Al-Hayy

The Ever-Living

From the book · Names of Allah Series by Dr. Jinan Yousef · shared with permission

“Do Not Leave Me To Myself For The Blink Of An Eye…”

One of the purposes of this series is to help us understand Allah; to bring us closer to Him, and see the world in light of His divine Names and attributes. While it is difficult to write about any of Allah’s Names because each Name is a world unto itself, I found it even more difficult to write about these Names of Allah: al-Hayy, al-Qayyum.

According to some opinions, these are the greatest Names of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). It is apparent from the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺthat he loved to call on Allah by these Names. For example, when the Prophet ﷺfelt any distress, he would say:

“Ya Hayy Ya Qayyum, bi-Rahmatika astagheeth.”

‘O Ever-Living, O Sustainer, in Your Mercy I seek relief.’ (Tirmidhi)

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Once a man prayed to Allah, saying, “O Allah, I ask you as all praise is Yours. There is no god except You, You are al-Mannan (the Bestower), the Originator of the Heavens and Earth, Possessor of Majesty and Honor. O Ever-Living (Hayy), O Self-Subsisting (Qayyum).”

The Prophet ﷺheard him and said: “He has supplicated to Allah using His Greatest Name; when supplicated with this Name, He answers, and when asked with this Name He gives.” (Abu Dawud)

Moreover, the Prophet ﷺadvised his daughter, Fatima radi Allahu `anha (may God be pleased with her), to say in the morning and in the evening:

“Ya hayyu ya Qayyum, by Your Mercy I seek help, rectify for me all of my affairs and do not leave me to depend on myself, even for the blink of an eye.” (Hakim)

Why is this Name so special? And why do we ask the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all, not to leave us to ourselves, not even for the blink of an eye?

Sheikh ash-Sha’rawy said that al-hayy – which comes from the root that means life – brings together all perfect qualities because there cannot be a good quality before there is life. When we call on Allah al-hayy, we are recognizing Him as the absolute source of life and thus the source of all perfect qualities.

Al-Qayyum comes from the root ‘to stand up or to stand aright’, and thus Allah al-Qayyum is the One by whom all things are eternally managed aright. He gave us a brain and then a body and limbs to give action to the thoughts in our heads. He is the source of everything needed by the worshipper from the One s/he worships. Allah tells us in the famous verse:

“Allah – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living (al-hayy), the Sustainer of [all] existence (Al-Qayyum). Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him ex-cept by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His kursi [throne] extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.” (Qur’an, 2:255)

Al-Qayyum is also an intense form of q-a-m (م-ا-)ق, which is the continuous self-subsisting sustainer. You are asking Him because He is the source and He is, in every second, sustaining this world. You are asking Him not to leave you to yourself because you know that when you are with Him, your affairs are okay.

You might misjudge, or be led by your desires, or lack wisdom, so you ask the One who constantly manages the affairs of the world not to leave you to yourself: you are asking for His care.

This is why you call on Allah (swt) when you feel defeated. Even if you do not call on Allah with these Names in particular, you know that He has these attributes.

When Noah (peace be upon him) said to Allah, “I am defeated, so help me,” his words may not have included Allah’s Names al-hayy al-Qayyum, but they imply them. After being abused and rejected for 950 years, he felt defeated and he knew he had nowhere to go but to Allah.

And He knew that Allah (swt) is the One who the whole world relies on for everything. Allah brought forth a storm to the place where this kind of rain was not normal, because everything is under His control.

1. Hold on to the Source of Life

Remember that Allah (swt) came before everything, and He is the Living who is also the source of life. Everything goes back to Him, and so will we.

2. Have trust in Him

Al-Qayyum encompasses all of His other attributes that pertain to managing the affairs of His creation, such as being the Trustee, the Protector, and the Most Wise. When you feel you are unable, call on Allah al-Qayyum, like the Prophet ﷺdid when he was under distress.