (6:38).

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Were dogs not a community among the communities, I would have ordered them killed.”

Another example is imām, the leader whose followers unite in following him.

Another is amma al-shay’a, ya’ummuhu: to concentrate one’s intention and purpose upon something.

Another is ramma al-shay’a, yarummuhu: to repair something and gather its scattered parts. It is said that rummān (“pomegranate”) takes its name from this, because its seeds are gathered and packed together.

Another is damma al-shay’a, yadummuhu: to bring something together.

Another is a person’s hamm and humūm: his intentions and firm resolves, which gather in his heart.

Another is their use of ahamm for something black, and humamah for a black piece of charcoal. They say hamma ra’suhu when someone’s head becomes black after being shaved all over. This is because black is a colour that concentrates sight and does not let it scatter. Thus, someone whose eyesight is weakened by pain or another cause has something black, made of hair or cloth, placed over his eyes to concentrate his sight and strengthen his faculty of vision.

This is an extensive subject, so let us content ourselves with this much.

Once this characteristic of mīm is understood, consider how the Arabs appended it to the end of this name, Allāhumma (“O Allah”), with which a servant petitions his Lord, glorified is He, for every need and in every circumstance. This signifies the gathering together of His names and attributes. When the supplicant says, “O Allah, I ask You,” it is as though he were saying, “I invoke Allah, who possesses the most beautiful names and the loftiest attributes, by His names and attributes.”

Thus, the mīm signifying gathering is placed at the end of this name, indicating that He Most High is being asked by His names