The ever-living, deathless, and the eternal one. He whose existence has neither beginning nor end .
“HE IS THE LIVING (ONE): there is no god but He: call upon Him, giving Him sincere devotion. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!”
(40:65) The Holy Quran
Allah is undying, everlasting. He is eternally whole and sound.
The One Life from whom all life arises. He calls all life into being.
He animates all life and makes each living thing different and distinct.
Al-Hayy is the Doer, the Aware; He is eternally whole and absolute, whom all life arises from.
“And rely on the ever-Living Who never dies”
The Holy Quran (25:58)
Ayat al Kursi is one of five verses in the Qur’an where the name Al-Hayy is the first.
(The begining of Ayat al Kursi)
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ
Allaahu laaa ilaaha illaa Huwal Haiyul Qaiyoom
“Allah – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence.”— (Qur’an 3:2)وَعَنَتِ ٱلْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ ٱلْقَيُّومِ ۖ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ حَمَلَ ظُلْمًۭا
Wa ‘anatil wujoohu lil Haiiyil Qaiyoomi wa qad khaaba man hamala zulmaa
“And [all] faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. And he will have failed who carries injustice.” (Qur’an 20:111)وَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱلۡحَيِّ ٱلَّذِي لَا يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحۡ بِحَمۡدِهِۦۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِهِۦ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًا
Wa tawakkal ‘alal Haiyil lazee laa yamootu wa sabbih bihamdih; wa kafaa bihee bizunoobi ‘ibaadihee khabeeraa
(Qur’an 25:58)
“And rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die, and exalt [Allah] with His praise. And sufficient is He to be, with the sins of His servants, Acquainted”
هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَٱدْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ ۗ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Huwal Hayyu laaa ilaaha illaa Huwa fad’oohu mukh liseena lahud-deen; alhamdu lillaahi Rabbil ‘aalameen
(Qur’an 40:65)
“He is the Ever-Living; there is no deity except Him, so call upon Him, [being] sincere to Him in religion. [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ essence is living. He is the one responsible for all creation. There would be no life without His willingness to allow it. So we recognize Him as being the only source we should turn to and rely upon for our sustenance. In fact, whenever the Prophet ﷺ was stressed, He used to call upon the two names, Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyum (i.e., the subsisting, the self-sustaining).
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