The Resurrector - Al-Bāʿith

Al-Bāʿith, The Awakener

Baʿth (from the root ب-ع-ث) literally means to awaken, to raise up or to send. For people who question whether we can really be raised up again, God Almighty asks in the Qur’an: “Do they not see that God, who created the heavens and earth and did not fail in their creation, is able to give life to the dead? Yes. Indeed, He is over all things competent.” (Qur’an, 46:33) Is it more difficult to create something from nothing, or to bring something already in existence back to life? So what does this mean for us? Two things: purpose and accountability. It is easy to forget that we will be raised again, and we may wander aimlessly not knowing what to do with our lives. But knowing that we will be raised up should infuse new meaning into the things that we do. God Almighty tells us in the Qur’an: “Then did you think that We created you uselessly and that to Us you would not be returned?” (Qur’an, 23:115) The second related point of feeling the effect of God being Al-Bāʿith is that of accountability. There is a certain mantra going around of “this is who I am, accept it”. This might be a good attitude sometimes, for example, if you want people to accept your interests or certain qualities that you have. This shouldn’t be the attitude that we have with regards to blameworthy qualities, such as a bad temper. As Muslims, we must constantly be evolving for the better. This is what our beloved Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) taught his Companions. When they made a mistake, he taught them, and they pledged to change.

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