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Abstract. The Ummah Network presents a revolutionary approach to unify the global Muslim community by leveraging blockchain technology. This initiative aims to create a secure, interconnected platform that transcends traditional geographic and political boundaries. At its heart lies the development of a decentralized super app, which not only acts as a digital identity and financial hub but also integrates mosques as thriving, self-sustaining nodes, blending physical and digital community spaces. The network’s ambition extends to establishing an independent economy powered by its own cryptocurrency, promoting financial self-sufficiency and resilience. A key milestone thereafter is attaining diplomatic recognition, elevating the Ummah to a sovereign entity and affirming its global presence. This endeavor reimagines Islamic governance in the digital age, fostering unity and empowering the Muslim diaspora through a blend of traditional values and innovative technology, setting a new paradigm for Ummah progress and collaboration.

Essential to this vision is a decentralized super app, a cornerstone in digitally uniting the Ummah. The initiative then shifts focus to transforming mosques into self-sustainable, central nodes within the network, anchoring them not only as spiritual centers but also as hubs of the Ummah’s life and functions. Complementing this is the cultivation of an independent, resilient economy with its own cryptocurrency, designed to ensure the Ummah’s financial self-sufficiency, prosperity, and welfare. Finally, the quest for diplomatic recognition stands as a testament to the network’s legitimacy and global influence. This pursuit symbolizes a crucial step towards sovereignty, representing the interests and values of the Ummah on the world stage.

At its heart, the Ummah Network is a movement towards fostering profound unity, establishing a new paradigm of community-led governance that places Islamic values, self-determination, and the best interests of the Ummah at its core. To achieve this ambitious goal, what follows is a phased approach.

The first phase is centered on developing a comprehensive app that serves as a digital hub for the Ummah. This app is pivotal as it establishes the decentralized foundation necessary for security, utility, and resilance. It’s designed to be multifaceted, addressing various needs and fostering a sense of digital citizenship within the network.

• Wallet: Incorporating a blockchain-based wallet, this app will serve dual purposes. Firstly, as a comprehensive gateway to the network, offering a consolidated view of the user’s engagement and assets within the ecosystem, as well as acting as a digital identity system using its NFT storage capability, which holds their citizenship, badges, memberships, deeds, and proofs, thereby enriching the user experience with layers of value and utility. Secondly, it functions as a virtual bank account, facilitating seamless financial transactions, trade, and charity across the network. Note that since NFTs and assets are on-chain, a third-party or custom-built wallet can be used, but the integrated wallet described here is a unique, unified display making it an essential tool for navigating and benefiting from the full spectrum of the network’s offerings.
• Messaging: The app includes a secure messaging feature, powered by blockchain technology, ensuring robust resistance, privacy, and interoperability across different platforms. This messaging system enables users to create groups for community interaction and announcement boards for disseminating various types of information, including media, newsletters, and event details, thus playing a crucial role in community building and information sharing.
• Library: A key component of the app is its extensive library, crucial for educating and spiritually uplifting the Muslim mind. It is in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) built up the first generation of the Ummah and must be a strategy in rebuilding it. This digital library hosts the Quran in different languages and Hadith collection, all equipped with interactive features like shared highlights and discussion forums, as well as AI-powered features that provide personalized Islamic learning experiences, adapting to the individual’s knowledge level and learning style. Additional resources include a prayer app, tools for Duaa and Arabic learning aimed at enhancing Quranic understanding, and a comprehensive collection of Islamic scholarly works, Tafsirs, and writings. The library also delves deep into Islamic history shedding light on often neglected or misrepresented narratives, utilizing VR technology to create immersive tours of important Islamic heritage sites, thereby helping the community understand its past and chart a clear course for the future. NFTs will be minted of completed studies to serve as academic certifications that will be used for voting weights and leadership roles.

In essence, phase 1 lays the foundational digital infrastructure, aiming not just to provide tools but to create a gateway for a unified, educated, and financially empowered Muslim community. It marks the beginning of building a decentralized, resilient, and self-sufficient Ummah, rooted in the principles of community and knowledge inherent in Islamic teachings.

The second phase focuses on the vital task of assembling a dedicated core group of members to drive the Ummah Network forward. This phase involves bringing together individuals who share a common vision for the network, are committed to its long-term success, and are willing to invest their assets, skills, and expertise. A pivotal part of this phase is an NFT campaign, where each token symbolizes citizenship within the network, fostering a sense of belonging and commitment.

Skilled Guilds

The core group members will play a crucial role in forming specialized guilds based on their field of expertise. These guilds, integral to the network’s functionality, will be compensated for their contributions through tokenomics and a decentralized exchange, ensuring a self-sustaining economy. Recognizing that volunteerism alone is not sustainable, this model ensures that value flows within the network, supporting its members and initiatives. The guilds include:

• Engineering Guild: Responsible for building and maintaining the technical infrastructure of the network. This guild ensures the network’s security, availability, and transparency.
• Creative Guild: Tasked with producing content, art, poetry, podcasts, documentaries, movies, books, kids content, and visuals for campaigns, media, advocacy, and outreach. This guild plays a key role in shaping the network’s public image and messaging.
• Spiritual Guild: Comprised of recognized scholars and Islamic teachers, this guild offers guidance and spiritual inspiration to the network, ensuring alignment with Islamic principles.
• Finance Guild: Designs and manages the network’s economy to be self-sufficient and Shariah-compliant. This includes overseeing asset backing, incentive mechanisms, trade, dividend and appreciation models, loans, Zakat, and startup incubators.
• Legal Guild: Focuses on ensuring the network’s compliance with international laws and provides legal services to its members. This guild is crucial for navigating the legal landscape and protecting the network.
• Health Guild: Dedicated to providing physical and mental health services through telehealth, programs, and other means, addressing the well-being of network members.

Town Halls and Webinars

Regular virtual town hall meetings and webinars will be a key feature of this phase. These events will address crucial issues within the Muslim community and the network, offering a platform for discussion, decision-making, and direction setting. These gatherings will be essential for communication between the network and guilds, facilitating a cohesive and coordinated approach to achieving the network’s goals.

In summary, phase 2 lays the groundwork for a robust, engaged, and skilled community. By forming specialized guilds and fostering regular communication and collaboration, the Ummah Network is set to grow into a well-organized, dynamic, and effective entity, driven by a shared vision and collective effort.

This phase concentrates on expanding community engagement and harnessing the existing initiatives of the Ummah. This stage is about forging partnerships and aligning various entities with a unified vision, focusing on mosques, organizations, and influencers.

• Mosques: In this phase, mosques worldwide are envisioned as key physical spaces within the network, akin to dynamic nodes or embassies of the Ummah. The approach involves assisting mosques in becoming self-sustainable and enhancing their role as comprehensive community centers. This encompasses utilizing mosques for events, meetings, and collaborative workspaces, supporting them through crowdfunding for expenses, and implementing renewable energy solutions, smart technologies, and food gardens. Such initiatives aim to make mosques self-sufficient and pivotal in the network’s philosophy, functioning also as centers for education, diplomacy, social welfare, and global coordination.
• Organizations: The network plans to reach out to a variety of Muslim organizations engaged in charity, outreach, advocacy, legal, and other services. The objective is to integrate these organizations into the network, expanding its reach and capabilities. Collaborative efforts in social and environmental welfare are expected to strengthen community bonds.
• Influencers: Recognizing the power of influential individuals with substantial followings, the network seeks to engage with influencers who align with its vision. Their participation is anticipated to be instrumental in expanding the network’s reach and attracting a diverse audience.

Conferences and Seminars

Organizing a series of virtual and physical Islamic conferences and seminars is a significant part of this phase. These events will address critical Islamic and global issues, leveraging the network’s capabilities to facilitate comprehensive participation. They serve as platforms for intellectual exchange, discussion, and learning, furthering the network’s role in fostering a well-informed and connected Muslim community.

In summary, phase 3 is a strategic effort to broaden the network’s influence and operational capacity. By integrating mosques as active components, collaborating with various Muslim organizations, and leveraging the reach of influencers, the network aims to cultivate a more unified, empowered, and resilient Muslim Ummah. The hosting of conferences and seminars underscores the network’s commitment to being a hub for dialogue, intellectual enrichment, and unity.

This phase marks a critical transition from the digital realm to establishing a physical presence, laying the foundations of a minimal viable state. This phase is about legitimizing the network and building state capacity through the development of seed institutions, subsidiary funds, organizations, and an internal economy. The aim is to equip the network with the necessary structures for effective self-governance and member service.

• DAO: The governance structure of the network will pivot around a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). This DAO will incorporate Islamic principles, such as a Shurah council, which will be distributed through the NFT citizenship. The governance model will give more weight to the Spiritual Guild and individuals holding NFT certifications from the library, ensuring decisions are aligned with Islamic values and knowledge. The DAO will be seamlessly integrated into the super app, allowing citizens to easily access, view, add, and vote on proposals, as well as track governance history.
• Economic: The launch of a network-specific cryptocurrency is a crucial step towards achieving financial independence and self-determination for the Ummah. Spearheaded by the Finance Guild, the development of tokenomics will focus on sustainability and prosperity through trade and a circular economy. The super app will feature tools for auditing and monitoring key performance indicators, maintaining transparency and providing insights into the network’s economic health.
• Welfare: Addressing fundamental needs such as housing and healthcare is a priority. The network plans to invest in residential real estate near mosques, which will serve both as housing for citizens and a source of profit-sharing for network growth. Mosques are envisioned as central to community life, literally and metaphorically. The Health Guild will lead the healthcare initiative, aiming to provide coverage for all citizens. Initially, this may involve partnerships with Shariah-compliant insurance providers, progressing towards a self-sustained healthcare system as the network grows. Ownership of house deeds and healthcare coverage will be tokenized and managed within the super app, represented as NFTs.

In this phase, the network takes substantial steps towards becoming a self-sufficient entity with its own governance, economy, and welfare systems. By blending traditional Islamic governance models with modern decentralized technologies, the network sets the stage for a unique, effective, and holistic approach to state-building. The integration of these components into the super app further ensures accessibility and engagement for all network citizens.

This phase is pivotal in elevating the Ummah’s status on the global stage, aiming to secure formal recognition from key international and Islamic organizations. This phase represents a significant stride in unifying the Ummah’s voice and presence, transcending national borders and traditional geopolitical constraints. It marks the first time in over a century that the Ummah would be represented as a cohesive entity, independent of the confines of nation-states.

• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC): Securing a seat at the OIC is a primary goal in this phase. The OIC serves as the collective voice of the Muslim world, safeguarding and promoting the interests of Muslims globally. Gaining recognition from the OIC is crucial, as it would ensure that the grassroots Muslims of the Ummah are directly represented, without their voice being diluted or compromised by pre-existing national affiliations or international agreements that might not align with the Ummah’s best interests or consent. This step would validate the network as a legitimate voice within the Muslim world, capable of influencing and contributing to key discussions and decisions.
• United Nations (UN): Attaining recognition from the United Nations is a critical aim. The UN, as a global congregation of nations addressing humanity’s most pressing issues, is the ideal platform for the Ummah to voice its perspectives and concerns. Achieving recognition from the UN would enable the Ummah to represent the global Muslim community not just through individual countries, but as a unified, influential entity. This recognition would significantly boost the network’s global standing, allowing it to actively participate in international dialogues and shape solutions that benefit Muslims worldwide.

In summary, phase 5 is dedicated to establishing the Ummah as a recognized and influential participant in the international arena. Achieving diplomatic recognition from both the OIC and the UN is not only about affirming the network’s legitimacy but also about empowering it to advocate for the Ummah’s interests on a global scale. This phase is a crucial step towards transcending traditional geopolitical limitations and positioning the Ummah as a unified and prominent entity in global affairs.

The Ummah Network marks a paradigm shift in the trajectory of the global Muslim community, aligning resources, skills, and aspirations that have long sought a unifying platform. By channeling the resilient power of blockchain technology, this initiative embarks on a mission to consolidate, invigorate, and uplift the Ummah, addressing the fragmentation that has characterized the last century and unlocking its vast potential. The journey starts with the development of a decentralized super app, a foundational step that paves the way for mosques to evolve into a mesh of self-sufficient, multifaceted nodes for global Muslim community, bridging the digital and physical realms.

The establishment of a robust, globally self-sustaining economy within the network emerges as a key milestone, assuring financial independence and enduring prosperity for the Ummah. Moreover, the quest for diplomatic recognition is a strategic move towards sovereignty, empowering the Ummah to represent its collective interests and values on an international stage, beyond the confines of post-colonial constructs.

The Ummah Network is more than a technological venture; it is a renaissance of the Ummah’s unity and welfare. As this transformative journey unfolds, the network is poised to be a beacon of hope, progress, and collaboration for Muslims worldwide. It stands as a testament to the unifying power of decentralized technology, fostering a future where the Ummah thrives, driven by shared values and fortified by collective strength. This initiative is about crafting a legacy – a legacy that encapsulates unity, empowerment, and innovation, shaping the Ummah for generations to come.

1. Comparative advantage, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_advantage
2. IslamiCity, the Global Muslim eCommunity, https://www.islamicity.org
3. Mint the Entire Quran on the Blockchain, https://quranplus.app
4. Quora, what were the main achievements of Umar ibn Khattab?, https://qr.ae/pvsqCf
5. MetaKawn Huffaz Club, https://metakawn.com
6. Hijabi Queens & Bearded Kings, https://hijabiqueens.io
7. Muslim 3D, virtual reproduction of Makkah, https://muslim3d.io
8. Muslim coins, a currency for the Ummah, https://muslimcoins-ico.com
9. Islamic DAO, an Islamic Finance & Investment in crypto, http://islamicdao.com
10. Marhaba, world’s first ethical halal DeFi ecosystem, https://mrhb.network
11. Umar ibn Khattab’s administration, https://www.slideshare.net/UsmanShah7/hazrat-umar-bin-khattabsra-administration
12. Developing Islamic City through Network-of-Mosque, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283568876_Developing_Islamic_City_through_Network-of-Mosque
13. Islamic Coin / HAQQ network: https://islamiccoin.net
14. The Network State: https://thenetworkstate.com
15. Afropolitan: https://afropolitan.io
16. Takadao: https://takadao.io

IslamiCity will be a one of the many metagalaxies of the metaverse. It will be geared towards Islamic education to muslims & non-muslims and will designate a physical mosque that is conductive to its goals. We are also looking to partner and support other initiatives to join and create a metagalaxy in the Ummah metaverse.

IslamiCity was the first website to make the entire Quran available in audio and text online in 1995 during the beginning years of the public internet [2]. As the new digital era of blockchains, IslamiCity has emerged as a leader and pioneer in the Ummah’s metaverse. It has led the efforts to create the whitepaper, tokenomics, DAO, associated NFTs and smart contracts, and will further create a metagalaxy which will then be used as a model. Below is part of a multi-phased roadmap for upgrading IslamiCity to web3 technologies and help create the metaverse ensuring Ummah maintains an important stake in the emerging digital landscapes.