07-15-2003, 11:28 PM
13. Al-Musawwir (The Shaper of Unique Beauty)
"Allah is the Creator (Al-Khâliq), the Maker of Perfect Harmony (Al-Bârî'), the Shaper of Unique Beauty (Al-Musawwir)..." (59:24).
One may think that the qualities manifest in the Creator, the Maker of Perfect Harmony, and the Shaper of Unique Beauty are synonymous and that each one is derived from the act of creating and bringing into being. But this is not so. The fact of the matter is that everything which emerges from non-existence into existence, first of all, requires a planning stage (the Creator), then the actual bringing into being in a harmonious order according to the plan (the Maker of Perfect Harmony), and, thirdly, the shaper of the plan through a unique beauty (the Shaper of Unique Beauty). Allah manifests the quality of the Creator in as much as He is the One who plans and determines--from nothing--without any model. He establishes and defines the states of things before they come into existence. This includes the conditions and sustenance for all that He creates establishing the how, when, and where creation is to take place. Everything is given goodness and wisdom from the beginning and follows an order or plan. There are no accidents. Allah neither needs the creation nor does Allah benefit from it. The reason for creation is perhaps to bear witness to Allah's eternal Will of greatness and power and to see the reflection of Allah's beauty and perfection.
Allah manifests the quality of the Maker of Perfect Harmony by bringing into being in perfect harmony not only each thing within itself but with each and every other creature in relation to each other, as well. Everything is interconnected. When one part of the cycle is effected, all parts are effected because the function of one thing depends on the function of the others.
Allah manifests the quality of the Shaper of Unique Beauty in view of the fact that the originations are shaped in forms of unique beauty. Without model, this quality of Allah shapes everything perfectly at the same time that no two things are exactly alike in every way. Each and every creation is a choice creation reflecting Allah's infinite mercy and wisdom.