12. Al-Bari — The Maker
This page explains the meaning of Allah's name Al-Bari' as the One Who brings creatures into being from nothing without flaw, distinguished from two related names, Al-Khaliq and Al-Mushawwir.
Al Khaliq is the One Who creates the universe and spreads it out. Al-Bari' is the One Who creates creatures free from any imbalance that would spoil order. And Al Mushawwir is the One Who gives form to all creatures according to what His eternal wisdom wills within His foreknowledge, and this is also the meaning of His ism-Nya Al Hakim, for at-tashwir means "giving shape to something" - Allah SWT has created a servant and shaped him, while that servant was at that time not yet something that could be named.
Sometimes some suppose that these three names are synonyms meaning "to create" and "to make something that never existed before." Yet, in fact this is not so, as stated by Imam Al-Ghazali, for everything that moves from "nonexistence" into "existence" first requires a decree; second, requires a making in accordance with that decree; and third, requires a shaping after that making. So, in connection with this, Allah is Al Khaliq in terms of Muqaddir (the One Who Determines), then He is also Al Bari' in terms of bringing into being from "nonexistence" into "existence", and He is Al Mushawwir in terms of shaping of form.
Let us take the example of a building. That building first requires an estimation of everything it needs, such as stone, wood, and earth. All this work is done by an engineer. First he draws the building and forms its model, then he needs a mason to erect it and a carver to make its form beautiful. Such is the sequence according to the deeds of a servant. But it is not so according to the deeds of Allah SWT, for He is Al Khaliq, Al Bari' and Al Mushawwir. An example is man, one of His creatures. First it requires the planning of what he will be formed from, then his body is shaped like a mason building a building, then He gives him everything he needs in the form of movement and traits that make man alive with intellect, and different from other creatures. So, based on His attribute of decreeing something and bringing it from "nonexistence" into "existence", He is Al Bari'. And based on His attribute of forming man according to His eternal knowledge, He is Al-Mushawwir.
The benefit is Ism Al-Khaliq is recited in the middle of the night, its benefit being to illuminate the heart and the face.
Ism Al-Bari' is recited for seven consecutive days, each day one hundred times. Its benefit is to be safe from calamity.
Ism Al-Mushawwir is beneficial for helping productions and yielding fruit, and if a person who is infertile remembers Allah with it every day 21 times while fasting, and recites it when the sun has set and before breaking the fast, done for seven consecutive days, and breaks the fast only with drinking water, his infertility will surely disappear.
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