ALLAH IS THE CREATOR, MAKER AND FASHIONER
by Salman Al-Qadah*
هُوَ اللّٰهُ الۡخَـالِـقُ الۡبَارِئُ الۡمُصَوِّرُ لَـهُ الۡاَسۡمَآءُ الۡحُسۡنٰىؕ يُسَبِّحُ لَهٗ مَا فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِۚ وَهُوَ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الۡحَكِيۡمُ
He is Allah , the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.. (QS: Al-Hashr: 24)
Allah is the Creator. He is Al-Khaliq, Al-Khallaq, and He is Ahsan Al-Khaliqin “the best of Creators”.
The name Al-Khaliq (the Creator) appears in the Quran eleven times. For instance:
اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ
Allah is the Creator of all things. ( QS: Az-Zumar: 62)
The more emphatic term Al-Khallaq appears twice in the Quran:
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ الْخَلَّاقُ الْعَلِيمُ
Surely your Lord is the Creator of All Things, the All-Knowing. ( QS: Al-Hijr 86)
أَوَلَيْسَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَي أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُم بَلَي وَهُوَ الْخَلاَّقُ الْعَلِيمُ
Is not He Who created the heavens and the Earth able to create the like of them? Yea! and He is the Creator of All Things, the All-Knowing. (QS: Yasin : 81 )
The Quran also refers to Allah as “the best of creators”. This is seen in two places. The first is:
ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا ٱلنُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا ٱلْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا ٱلْمُضْغَةَ عِظَٰمًا فَكَسَوْنَا ٱلْعِظَٰمَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَٰهُ خَلْقًا ءَاخَرَ ۚ فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ ٱلْخَٰلِقِينَ
Then We made the seed a clot, then We made the clot a lump of flesh, then We made (in) the lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, then We caused it to grow into another creation, so blessed be Allah, the best of the creators.(QS: Al- Mu’minun : 14)
The second place is where Elias exclaims to his people:
أَتَدْعُونَ بَعْلاً وَتَذَرُونَ أَحْسَنَ الْخَالِقِينَ
Do you call upon Ba’l and leave the best of creators. (QS: As-Saffat : 125)
اللَّهَ رَبَّكُمْ وَرَبَّ آبَائِكُمُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
Allah, your Lord and Lord of your forefathers? (QS: As-Saffat : 126)
Everything in the universe is Allah’s creation, and it attests by its very existence to its Creator, its Lord and Sustainer. Everything we see around us is proof of Allah’s existence.
Allah says:
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. (QS:Al-Imran : 190)
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or (lying) on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying), “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You (above such a thing), then protect us from the punishment of the Fire. (QS:Al-Imran : 191)
This, in turn, attests to the fact that Allah alone deserves our worship. Allah says:
هَٰذَا خَلْقُ اللَّهِ فَأَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ ۚ بَلِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ
This is the Creation of Allah. Now show me that which those (you worship) beside Him have created. Nay, but the wrong-doers are in manifest error! (QS: Lukman: 11)
Allah also says:
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقُوا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ أَمْ لَهُمْ شِرْكٌ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ ۖ ائْتُونِي بِكِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ هَٰذَا أَوْ أَثَارَةٍ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِين
Say (O Muhammad): Have you considered what you call upon besides Allah? Show me what they have created of the Earth, or have they a share in the heavens? Bring me a book before this or traces of knowledge, if you are truthful. (QS: Al-Ahqaf :4)
Two Related Names: Al-Bari’ & Al-Musawwir
Allah says:
هُوَ اللَّهُ الْخَالِقُ الْبَارِئُ الْمُصَوِّرُ ۖ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيم
He is Allah the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner; His are the most excellent names; whatever is in the heavens and the earth declares His glory; and He is the Mighty, the Wise. (QS: Al-Hashr : 24)
Al-Khaliq (the Creator), Al-Bari` (the Maker), Al-Musawwir (the Fashioner) are three of Allah’s name that are mentioned together in this verse. When these three names are mentioned together, each of them conveys a specific meaning.
Here, the attribute of creation refers specifically to Allah’s determination of what He creates, so it comes first. The name Al-Bari’ (the maker) refers to the creative act of bringing about what Allah wills to create.
Finally the name Al-Musawwir (the Fashioner) refers to giving each created thing its particular form. So Allah decrees what He creates, brings it into existence, and specifies its particular, unique form.
Allah originates the form of each created thing according to His wisdom, knowledge, and mercy. He gives each thing the form it has without need of a pre-existing model.
Allah says:
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ
Indeed, We have created the human being upon the best of forms. (QS: At-Tin : 4)
Allah also says:
هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَوِّرُكُمْ فِي الْأَرْحَامِ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ ۚ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
He it is who shapes you in the wombs as He pleases. There is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise. (QS:AL-Imran:4) and:
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ صَوَّرْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنَ السَّاجِدِينَ
And We have certainly created you, (O Mankind), and given you (human) form. Then We said to the angels, “Prostrate to Adam”; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He was not of those who prostrated. (QS:Al-A’raf:11)
These three actions – creation, making, and fashioning – manifest themselves in created things sequentially, the last of which is the fashioning of the form, which gradually comes to completion. We can see this in the growth of a plant from a seed and in the growth of an animal from an embryo.
Creation is the most evident proof of Allah’s greatness and divinity. That He confers life and awareness to inert matter is a sign of His lordship and power.
These are among the miracles that no one can deny without exhibiting the crassest obstinacy. (Imt/R03)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
Source: On Islam
