Name of Allah Al-Qayyum-The Self-Sustaining, The Superb Upright Sustainer
Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and companions
Almighty Allah says:
Allah: there is no god but Him, the Ever Living, the Ever Watchful.
(Al-Baqarah: 255)
Meanings and Denotations of Allah's Name Al-Qayyum:
1- The One whose nature is to exist. The One who is independent and self-sustaining, He does not depend on any of His creation to exist.
2- Almighty Allah does not sleep, drowse or nap. He does not feel exhausted, fatigued or worried. He does not make mistakes, and He does not forget. Neither tiredness nor boredom affects Him. Glorified is Allah and Praised is He, He does not wrong anyone or ignore him. He does not miss anything, and nothing is unclear or hidden for Him. His actions are neither aimless nor worthless.
3- The One by whom all things exist and all creatures depend on. None of them can exist or stay alive without Him even for a blink of an eye, while He does not need them. He is the One upon whom all the creation exist and need to manage their affairs.
4- Almighty Allah has established the heavens and the earth, He supports His creation and servants. He provides for them and manages their affairs, He counts their deeds and judges them on the Day of Resurrection.
5- He knows all deeds of His servants and counts them, He witnesses them and nothing is unseen or hidden from Him.
6- It has been narrated that the greatest name of Allah is Al-Hayy Al-Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists)…
7- Name of Allah Al-Hayy indicates the perfection of His Essence, and name of Allah al-Qayyum indicates the perfection of His Actions.
Worshipping Almighty Allah by His name al-Qayyum:
1- The servant has to constantly pray to Almighty Allah by these two names (O Ever-Living, O Sustainer),
the Prophet, Peace Be upon Him, used to pray saying:
"Yaa Hayyu yaa Qayyoom bi rahmatika astagheeth (O Ever Living, O Sustainer, by Your mercy I seek help)."
Hasan Hadith, narrated by At-Tirmidh 279, Rated as Hasan by Al-Albany in Sahih At-Tirmidhi 2796
Ibn Al-Qayyim said: Asking Allah by His names Al-Hayy Al-Qayyum has a great effect on His answering your supplications and obtaining relief from difficulty and hardship. This is a great meaning, as the attribute of life comprises all attributes of perfection, and the attribute of self-sustenance comprises all attributes of action.
2- The Muslim has to take care of those whom He provides for, by attending to their needs and not to neglect them.
Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
Messenger of Allah (Peace Be upon Him) said, "Neglecting one's own dependents is a reason enough for a man to commit a sin".
Abu Dawud
The Messenger of Allah (Peace Be upon Him) said
: "Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock…" ()
Sahih al-Bukhari 893, and Muslim 220
