Discover the meaning of the term Al-jmʿ (جمع) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 5 min readIn the grammarians' usage: what indicates a plurality of units intended by single letters, with change in what is so denoted. With the Sufis: beholding the means (asbab) as suspended upon God, and disengaging from power and strength save by God; the completion of this aim is in the tafriqa. With the masters of badi': jama' is joining several terms, two or more, in one judgment, as in God's saying: 'wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world.' In the reckoners' usage: jama' is the addition of two numbers or more; the result is called 'the sum (hasil al-jam')', one of the two numbers 'the added (mazid)', the other 'that added to (mazid 'alayhi)'. Know that with the masters of fara'id whatever exceeds one is 'jama'', and so too with the manasiqiyya; but in the Ta'rifat it is not so, contrary to common belief. The sense of jama' in their phrase 'the defined' is that it must be conjoining and restricting; God willing.
To gather the scattered jama'an: join its parts. 'To gather the hearts (God)': accord them; He is jami', jammu', jama'. The object: majmu' and jam'i'. 'To gather the people against their enemies': marshal them to fight them. In the Quran: 'those to whom it was said: the people have gathered against you, fear them, and it increased them in faith; they said: God suffices us, an excellent trustee' (Al 'Imran, 173). 'To resolve his affair': decide upon it. 'To gather his garments': wear them. The people: attend the Friday gathering and pray in it. Al-ijma': accord and resolve. The rulings of intention and resolve. In religious law: the agreement of the scholars of the age of Muhammad's community upon a matter of religion (al-Ba'li). With the Hanafis: the agreement of opinion of the mujtahids of Muhammad's community in an age upon a religious ruling. With the Zahiris: the agreement of the body of believers; or what one is certain all the Companions of God's Messenger knew and professed, with no dissent among them.
Joining several terms in one judgment.
The joining of what by nature tends to separation and dispersion; mentioned by al-Harali. Al-Raghib said (al-Mufradat, p. 96): the joining of a thing, part to part. Jama' (a group) is said of disparate peoples who gather.
Muzdalifa; the 'night of jama'' is the night of Muzdalifa, because people gather in it. The 'day of jama'' is the day of 'Arafat, because the people assemble on it.
Jama' is the joining of a thing to a thing. Al-jama'a, whence 'the host shall be routed and turn their backs'. (English gloss: group.) Joining one thing to another without mixture; hence the combining of two prayers: performing one of them in the other's time, either by joining early (jam' taqdim) or late (jam' ta'khir). (English gloss: combine.) Attaching the branch to the root that the two be one in cause: to unite. The 'day of jama'' : the Day of Resurrection. (English gloss: doomsday.) 'Gathered dinars' (majmu'a): deficient ones, dealt in by weight, being gathered and weighed.
With reckoners: the addition of one number to another; what results from it is called the sum.
﴿إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا۟ مِنكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْتَقَى ٱلْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا ٱسْتَزَلَّهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا۟ ۖ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌۭ﴾
« Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some [blame] they had earned. But Allah has already forgiven them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Forbearing. »
Surah آل عمران : 155
﴿وَمَآ أَصَـٰبَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْتَقَى ٱلْجَمْعَانِ فَبِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾
« And what struck you on the day the two armies met was by permission of Allah that He might make evident the [true] believers. »
Surah آل عمران : 166
﴿ٱلَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا۟ لَكُمْ فَٱخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَـٰنًۭا وَقَالُوا۟ حَسْبُنَا ٱللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ ٱلْوَكِيلُ﴾
« Those to whom hypocrites said, "Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them." But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, "Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs." »
Surah آل عمران : 173
﴿وَإِن كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيْكَ إِعْرَاضُهُمْ فَإِنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتَ أَن تَبْتَغِىَ نَفَقًۭا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَوْ سُلَّمًۭا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَتَأْتِيَهُم بِـَٔايَةٍۢ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَجَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ ۚ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ﴾
« And if their evasion is difficult for you, then if you are able to seek a tunnel into the earth or a stairway into the sky to bring them a sign, [then do so]. But if Allah had willed, He would have united them upon guidance. So never be of the ignorant. »
Surah الأنعام : 35
﴿وَنَادَىٰٓ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالًۭا يَعْرِفُونَهُم بِسِيمَىٰهُمْ قَالُوا۟ مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ﴾
« And the companions of the Elevations will call to men [within Hell] whom they recognize by their mark, saying, "Of no avail to you was your gathering and [the fact] that you were arrogant." »
Surah الأعراف : 48
﴿۞ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُم مِّن شَىْءٍۢ فَأَنَّ لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُۥ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ إِن كُنتُمْ ءَامَنتُم بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا يَوْمَ ٱلْفُرْقَانِ يَوْمَ ٱلْتَقَى ٱلْجَمْعَانِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ﴾
« And know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allah is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveler, if you have believed in Allah and in that which We sent down to Our Servant on the day of criterion - the day when the two armies met. And Allah, over all things, is competent. »
Surah الأنفال : 41
This term appears in 20 verses of the Quran.