The Sustainer, the Self-Sustaining Sheikh Salman al-Oadah Wed, 09/25/2013 Allah is referred to by this name in three verses of the Qur’an: “Allah, there is no God but He, the Living and Self-Sustaining.” [Sūrah Āl `Imrān: 2] And: “Faces shall be humbled before the Living, the Self-Sustaining. Hopeless indeed will be those who carry a burden of injustice.” [Sūrah TāHā: 111] And: “Allah, there is no God but He, the Living and Self-Sustaining.” [Sūrah al-Baqarah: 255] We should observe that in all three cases, this name is linked with Allah’s name “the Living”. This means that al-Qayyūm is never once mentioned on its own. This name connotes that Allah is completely self-sustaining in His essence and existence. He is completely independent, unlike created things which depend on Him to create and sustain them. Indeed, this name also connotes that Allah is the Sustainer of everything in existence. He watches and governs over all of their affairs from every possible angle. He is also the Assessor of the actions His creatures carry out of their own free will and the one to recompense those actions in this world and the Hereafter. All of these meanings are expressed by Allah’s name al-Qayyūm. This is because the Arabic word qayyūm is an emphatic form of the word qā’im, which has among its means the idea of being in charge of affairs, responsible for an undertaking, overseeing it and watching over it. Allah in charge of the affairs of our souls and what they earn. We read in the Qur’an: “Is He who watches (qā’im) over every soul as to what it earns (like any other)?” [Sūrah al-Ra`d: 33] Allah is watchful over everything that transpires in creation, especially the deeds of human beings. Allah says: “And the Book will be set down, and you will see the guilty fearful of that which is therein, and they will say: ‘What kind of a Book is this that omits nothing small or great, but has counted it all!’ And they find all that they did confronting them, and your Lord wrongs no-one.” [Sūrah al-Kahf: 49] Allah is also the Sustainer of all things. Every aspect of our lives is maintained, sustained, and made possible by His decree. In a sense, all of Allah’s names can be seen to pivot upon these two: “the Living, the Self-Sustaining”. As for “the Living”, it implies all of the names that express Allah’s perfection in His being, whereas “the Self-Sustaining” implies all of the names that express Allah’s independence, power, and lordship over creation. For this reason, some people have suggested that “the Living, the Self-Sustaining”, mentioned together, constitute Allah’s greatest name, or at least part of it. This idea finds support in the hadīth related by Anas that a man offered the following supplication: “O Allah! I beseech You by affirming that Yours is the praise, there is no god besides You, the Bestower, Originator of the Heavens and the Earth, the Lord of Bounty and Honor, the Living, the Self-Subsisting.” To this, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “I swear by Him in whose hand is my soul, this man has beseeched Allah with His greatest name, which if anyone supplicates with it, that supplication will be accepted, and if anyone asks by it, it will be granted.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhī (3544), Sunan Abī Dāwūd (1495), and Sunan al-Nasā’ī (1300)] It is also related that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Say: ‘I seek the forgiveness of Allah, apart from whom there is no God, the Living, the Self-Sustaining, and I repent my sins to Him’, for whoever says this, Allah will forgive him.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhī (3577) and Sunan Abī Dāwūd (1517)] In some narrations it reads: “Whoever says this thrice, Allah will forgive him.” We should memorize this supplication and make it a part of our daily remembrances. en.islamtoday.net/artshow-429-4676.htm The Sustainer, the Self-Sustaining en.islamtoday.net Fatwa, Fatwa Archive, Islam Today is your one source for all Islamic, Muslim articles and references covering Quran and Hadeeth with Islamic book collections and Islamic references and Fatwa and Fatwa
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 04:45:56 +0000
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