Al-Baari’

﷽

The twelfth name we will be discussing and learning about is ‘Al-Baari” – The Maker, The Producer, The Evolver, The Maker from Nothing

Al-Baari’ is the One who creates form out of nothing; the One who creates with no model or similarity. The One who evolves and re-creates that which exists, both physically and spiritually. The One who sends new forms into existence. The One who manifests that which is in perfect harmony and proportion, without blemish or fault.

Allah calls Himself Al-Baari’ on three ocassions in the Quran. The word ‘Baari’’ comes from the root ‘baa-raa-hamza’ which points to three main meanings.

The first main meaning is to create and to form out of nothing
The second is to evolve, using pre-existing matter
The third main meaning is to be individual and free and clear from another, and from fault and blemish.

So, how can we live by this name?

1) Have firm confidence in al-Baari’
Let this divine attribute of Allah ﷻ‬ restore your confidence in times when the world tries to divert you away from belief in a Creator. A Bedouin who lived in the desert was one asked, ‘How do you know your Lord?’ He replied with: ‘If you see the camel dung you know that a camel has passed this way, and if you see a footstep you know that a person has passed this way, so the heaven with its stars and the earth with its mountain passes and the oceans with their high waves all point to the existence of the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.’ Let this inspire you in certainty and faith. Allah is always there for you, His signs speak loud and clear within His creation and the way in which this world works, His signs are clear in everything from the smallest of atoms to the largest of galaxies- their existence itself is enough.

2) Disassociate yourself from bad
Distance yourself from the haram; when an opportunity to sin and disobey the command of Allah arises, stay as far away from it as possible. It is said that you know what a person is like from the 5 people closest to them, so be mindful about the company you keep and strive to be of those who do good and inspire others to follow. To some extent, the people you spend the most time with help shape who you are; they determine what conversations dominate your attention, they affect to which attitudes and behaviours you are regularly exposed and at some point you do adopt some of their behaviours. So surround yourself with people who do good and strive to stay away from what is harmful and just as importantly- be that person. As believers we should always be pro-active and strive for ehsaan (excellence) in whatever we do in society, we should always look to improve the spaces we occupy and make them better, we should aim to be beacons of light and inspire good to come from those around us. Al-Baari’ said: ‘Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islâm), enjoining Al-Ma’rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful.’ [Quran, 3:104]. Your biggest dawah is from within your actions. It is your character and mannerisms, the way in which you interact with others and the respect you hold for them. Study the characteristics of the Beloved ﷺ, and work to adopt them too for he is the best in character. Spread kindness and love wherever you go and teach people to love the deen, Allah and His beloved through the way in which you love them.

3) Know that everything besides Him is created
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘There is no obedience to the creation, in disobedience to the Creator. Obedience is only in what is good.’ [al-Bukharee] Renew your intentions to strive to please Allah, in everything and anything you do. This is literally the biggest life hack if one truly understands the weight of it- something as small as drinking coffee can be turned into an act of worship if the intentions for it are correct (e.g you’re drinking coffee so you can be awake and focused so you can work and earn a halal income or so you can stay awake during taraweeh prayer, etc, etc.) Bring all you do back to Allah, and be mindful in making your intentions to please Him for surely ‘the reward of actions depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.’ [Bukhari & Muslim]. This world is a collection of His creations, nothing would exist without His will and when we appreciate anything we must remember that ultimately, it belongs to Him. We should be grateful towards Him for creating it, whatever it may be and reflect upon His kindness and mercy.

4) Ponder the creation of Al-Baari’
As I mentioned yesterday in the post on Al-Khaaliq – look at the rising or setting sun, at tiny insects, flies, plants, and flowers. Study science with the intention of getting to know and ponder upon His creation. Allah has placed so much detail and love in His Creation and the signs are all around us; from the way the trees provide shade to the way in which the sun spreads its rays, from the way we breathe to the way in which clouds shower us with rain. Al-Baari’s creations are full of lessons for us to learn and reflect upon.

5) Remind people of Allah
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to ‘Ali radiyallahu ‘anhu: ‘If Allah guides a person through you, it is better for you than all that is on the earth.’ [Al-Bukharee, Muslim] Let this motivate you on a daily to carry out an act of dawah, from showing good manners to conveying even one ayah, as the smallest of deeds can be part of Allah’s guidance of someone to Islam. It is important to remember that da’wah is not just for non-muslims or non-believers, it is just as much for those of us who are muslim as well. ‘And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers.’ [Quran, 51:55] Many of us struggle with our deen and everyone has highs and lows, one day your imaan could be the strongest thing you know and the next it could hit a low. So remind people of Allah, of His Mercy and blessings, and of His promise that ‘with hardship comes ease’ [Quran, 94:5]. Remind them through your actions and good word, through your mannerisms and character. But also remind yourself; increase the amount of dhikr you do, sit and think about the creation of Al-Baari’ and His mercy within them, keep a gratitude journal and write down three things you’re grateful for daily, pray with clear intentions and speak to Allah more, there are so many ways in which we can come closer to Allah and remember Him more. Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah says: ‘I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.’ [Sahih al-Bukhari 7405, Book 97, Hadith 34] So take that step.

Call upon Allah, Al-Baari’, knowing that He creates and forms from nothing. Ask Him to make us confident in our belief in Him as the Originator of everything and let us worship Him alone; ask Him to guide us to obey Him, distance ourselves from bad, enjoin good, and forbid evil. Call upon Him to help us ponder upon His creations and appreciate His power and greatness. Ask Him to make us of those who are grateful towards Him and of those who carry the da’wah of His Oneness in the best way. May Allah shower His peace upon you all, answer your prayers and may He guide our every step. May He protect us and our loved ones and allow us to enter His kingdom of Jannah with them. May He purify our intentions and increase us in imaan. Ameen.

JazakAllah khayr for taking the time to read this, I pray it has benefitted you – please share this with anyone who you think may benefit as well – and as mentioned in previous posts, I am raising funds this Ramadan for much-needed permanent homes in Azad Kashmir, if possible please share and donate to this link. Tonight could be Laylatul Qadr– even as little as £1 could go a very long way and would be as though you have given that much for 83 years – please donate as much as is within your means to help these people; your donation will contribute to giving a family refuge and shelter for life in shaa Allah.

The blessing of having a roof over our heads, clean drinking water and warm food, access to healthcare are blessings we very easily take for granted; others can only dream to have so please help us by donating to build homes for those who are less fortunate in the impoverished villages of Azad Kashmir. Each home will have 2 Rooms, a Kitchen, bathroom, enough to house 6 people, clean drinking water, electricity and best of all, the residents will have free healthcare for life! Zakat is applicable as well.

Don’t forget to share this with any friends and family you think might be interested in supporting as well and feel free to ask any questions you have via Instagram as well @muspaksoc @salamcharityuk

JazakAllah Khair for all your efforts

References: information in this post was collated from understandquran.com and the beautiful names of Allah series on wahiduddin.net.