13 - الْمُصَوِّرُ

[ummtaalib]

الْمُصَوِّرُ

 

Translation

الْمُصَوِّرُ is translated as The Shaper of Beauty, The Fashioner and The Bestower of Forms. It comes from Tasweer (picture)

 

Definition

That Being Who made His Makhlooq into different forms (suras) so that they may recognize one another.

 

Allah ta’ala made Makhlooq and designed it systematically. Look at human beings, we all have one heart, two lungs etc. but He made us look different in colour, appearance, size etc. and everything has a specific Surah to be distinguished from others. He made us into men and women and different races. Millions of people from Adam AS till now but, yet no two faces are alike and no two finger prints are alike.  The animals too are divided into different species and each one i.e. birds, are of different shapes, sizes, colours and characteristics. This shows the complete and perfect power of Allah ta’ala. 

 

Tasweer

This name cannot be shared by human as only Allah ta’ala is Musawwir and so it is not permissible for humans to make pictures of animate things though this is not accepted by many people and many arguments are presented on the subject. According to classical Scholars it is impermissible and there are many Hadith which prohibit the making of Tasweer. There are exceptions where it is allowed i.e. educational purposes for children, legal requirements, identification etc.

 

فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ  - “So blessed be Allah, the Best to create” [23:14]

 

In the Qur’an

It is used once in the Qur’an in verse 23 in Surah Hashr and mentioned in other forms in the Qur’an. 

 

Allah ta’ala Created in the Best of Forms

 

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإنْسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ
 

We have indeed created man in the best stature;

 

ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَاهُ أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَ
 

then We abase him to the lowest of the low  [Surah Teen:4-5]

 

Unlike Christianity which believes that human beings are born out of sin, in Islam there is the concept that every human being is born pure. We are made in the best manner and with the best Rooh (Soul) which is essentially unblemished when we are born. Then when a person degrades himself when Nafs rules over him then, “We abase him to the lowest of the low” When human is good he can go higher than the angels and when he is bad he can be lower than the animals. 

 

Beauty in Dhaahir & Baatin

Allah ta’ala is the Fashioner in the things we can see (Dhaahir) and also in things we cannot see (Baatin) which is the beauty inside which Allah ta’ala has formed i.e. the personality. Some people may look beautiful but their personalities, nature, Akhlaaq is bad, rude, mean etc. Others may not be so good looking, they may be over-weight with a not so good complexion however they have beautiful Akhlaaq and that is true beauty. 

 

Signs in the Creation of Allah ta’ala

Allah ta’ala says in the Qur’an,

 

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِلْعَالِمِينَ
 

And yet others of His signs are the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colors; surely there are signs in this for the knowledgeable (Surah Room: 22]

 

Usually “Ikhtilaaf” is regarded as a bad thing however these differences is the variety and diversity of Allah ta’ala and it is good. There is richness in diversity.

 

Allah ta’ala says He made people however He wanted and we see even in one family with four children how they are different in looks, skin colour and personalities. We hear parents saying they do not know where the child’s personality came from as he/she was not like the mother or the father but Allah ta’ala is Musawwir and He fashioned them. 

 

Looking at the Three attributes Together

The three names, الْخَالِقُ الْبَارِئُ الْمُصَوِّرُ all mean Creator in some sense but with subtle differences between them. Imam Ghazali (رحمه الله) said that   الْخَالِقُ is like the architect or constructor of a building i.e. designing the basic layout.  الْبَارِئُ is the architect who is more detail orientated planning how big the rooms will be, where the bathroom will be etc.  الْمُصَوِّرُ is more like the interior decorator and most detail orientated. Therefore there are different levels of detail in creation.