Baraka: From Being Well to Well-being

The grace of God (baraka) is inexhaustible and is taken for granted with believers admitted to Paradise but is heavily sought after already in this world. However, it is not allotted based on moral meritocracy; the impression that God’s blessings are distributed unevenly, or at times withheld completely in an unintelligible, contingent manner, has created all sorts of Islamic discourses and patterns of behavior that try to obtain it nevertheless. This chapter presents the variegated semantic field of Baraka and the breadth of its scholarly definitions. From a historical perspective, the chapter points to likely holders and recipients of Baraka, as well as to traditional practices of seeking it. Against this background, it explores some links to certain modes of consumption and phenomena in contemporary consumer culture. In modern times, in their quest for a favorable fate, people often consume its presumptive insignia. The realm of advertising has paid attention to that.