Allâh’s Beautiful Name: Al-Bari’, Al Mousawir:
And now, we go ahead to the eighteenth of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names, “Al-Bari’, Al Mousawir” (the Inventor, the Shaper). In fact, our previous speech about Allah’s Beautiful Divine Name “Al-Khaliq” (the Creator) included some hints about this new Name of our lecture of today, as it is mentioned in the Holy Quran accompanied by this Name “Al-Bari’, Al-Mousawir(the Inventor, the Shaper). This is because books speaking about Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names usually explain the three Names together. However, before we set out to elaborate Allah’s Name “Al-Bari’, Al-Mousawir”, we had better stop for some time with His Divine Name “Al-Khaliq” (the Creator).
It might be asked: how does Allah, All Mighty, say:
“So Blessed be Allah, the Best of creators.” [XXIII; 14]
while in another Verse, He says
“O mankind! Remember the Grace of Allah upon you! Is there any creator other than Allah who provides you from the heaven and the earth? There is no god but He. How, then, are you turning away (from Him)?” [XXXV; 3]
In the former Quranic Verse, Allah, All Mighty, confirms the existence of multitude of creators but Allah is the best of them all. In the latter Verse, however, He says:
“Is there any creator other than Allah?”
which means clearly that He negates completely the existence of another god besides Him.
A primary premature reading might display a certain contradiction between Verses of the Holy Quran. That is why some Western people or orientalists who studied eastern religions and cultures concluded naively that there is a kind of contradiction between different Verses of the Holy Quran. Knowledgeable religious scholars, however, maintained that when Allah says
“Blessed is Allah, the Best of all creators”
He does so only metaphorically. If a human being takes certain substances from the earth, for example, and makes of them a certain thing, he is not a real creator, as he has not created the substances from which he makes things. Therefore, when you say
“Blessed be Allah, the Best of creators”
it is correct only metaphorically. Those who make certain statues as fashion models on which they exhibit clothes, such models are made of wax, gypsum, …etc. They are by no means comparable to a real human being that has a mind, feelings, and a heart, that thinks and carries out mental judgment and reasoning, that reacts and becomes happy or displeased, that fears and hopes and has a brain and a nervous system. A man-made statue is by no means comparable to a real human being, of flesh and blood, that has been created by Allah, All Mighty. That is why you should say:
“Blessed be Allah, the Best of creators.”
When you see a natural fragrant rose, you like it, and its sight makes you feel comfortable and delighted. Similarly, a bunch of flowers fills the room with pleasure and happiness. When someone is invited to a wedding, he sees such beautiful flowers and roses of different odors and colors that reflect the Great Make of the All-Wise Lord, Allah, Glory to Him. In fact, flowers, roses and butterflies are teachers of color designers. When you see a new car, you notice that its color is derived from that of a rose or a butterfly; and it is a common thing to say: “Such yellow is not beautiful” or “such color is very beautiful”. In fact, the human eye can differentiate between 800,000 shades of one color. If you have some artificial flowers at home, you feel bored with them after only one or two weeks, which makes you cast them away, despite their beautiful appearance, big size or bright colors. Great is the difference between artificial and natural flowers. Look at a man-made eye that has been made as a teaching aid and a real human one, which has 130,000,000 optic nerves – and an optic nerve is made up of 900,000 particles. Just compare between a man-made camera and Allah-made human eye, which can see successively tens of things in one second. The first image has to be eliminated in order to be replaced by another. If the first image remained on the retina, vision would be impossible. The human eye can also see things while they are moving or stopping. The cinema is based on exposing successive pictures one after another at a certain speed that makes one feel as if objects were moving, because the first image vanishes and is replaced by another. In short, man-made cameras are by no means comparable to a real Allah-made eye, nor are artificial flowers comparable to natural Allah-made ones or a statue of wax to a real human being. If you desire to see more of Allah’s unmatched Make, listen to a deafening water pump and the quiet smooth downfall of rain. In this context, Allah, All Mighty, says:
“And you see the mountains: you think they are standing still; while they are passing away as the clouds do. (Such is) the Make of Allah, Who perfected all things. Verily, He is Well-Acquainted with what you do.” [XXVII; 88]
Yes, indeed, mountains move as fast as clouds but quite noiselessly and smoothly.
Therefore, when you read Allah’s Words:
“So Blessed be Allah, the Best of creators.” [XXIII; 14]
it is not surprising that man is metaphorically called “a creator”, as he makes things from existing substances. But when you read Allah’s Words:
“Is there any other creator than Allah?”
you should understand that there is no real creator other than Allah, All Mighty, Who creates things from nothing and according to no former model. Great is the difference between creation of things from nothing and according to no former example or model and making things on the basis of a former original model or example.
There is no one but Allah, Who can create anything from nothing and without a former model. But when you say that man can create something, the reality of your words is to be found in Allah’s Words about the holy Prophet, Jesus, (PBUH)
“…that I design for you, out of clay, a figure like that of a bird…” [III; 49]
Yes, indeed! Jesus, (PBUH), designed something like a bird and not a real one, from clay, and not from flesh, blood and soul. Hence, there is no contradiction between Allah’s Words:
“So Blessed be Allah, the Best of creators”
and His Words:
“Is there any creator other than Allah?”
However, the remarkable thing, which I have previously made clear, is that the Holy Quran includes certain words that have certain meanings if they come individually and another different meaning if they are combined with other words. Take, for example, the words “Al-Fouqara’” (the poor) and “A-Masakeen” (the needy). When these two words come together, each one has a different meaning, but when they come separately, they both have one and the same meaning. Hence, when the word “Khaliq” (creator) is used to refer to Allah, it means that He, All Mighty, is the One Who brings things into existence from non-existence and without a former model; but when it is attributed to human beings, it means that they make things from materials that have already been created by Allah, All Mighty. Moreover, when Allah, All Mighty, says about Himself
“He is Allah, Al-Khaliq (the Creator), Al-Bari’ (the Inventor), Al-Mousawir (the Shaper)”
The word “Khalq” (creation) means Allah’s Divine Decree to create something, the word “Bar’” (invention) means His Divine Act of bringing such thing from non-existence into existence, and the word “Tasweer” (shaping) means His Divine Act of giving such thing a certain shape or form.
Now, someone might ask: What do we have to do with such study and analysis of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes? I think it is now the proper time to answer such question. The answer is: If you know that Allah, All Mighty, is only a Creator, you add nothing new to what common people believe and say. In other words, if you ask an ordinary person, “Who created the whole universe?”, he immediately says, “Allah!” But if you ask him, “What do you now about Allah?”, he has nothing to say. That is why it is necessary to study Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes. We do need to know more about them! It is not enough to bear witness that Allah has created the whole universe. Even Satan confessed such fact when he swore by Allah’s Might, as the Quranic Verse confirms:
“He (Satan) said, ‘By Your Might! I will surely mislead them all.” [XXXVIII; 82]
Satan did confess that Allah, All Mighty, is the Almighty Lord, Who created all worlds, but such confession is by no means sufficient. The important thing is: what else do you know about Allah? Such a question brings to light your belief in Allah and the degree or momentum of such belief. Here we have a very accurate and unfailing criterion: if your belief in Allah is firm enough to make you obey Him and stick to His Divine Religion, this means that you are safe and secure; but if your belief in Him is not strong enough to make you obey Him or stick to His Religion, you are a great loser. I tell you what Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), said:
“Your Lord (Allah), All Mighty, said: ‘If My slaves obeyed Me, I would water them with rain in the night and would cause the sun to rise unto them in the day, and I would not make them hear the sound of thunder.’”
He, (PBUH), said:
“Thinking well of Allah is part of good worship to Him (Allah).”
He, (PBUH), also said:
“Renew your faith!” They asked, “How can we renew our faith?”
He, (PBUH), said:
“Repeat constantly the words: ‘There is no god but Allah.’”
[Narrated by Ahmad]
Therefore, mere theoretical knowledge of Allah is by no means sufficient; what is important is the fruits of such knowledge, namely to obey Allah and be dutiful to Him. That is why some religious scholars said about Allah’s Words:
“To Him (Allah) ascend the goodly speech; and the righteous work exalts it (him).” [XXXV; 10]
“To Him (Allah) ascend the goodly speech”
what makes the goodly speech ascend to Allah, All Mighty? The answer is: good righteous work. In other words, if goodly speech is not accompanied by goodly righteous work, it is not made to ascend to Allah, All Mighty.
Therefore, what exalts your position with Allah is your good righteous work, which is based on how much you know Allah, All Mighty, and His Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes. If (as it were) we put man’s faith on a scale and his desires and caprices on another: if the scale of man’s desires and caprices overweighs the scale of his faith, this means that his faith is not adequate enough; and the conflict between both scales is always there.
When our Lord, Allah, All Mighty, described His Messenger, Muhammad, (PBUH), He said:
“And verily! You are (O Muhammad) are on an exalted (standard of) character.” [LXVIII; 4]
In other words, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), had firmly established exalted character that contained no conflict between true faith and desires. And you, as a true believer: if the size of your faith is equal to that of your desires, there will certainly be a conflict between both; but if the size of your faith is greater that that of your desires, this means that you are secure from conflicts between your faith and desires and, consequently, successful and quite near to have an exalted character.
If, however, the size of man’s desires is more than that of his faith, he gets involved in another thing, which brings about the following question: why does Allah implant in us desires? In order to answer this question, let us first imagine that Allah did not implant in man any desires or lusts, but gave him only a mind that bids him to turn to his Lord, Allah, All Mighty, with full obedience. Where would man’s servitude to his Lord, Allah, All Mighty, be? Undoubtedly, all man’s servitude, love, faithfulness, obedience, and even the whole reality of his life in this present world – which is based on trial – would certainly be meaningless. Hence, it is due to Allah’s Infinite Divine Wisdom that He, Most Gracious, implants in us desires and lusts and endues us with an intelligent mind: the mind has its own call, and, similarly, desires and lusts have their own call. If the call of man’s desires and lusts dominates, then man falls into a most serious situation, which Allah, All Mighty describes:
“Until, when death comes to one of them, he says, ‘My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left behind!’ No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is a barrier until the Day when they will be resurrected. Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them, that Day, nor will they ask one another. Then, those whose scales (of good deeds) are light: they are those who lose their own selves; and in Hell will they abide. The Fire will burn their faces, and therein they will grin with displaced lips (disfigured). (The Lord Will say):‘Were not My Verses (this Quran) recited to you, and then you used to deny them?’ They will say: ‘Our Lord! Our wretchedness overcame us, and we were an erring people. Our Lord! Bring us out of this. If ever we return (to evil), then indeed we shall be wrong-doers.’ He (Allah) will say: ‘Remain in it (Hell-Fire) with ignominy! And speak not to Me!’” [XXIII; 99-108]
In other words, desires and lusts of such people overcome them and bring them a lot of misery and wretchedness in the life of this present world and the world to come. On the Day of Resurrection, they will invoke:
“Our Lord! Bring us out of this. If we return (to evil), then indeed we shall be wrong-doers.”
Allah, All Mighty, will say:
“Remain in it (Hell-Fire) with ignominy! And speak not to Me! Verily, there was a party of My slaves, who used to say: ‘Our Lord! We believe; so forgive us, and have mercy on us, for You are the Best of all who show mercy!’ But you took them for a laughing stock, so much so that they made you forget My Reminder while you used to laugh at them! Verily, I have rewarded them, this Day, for their patience: they are indeed the ones that are successful.” [Ibid; 109-111]
Therefore, it must necessarily be known that in man there is the power of his desires and that of his mind. If his mind overpowers his desires and lusts, he is safe and happy; but if his desire and lusts overpower his mind, he is completely lost and destroyed. Due to Allah’s Infinite Divine Wisdom, you are in constant testing and trial. You are tried whether to remain in bed or to get up to perform prayer: your mind bids you to get up and perform prayer, while your body allures you to stay in bed and have some rest. You hear the Azan (Call) for the Dawn Prayer: your mind bids you: “Get up! It is time for prayer! Prayer is better than sleep!” Your body tells you: “Stay in bed! You are tired! You have to get up strong and powerful in the morning! You can perform prayer later on!” You should notice that you are always in a conflict between the call of desire and that of mind. If your mind dominates, you are safe and happy; but if your desire does, you are lost and destroyed.
That is why Imam Ali, the venerable Caliph and Companion, may Allah honor his face, said, “An angel is made up of a mind with no desire; an animal is made up of an instinct with no mind; and man is made up of both (mind and desire). If his mind dominates over his desire, he is exalted above angels; but if his desire dominates over his mind, he is abased lower than animals.”
What we see in this present world of people’s deviations, evil deeds and indulgence in unlawful worldly pleasures and enjoyments is all but a substantiation of a battle wherein desire is victorious. In this context, Allah, Most Gracious, says:
“But as for him who feared standing before his Lord and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts, verily, the Garden (of Paradise) will be his abode.” [LXXIX; 40,41]
So, why are Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes there? The answer is: in order to make us sense greatness of Allah’s Command through greatness of His Divine Majesty. If you were a soldier and received an order form a corporal, you would react in a certain way towards it. But if the order came to you from a high-ranking officer, your reaction towards it would be completely different. In other words, the higher the rank of the commander, the more seriously and respectfully the order is taken. If you received and order from the General Commander of the army, you would carry it out as soon as possible and as best as possible, for fear of punishment and responsibility. The problem is that Allah’s Divine Commands are available to all people, His Divine Book, the Holy Quran, is also available, and religious scholars are also there to explain Allah’s Divine Commands, but why do people disobey Allah, All Mighty? The answer is: simply because they do not know the reality of the Commander. Did they know the Commander really well, they would stick to His Commands. In other words, if we get to know Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes, and if we get to know the Majestic Divine Greatness of Allah, All Mighty, Most Gracious, we will certainly magnify and duly respect His Divine Commands. And if we magnify Allah’s Divine Commands, we will hasten to stick to them. That is why the wisest and most knowledgeable ones of mankind are those who love Allah Most.
Narrated Muslim on authority of Masrouq that Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), said:
“It suffices man in knowledge to fear Allah; and it suffices man in ignorance to feel proud of his work.”
When we read Allah’s Words:
“O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you, so that you may attain self-protection.”
we wonder: Why should we worship Allah? The answer is: simply because He is the One Who created us, and because He is the Creator, the Lord, and the Disposer of all things. Therefore, we should believe that Allah is the Creator, the Lord, and the Disposer, and we should believe that He is One and Only in His Creativity, One and Only in His Lordship, and One and Only in His Disposition. Hence, monotheism, as regards Allah’s Creation, Lordship, and Disposition, is sure to guarantee safety and happiness to you, provided that you believe therein and comply thereto.
By the way, understanding Allah’s Name is one thing and living it is another. In other words, if you understand that Allah is the Creator in the sense that He, All Mighty, created all things from nothing and according to no former model, this should make you lead a life in which you believe that all things that take place around you are all by Allah’s Divine Act and Will.
Some of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names are emphatic Names that denote exaggeration of multitude, frequency or number. But in your daily life, you see people and things, actions and incidents, and forget that Allah is the One Who creates and does all these things and that His Divine Will runs along them all, then, you know the theoretical meaning of Allah’s Name “Al-Khaliq” (the Creator) but you do not live or deliberate it. In short, great happiness does not lurk in knowing theoretically Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes but rather in living them, which you cannot achieve except by striving against your desires and caprices and by performing deeds of righteousness and sacrificing everything. Only then you will be able to turn to Allah with love and devotion; only then Allah, Most Gracious, will bestow upon your heart security, peace, enlightenment and tranquility; and only then you will see Allah in all things.
In fact, I would not like to make the whole lecture of today an academic one, as they say, i.e. mere theoretical information and definitions whereby I fill the pages of this book, but I would like every one of us to live such Divine Names. This leads us to another topic, namely the difference between a teacher and an educator. A teacher, or lecturer is someone who gives people facts, evidences, and organized, classified, and arranged pieces of information supported with textual, mental, theoretical and practical evidences; and the topic, from this view-point is well organized, well programmed and well arranged, as it is a very nice topic. But an educator is someone who strives to help people live such Divine Names and Attributes in their actual life, and not only to fill their heads with theoretical information about them. Great is the difference between knowing the theoretical definition and explanation of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Name “Al-Khaliq” (the Creator) and living it in our daily life as long as we live. In this context, I have already given the example of someone who reads Allah’s Words:
“And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger indeed achieves a great achievement”
and claims to believe therein, yet he feels jealous of an irreligious friend who is better off. If he feels jealous of his irreligious friend’s good condition, this means that he does not live Allah’s Words:
“And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger indeed achieves a great achievement”
nor does he understand their meaning or is influenced by them.
Great is the difference between knowing Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names – their meanings, limitations, definitions, differences between them and sayings of religious scholars concerning them – and living such Names. If you contemplate the universe, get to know its Maker, Allah, All Mighty, and strive to obey Him and come nearer to Him, this will certainly bring you a lot of good, as Allah, Most Gracious, will fill your heart with comfort and happiness, your mind with enlightenment and guidance. Then, you will be able to see what others cannot see and hear what others cannot hear. Therefore, I reiterate: We should not only acquire theoretical knowledge about Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes and their definitions, meanings, and limitations, but also live them in our actual daily life.
There must always be a kind of constant contact with Allah, All Mighty, so that one lives Allah’s Divine Names and feels that he is always with Him; and if Allah is with you, who can be against you?! This is what Imam Al-Ghazali said. Also, we should know that human knowledge is of three types: Knowledge of Allah’s Commands, knowledge of Allah’s Creatures, and knowledge of Allah Himself.
The first two kinds of knowledge, namely those of Allah’s Commands and creatures, require study and research: books that we read, study and understand, and then we take tests and exams and receive certificates and degrees. But where is such kind of knowledge kept? It is simply kept in the mind!
But such good righteous deeds as suppressing desires and lusts, abstention from unlawful things, expenditure of wealth in the Way of Allah, dutifulness and obedience to parents, charities and almsgivings, standing up the night in prayer and invocation, performing prayer adequately, constant remembrance of Allah, calling out His Beautiful Divine Names, and reading the Holy Quran, are all kinds of both spiritual and moral transcendentalism and acts of obedience and devotion to the Lord, Allah, All Mighty. Also if you abstain from going on a trip that displeases Allah, attending a party that displeases Allah, or eating delicious food but in evil company that displeases Allah, and refuse, saying, “No! I take refuge with Allah!”, such is real strife against your desires and lusts and real suppression of them; and this is what makes you connected with Allah and rightly guided by His Divine Guidance and Enlightenment. This is what makes the Lord, Most Gracious, confer upon you enlightenment, tranquility and peace of mind, happiness, and deep insight. In other words, a true believer is someone who has a unique character because he has a special insight that enables him to see things as they really are and to see the secrets and real dimensions of things, which other fellow humans cannot see. Such deep insight is a special characteristic of only true believers, because of the Divine Light that Allah, All Mighty, casts into their hearts. To this effect, Allah, Most Gracious, says:
“O you who believe! Fear Allah, and believe in His Messenger! (If you do), He will give you a double portion of His Mercy, and He will give you a Light whereby you shall walk (straight), and He will forgive you (your sins and misdeeds). And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Yes, indeed! Such deep insight into the reality of things is singled out for a true believer, for Allah gives tranquility and peace of mind to the elite of His believing slaves, who have unique characters. Moreover, no sooner does someone suppress his desires and lusts for the sake of his Lord than the good results of his holy strife come to him: a light in his heart and deep insight of the reality of things. His heart is firmly established in faith in Allah, Most Gracious; his speech is rightly guided; his thoughts are rightly guided; and his attitudes are balanced. He has a special strong undefeated character that reflects great confidence in Allah and firm belief in Him, simply because he has gained the good fruits of his strife for his Lord, All Mighty, Most Gracious, and enjoyed them.
Therefore, knowledge of Allah is attained by strife against one’s desires and lusts for the sake of the Lord, Allah, All Mighty, Most Gracious; while knowledge of both Allah’s Religion and creatures is attained by study. Great is the difference between study and strife! Study needs only a book, a table and a pen, even though the learner might be somewhere and the material under study somewhere else. That is why people might get the highest degrees while they are drowned in the lowest desires and lusts. However, someone who strives against his own desires and lusts for the sake of the Lord, Allah, All Mighty, Most Gracious, is colored by His Divine Color, i.e. he enjoys a unique feeling of moral and spiritual enhancement away from his desires and lusts, just as he enjoys honor in his noble intentions and inclinations, accuracy and sobriety in his mind, eloquence in his speech, and honor and dignity in his principled attitudes.
Hence, all of the good fruits of religion come from knowledge of Allah; and knowledge of Allah is attained by strife against one’s desires and lusts. In other words, those who desire to live the reality of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes, and not only to acquire theoretical knowledge about them, have to live them practically in their daily life. A true believer should see Allah’s Divine Hand and Power in everything; and he should always feel that Allah is the Creator and Maker of all things and that He is with him in all places and times.
In fact, from the above talk about Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes I intend to make a short analysis of the benefit gained from the knowledge of Such Names and Attributes. In this context, I would like to emphasize that mere theoretical knowledge of such Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes of Allah is fairly easy and can be acquired by anyone, even a non-Muslim, but fighting against one’s desires and lusts for the sake of the Lord, Allah, All Mighty, Most Gracious, is by no means easy yet highly rewarding, for once you are connected with Allah a lot of goodly things visit you. That is why Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), was quoted by Anas, the venerable Companion, as saying:
“Envy devours good deeds just as fire devours wood. Charity puts out sinful deeds just as water puts out fire. Prayer is Light for a believer. And the Fast is protection from the Fire.”
[Narrated by Ibn Majah]
Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), also says
“Prayer is purification”
“Prayer is joy”
Yes, indeed! Prayer is purification, as it purifies a believer’s heart from such evil qualities as grudge, hatred, arrogance, selfishness, transgression, injustice, and tyranny. In this context, I always say that turning away from Allah, All Mighty, Most Gracious, has certain symptoms! Among symptoms of turning away from Allah are the above-mentioned evil qualities. Once you are properly connected with the Almighty Lord, Allah, you assume your normal position, namely that of modest servitude to Him and love for his fellow slaves, simply because you feel that He is always with you as a Watcher and Protector. In the same context:
Abu Hurairah, the venerable Companion, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), was, one day, out with people when (the holy Angel) Gabriel came to him asking, “What is Faith?” He, (PBUH), answered, “Faith is to believe in Allah and His angels, Books, the Encounter with Him, His Messengers and the Resurrection.” He (Gabriel) asked, ”What is Islam?” Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), said, “Islam is to worship Allah, Alone, and associate none with Him, to perform prayer, give the ordained Zakat (alms) and fast (during the whole month of) Ramadan.” Gabriel asked, “What is good (perfect) work?” He, (PBUH), answered, “It is to worship Allah as if you saw Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you.” [An agreed-up Hadith]
And whenever Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), looked at mirror, he used to invoke:
“O Allah! You have perfected my creation, so perfect my character!” [Narrated by Ahmad]
Man should always thank his Lord, Allah, All Mighty, Most Gracious, for granting him a perfect stature and a head provided with eyes, ears, a nose and a tongue, for such things are of Allah’s Infinite Divine Favors. And when we have a perfect healthy newborn baby, we should also remember that this is of Allah’s Infinite Divine Favors. This is part of the meaning of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Name “Al-Mousawir” (the Shaper), i.e. the One Who gives things their nice shapes. If a good-looking face were a man – as Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says – it would be a good man; and if an evil-looking face were a man, it would be an evil man.
Once again: mere theoretical knowledge of Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes is one thing and living with these Names and Attributes and being in good terms with Allah, All Mighty, Most Gracious, is another. In other words, when you live these Divine Names, you feel greatness of this religion of Islamic Monotheism. Remember that time is priceless and that your short human life cannot bear so many mistakes and errors! In this context:
Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), once asked Zaid, one of his venerable Companions, “How are things with you, Zaid?” Zaid answered, “I love Allah and His Messenger… It is (as it were) that I see people of Paradise living in utmost Bliss and people of Hell-Fire reproaching one another, and (as it were) I see my Lord’s Throne outstanding.” Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), said, “(You are) a slave whose heart Allah has enlightened with faith! You have known (the truth)! So stick (to it)!”
Man should see with his own eyes that the whole universe is of Allah’s Creation, that Allah, All Mighty, is its Maker and Disposer, and that nothing happens except by Allah’s Divine Will and Power, which bespeak His Infinite Divine Wisdom. However, disbelievers are completely unaware of such fact.
To this effect, Allah, Most Gracious, says:
“Else, did an affliction visit them for that their own hands have forwarded, then they might say, ‘Our Lord! Why did You not send a Messenger to us that we might follow Your Signs and so be among the believers?’” [XXVIII; 47]
In fact, Allah’s three Beautiful Divine Names “Al-Khaliq” (the Creator), “Al-Bari’” (the Inventor) and “Al-Mousawir” (the Shaper) are both coherent and inseparable, as they all elaborate the process of Allah’s Creation of things: creation, invention and shaping. The Name “Al-Mousawr” (the Shaper) means that Allah gives all things not only their external shape but also their full stature.
To this effect, Allah, All Mighty, says:
“It is Allah, Who has made for you the earth as a stable dwelling place and the heaven as a canopy, and has given you shape, and made your shapes good looking, and has provided you with good things. Such is Allah, your Lord! Blessed is Allah, Lord of all worlds!” [XL; 64]
He, Most Gracious, also says:
“Verily, We have created man in the best stature.” [XCV; 4]
In this context, Shaping means that Allah gives things full shape: width, length, tallness, and depth. An ant, for example, has a certain shape, and so do a whale, a human being and every other creature.
Allah is the Shaper, Who, Glory to Him, says:
“It is He (Allah), Who shapes you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god but Him, the All Mighty, the All-Wise.” [III; 6]
This is one of the meanings of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Name “Al-Mousawir”. And also, an embryo in his mother’s womb: when its eyes and ears are opened and its head and body are given certain sizes, and when it is given skin, organs and movement, this is also of Allah’s shaping of things. However, the two processes of creation and shaping are only theoretically separable, because they practically take place at the same time.