In
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, ''Barakah'' or ''Baraka'' ( "blessing") is a blessing power, a kind of continuity of spiritual presence and revelation that begins with
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
and flows through that and those closest to God.
The
Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
is said to be charged with ''barakah'', and God can bestow prophets and saints with ''barakah''. Especially
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
and his descendants are said to be especially endowed with it. These special people can transfer their ''barakah'' to ordinary people, both while being dead or alive.
Sacred places are said to contain ''barakah'' and ward off evil spiritual forces, thus monasteries and Sufi temples are often visited for protection against demonic beings.
As a blessing force, barakah is also a force of creation and fertility, causing cereals to miraculously multiply.
[Colin, G.S. (2012). Baraka. In P. Bearman (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online (EI-2 English). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_1216]
See also
*
Mana
Mana may refer to:
Religion and mythology
* Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology
* Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...
*
Numen
Numen (plural numina) is a Latin term for "divinity", "divine presence", or "divine will". The Latin authors defined it as follows:For a more extensive account, refer to Cicero writes of a "divine mind" (), a god "whose numen everything obeys", ...
*
Yaqazah
Yaqazah or Yaqazeh or Yaqzeh (''in Arabic:'' , ''in Persian:'' ; ) is a term used in certain schools of Shi'a Islamic mysticism that translates to "awakening of the heart"
or "awakening of the mettle" or "awakening from neglect" or "enligh ...
References
Works cited
*
General references
* Coulon, C., et al. (1988). ''Charisma and Brotherhood in African Islam''. Oxford University Press. .
* Meri, J.W. (1999)
Aspects of Baraka (Blessings) and Ritual Devotion among Medieval Muslims and Jews'. ''Medieval Encounters''. 5, pp. 46–69.
* Takim, L. N. (2006).
The Heirs of the Prophet: Charisma And Religious Authority in Shi'ite Islam'. SUNY Press. .
* Werbner, P., et al. (1998).
Embodying Charisma: Modernity, Locality and Performance of Emotion in Sufi Cults'. Routledge. .
{{Authority control
Sufism
Energy (esotericism)
Islamic terminology
Islamic practices
Spiritual gifts
Vitalism
Blessings