الْبَدِيعُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Badi'
The Unique Originator
To create with no earlier model to copy: that is ibdaa', and Al-Badi' is unique in His essence, His creation and His actions. Its verse is 2:117, on the One who made the heavens and the earth and says to a thing Be, and it is. Ibn Kathir notes that the word bid'ah comes from the same root.
Key verse
﴿بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ﴾˹He is˺ the Originator of the heavens and the earth! When He decrees a matter, He simply tells it, “Be!” And it is!
The scholar's text
Allah's Name Al-Badee' is mentioned in the following Noble Ayah in which He says:
بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًۭا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ
"The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it: 'Be!' and it is." [Al-Baqarah, 117]
The meaning of Allah's Name Al-Badi'
Ibdaa' (creativity) means to innovate something without any previous example to imitate or any instruction to follow.
All man-made things are based on imitating designs or ideas found in nature, whereas Allah the Almighty created the entire universe without any former example to follow.
Allah the Almighty created light, created the sun as the main source of heat and light energy, and gave to each thing its form and nature; gave water, air, and all other substances distinctive properties.
Al-Badi' means the Unique in His Entity, since nothing is like Him and nothing resembles Him in any way whatsoever.
Al-Badi’ also means the Unique in His Creation since He has created the entire universe as well as all creatures without precedent.
Al-Badi' also means the Unique in His Actions, since He arranges one's matters in a way he may never expect.
Thus, Al-Badi' means the Unique in His Entity, Attributes, and Actions.
The believer's connection with Allah's Name Al-Badee':
The implementation of Allah's Name Al-Badi' in the believers' life, they should be creative and innovative at work, as well as in agriculture, industry, and other fields that confer the greatest benefit to mankind.
Allah the Almighty says:
ٱلْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَٱخْشَوْنِ ۚ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ دِينًا
Note: In the original, the Arabic line above did not match the English beside it: it began at «and fear Me» and ran on to the end of 5:3. It now gives the part of 5:3 that the English translates.
("This day, those who disbelieved have given up all hope of your religion, so fear them not, but fear Me. This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." ) Al-Ma'idah 5:3
It is mentioned times in the Holy Quran
Note: The number is missing from this line in the original post.
ورد اسم الله البديع في الآية الكريمة التالية، إذ يقول سبحانه:
(بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ) البقرة 2: 117
معنى اسم الله البديع
الإبداع: إنشاء الشيء على غير مثال سابق يحتذى، ولا تعليم يتبع.
كل ما يصنعه الإنسان قائم على محاكاة تصاميم أو أفكار موجودة في الطبيعة، أما الله سبحانه وتعالى فخلق الكون كله على غير مثال سابق.
خلق الله سبحانه وتعالى النور، وخلق الشمس مصدرا رئيسا للحرارة والضوء، وأعطى كل شيء صورته وطبيعته، وجعل للماء والهواء وسائر المواد خصائص تميزها.
البديع: المتفرد في ذاته، إذ ليس كمثله شيء ولا يشبهه شيء بوجه من الوجوه.
والبديع أيضا: المتفرد في خلقه، إذ خلق الكون كله وجميع المخلوقات على غير سابقة.
والبديع أيضا: المتفرد في أفعاله، إذ يدبر أمور العبد على وجه قد لا يتوقعه أبدا.
فالبديع إذن هو المتفرد في ذاته وصفاته وأفعاله.
صلة المؤمن باسم الله البديع:
أثر اسم الله البديع في حياة المؤمنين أن يكونوا مبدعين مجددين في العمل، وفي الزراعة والصناعة وسائر المجالات التي تعود على البشرية بأعظم النفع.
يقول الله سبحانه وتعالى:
(ٱلْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَٱخْشَوْنِ ۚ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ دِينًا) المائدة 5: 3
ملاحظة: لم يطابق السطر العربي في الأصل الترجمة الإنجليزية التي بجانبه، إذ بدأ من «واخشون» وامتد إلى آخر الآية (المائدة 5: 3)، فوضع هنا الجزء الذي تترجمه الإنجليزية.
ورد في القرآن الكريم ... مرة.
ملاحظة: العدد ساقط من هذا السطر في المنشور الأصلي.
Originator of the Heavens and the Earth
Right before the verse of Al-Badi' comes a claim and its answer: they say Allah has offspring; glory be to Him, all in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him (2:116). 2:117 follows with the Name: Originator of the heavens and the earth, who decrees a matter and simply tells it Be, and it is. Al-Sa'di explains the Name as their Creator, who made them precise and fine without any model before them, and nothing He decrees can resist Him. Ibn Kathir gives the same meaning from Mujahid and al-Suddi, and adds that this is why a newly invented thing is called a bid'ah.
Arabic: بديع السماوات والأرض
تأتي آية الاسم بعد دعوى وجوابها: ﴿وَقَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَدًا ۗ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ ۖ بَل لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ﴾، ثم: ﴿بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ﴾. قال السعدي: «أي: خالقهما على وجه قد أتقنهما وأحسنهما على غير مثال سبق»، «فلا يستعصى عليه، ولا يمتنع منه». وقال ابن كثير: «أي: خالقهما على غير مثال سبق، قال مجاهد والسدي: وهو مقتضى اللغة، ومنه يقال للشيء المحدث: بدعة».
How Could He Have Children?
﴿بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُۥ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُۥ صَـٰحِبَةٌ ۖ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ﴾˹He is˺ the Originator of the heavens and earth. How could He have children when He has no mate? He created all things and has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of everything.
6:101 opens with the Name and draws the conclusion: the Originator of the heavens and earth; how could He have children when He has no mate? Al-Sa'di explains the first half. He made them with the finest creation, order and beauty, a thing the minds of the wise could not even propose, and no one shared in making them. On the question he answers: He has no wife, He needs nothing from His creatures while they all need Him, and a child is of its father's kind, yet nothing created resembles Allah in any way.
Arabic: أنى يكون له ولد
تبدأ آية الأنعام بالاسم ثم تستنتج: ﴿بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُۥ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُۥ صَـٰحِبَةٌ﴾. قال السعدي: «أي: خالقهما، ومتقن صنعتهما، على غير مثال سبق، بأحسن خلق، ونظام وبهاء، لا تقترح عقول أولي الألباب مثله، وليس له في خلقهما مشارك»، وقال: «أي: كيف يكون لله الولد، وهو الإله السيد الصمد، الذي لا صاحبة له أي: لا زوجة له، وهو الغني عن مخلوقاته، وكلها فقيرة إليه، مضطرة في جميع أحوالها إليه، والولد لا بد أن يكون من جنس والده؛ والله خالق كل شيء وليس شيء من المخلوقات مشابها لله بوجه من الوجوه».
Not the First Messenger
﴿قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعًا مِّنَ ٱلرُّسُلِ وَمَآ أَدْرِى مَا يُفْعَلُ بِى وَلَا بِكُمْ ۖ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ﴾Say, “I am not the first messenger ever sent, nor do I know what will happen to me or you. I only follow what is revealed to me. And I am only sent with a clear warning.”
46:9 tells the Prophet ﷺ to say: I am not the first messenger ever sent. Al-Sa'di gives the point. He is not the first messenger to come to them, that they should find his message strange; messengers and prophets came before him whose call agreed with his, so on what ground do they deny it?
Arabic: قل ما كنت بدعا من الرسل
وقال تعالى: ﴿قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعًا مِّنَ ٱلرُّسُلِ﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: لست بأول رسول جاءكم حتى تستغربوا رسالتي وتستنكروا دعوتي فقد تقدم من الرسل والأنبياء من وافقت دعوتي دعوتهم فلأي شيء تنكرون رسالتي؟».
A Monasticism They Made Up
﴿ثُمَّ قَفَّيْنَا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَـٰرِهِم بِرُسُلِنَا وَقَفَّيْنَا بِعِيسَى ٱبْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ ٱلْإِنجِيلَ وَجَعَلْنَا فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُ رَأْفَةً وَرَحْمَةً وَرَهْبَانِيَّةً ٱبْتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبْنَـٰهَا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا ٱبْتِغَآءَ رِضْوَٰنِ ٱللَّهِ فَمَا رَعَوْهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَا ۖ فَـَٔاتَيْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَـٰسِقُونَ﴾Then in the footsteps of these ˹prophets˺, We sent Our messengers, and ˹after them˺ We sent Jesus, son of Mary, and granted him the Gospel, and instilled compassion and mercy into the hearts of his followers. As for monasticism, they made it up, We never ordained it for them, only seeking to please Allah, yet they did not ˹even˺ observe it strictly. So We rewarded those of them who were faithful. But most of them are rebellious.
57:27 says of people: as for monasticism, they made it up, We never ordained it for them, only seeking to please Allah, yet they did not even observe it strictly. Al-Sa'di explains that they invented a worship of their own and bound themselves to what Allah had not prescribed, meaning to please Him. So they fell short in two ways, he says: in inventing it, and in not keeping what they had laid on themselves.
Arabic: ورهبانية ابتدعوها
وقال تعالى في الناس: ﴿وَرَهْبَانِيَّةً ٱبْتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبْنَـٰهَا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا ٱبْتِغَآءَ رِضْوَٰنِ ٱللَّهِ فَمَا رَعَوْهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَا﴾، قال السعدي: «والرهبانية: العبادة، فهم ابتدعوا من عند أنفسهم عبادة، ووظفوها على أنفسهم، والتزموا لوازم ما كتبها الله عليهم ولا فرضها، بل هم الذين التزموا بها من تلقاء أنفسهم»، «فقصروا من وجهين: من جهة ابتداعهم، ومن جهة عدم قيامهم بما فرضوه على أنفسهم».
Your Religion Perfected
﴿حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةُ وَٱلدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ وَٱلْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَٱلْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَٱلْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَٱلنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَآ أَكَلَ ٱلسَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى ٱلنُّصُبِ وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُوا۟ بِٱلْأَزْلَـٰمِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ ۗ ٱلْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَٱخْشَوْنِ ۚ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ دِينًا ۚ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ فِى مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ ۙ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾Forbidden to you are carrion, blood, and swine; what is slaughtered in the name of any other than Allah; what is killed by strangling, beating, a fall, or by being gored to death; what is partly eaten by a predator unless you slaughter it; and what is sacrificed on altars. You are also forbidden to draw lots for decisions. This is all evil. Today the disbelievers have given up all hope of ˹undermining˺ your faith. So do not fear them; fear Me! Today I have perfected your faith for you, completed My favour upon you, and chosen Islam as your way. But whoever is compelled by extreme hunger, not intending to sin, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
The call above to be creative is about work, farming, industry and whatever benefits people most, and it goes on to 5:3: today I have perfected your faith for you. Ibn Kathir calls that the greatest of Allah's blessings on this community. He completed its religion, so it needs no other religion and no prophet but its own, and nothing is lawful but what the Prophet ﷺ made lawful, nothing forbidden but what he forbade, no religion but what he laid down. In the religion itself the Prophet ﷺ said: “If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2697). Ibn Kathir separates that meaning of bid'ah from the purely linguistic one, as when Umar said of gathering the people for tarawih: what an excellent bid'ah this is.
Arabic: اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم
الدعوة أعلاه إلى الإبداع في العمل والزراعة والصناعة وما ينفع الناس، ثم يتبعها النص بقوله تعالى: ﴿ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ﴾. قال ابن كثير: «هذه أكبر نعم الله عز وجل، على هذه الأمة حيث أكمل تعالى لهم دينهم، فلا يحتاجون إلى دين غيره، ولا إلى نبي غير نبيهم، صلوات الله وسلامه عليه؛ ولهذا جعله الله خاتم الأنبياء، وبعثه إلى الإنس والجن، فلا حلال إلا ما أحله، ولا حرام إلا ما حرمه، ولا دين إلا ما شرعه». وفي الدين نفسه قال النبي ﷺ: «مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ» (صحيح البخاري 2697). وفرق ابن كثير بين البدعة الشرعية واللغوية: «والبدعة على قسمين: تارة تكون بدعة شرعية، كقوله: فإن كل محدثة بدعة، وكل بدعة ضلالة. وتارة تكون بدعة لغوية، كقول أمير المؤمنين عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه عن جمعه إياهم على صلاة التراويح واستمرارهم: نعمت البدعة هذه».
From the Sunnah
The best of the speech is embodied in the Book of Allah, and the best of the guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad. And the most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is error.
فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرُ الْهُدَى هُدَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَشَرُّ الأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلاَلَةٌ
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ الْمَنَّانُ بَدِيعُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ يَا ذَا الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ يَا حَىُّ يَا قَيُّومُ
O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by this name He gives
Sunan Abi Dawud 1495, graded sahih by al-Albani: a man's du'a in prayer, which the Prophet ﷺ said used Allah's Greatest Name, as Anas ibn Malik reported
Related Names
Questions about Al-Badi'
What does Al-Badi' mean?
Al-Badi' is the One who brings things about with nothing before them to copy, the Originator, and He is unique in essence, attributes and actions.
Which verse goes with Al-Badi'?
Al-Badi' goes with 2:117: Originator of the heavens and the earth, who says to a thing Be, and it is.
Does bid'ah come from the same word?
It does. Ibn Kathir, on 2:117, takes the word for an innovation from this meaning, then keeps bid'ah in religion apart from bid'ah as a plain word.
Which du'a uses this Name?
One a man made in prayer while Anas sat with the Prophet ﷺ, who said the man had called on Allah by His Greatest Name (Sunan Abi Dawud 1495, graded sahih by al-Albani).