الْحَيُّ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Hayy
The Ever-Living
Al-Hayy is the Alive: His life is unlike ours and is not a combination of soul, flesh or blood. Its verse is Ayat al-Kursi, 2:255, where the Name stands beside the All-Sustaining, and it is mentioned 5 times in the Quran. 25:58 adds what people lean on: Who never dies.
Key verse
﴿ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ﴾Allah! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission? He ˹fully˺ knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, but no one can grasp any of His knowledge: except what He wills ˹to reveal˺. His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not tire Him. For He is the Most High, the Greatest.
The scholar's text
The Alive, The One attributed with a life that is unlike our life and is not that of a combination of soul, flesh or blood.
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
(Allah! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission? He ˹fully˺ knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, but no one can grasp any of His knowledge: except what He wills ˹to reveal˺. His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not tire Him. For He is the Most High, the Greatest.) Al-Baqara 2:255
It is mentioned 5 times in the Holy Quran
الحي، الموصوف بحياة لا تشبه حياتنا، وليست مركبة من روح ولحم ودم.
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
ورد في القرآن الكريم 5 مرات.
A Life Unlike Ours
Ayat al-Kursi opens with the Name: Allah, there is no god except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. The point of the definition above is that this life is not ours. Al-Sa'di gives it its content: the Living is the One whose life is complete, and so carries every attribute of His essence, hearing, sight, knowledge, power. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him, the verse goes on, and al-Sa'di counts that as part of the same perfect life. Some of the careful scholars, he adds, held that the two Names together are the greatest Name, by which a prayer is answered and a request is granted.
Arabic: الله لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم
تفتتح آية الكرسي بالاسم: ﴿ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ﴾. ومعنى التعريف أعلاه أن هذه الحياة ليست كحياتنا، قال السعدي: «فالحي من له الحياة الكاملة المستلزمة لجميع صفات الذات، كالسمع والبصر والعلم والقدرة، ونحو ذلك»، وقال: «ومن تمام حياته وقيوميته أن لا تأخذه سنة ولا نوم والسنة النعاس» ﴿لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ﴾. وقال: «ولهذا قال بعض المحققين: إنهما الاسم الأعظم الذي إذا دعي الله به أجاب، وإذا سئل به أعطى».
Who Never Dies
﴿وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱلْحَىِّ ٱلَّذِى لَا يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِۦ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِهِۦ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًا﴾Put your trust in the Ever-Living, Who never dies, and glorify His praises. Sufficient is He as All-Aware of the sins of His servants.
25:58 tells the Prophet ﷺ where to put his trust: in the Ever-Living, Who never dies. The One whose life is complete and absolute, al-Sa'di explains, so trust Him in your own affairs and in the affairs of people, and worship Him. The Prophet ﷺ said it in his own du'a: “Thou art ever-living that dieth not, while the Jinn and mankind die” (Sahih Muslim 2717). Anyone else a person relies on will die; this One will not.
Arabic: وتوكل على الحي الذي لا يموت
تأمر آية الفرقان النبي ﷺ: ﴿وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱلْحَىِّ ٱلَّذِى لَا يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِۦ﴾، قال السعدي في الحي: «الذي له الحياة الكاملة المطلقة»، وقال: «أي: اعبده وتوكل عليه في الأمور المتعلقة بك والمتعلقة بالخلق». وقال النبي ﷺ في دعائه: «أَنْتَ الْحَىُّ الَّذِي لاَ يَمُوتُ وَالْجِنُّ وَالإِنْسُ يَمُوتُونَ» (صحيح مسلم 2717). فكل من يعتمد عليه الإنسان يموت، إلا هو.
So Call Upon Him
﴿هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَٱدْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ ۗ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ﴾He is the Ever-Living. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. So call upon Him with sincere devotion, ˹saying,˺ “All praise is for Allah: Lord of all worlds.”
40:65 draws a line from the Name to prayer: He is the Ever-Living, there is no god except Him, so call upon Him with sincere devotion. Call upon covers both kinds of du'a, al-Sa'di notes, the worship and the asking. And sincere means that every act of worship, every du'a and every deed is aimed at Allah's face. The verse closes, all praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds, and al-Sa'di gathers every kind of praise into it, in word and in deed, all of it His alone for the perfection of His attributes and acts and the fullness of His favours.
Arabic: هو الحي لا إله إلا هو فادعوه
تصل آية غافر الاسم بالدعاء: ﴿هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَٱدْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ﴾، قال السعدي: «وهذا شامل لدعاء العبادة، ودعاء المسألة»، و«أي: اقصدوا بكل عبادة ودعاء وعمل، وجه الله تعالى». وفي ختامها قال: «أي: جميع المحامد والمدائح والثناء، بالقول كنطق الخلق بذكره، والفعل، كعبادتهم له، كل ذلك للّه تعالى وحده لا شريك له، لكماله في أوصافه وأفعاله، وتمام نعمه».
Every Face Humbled
﴿وَعَنَتِ ٱلْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ ٱلْقَيُّومِ ۖ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ حَمَلَ ظُلْمًا﴾And all faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. And those burdened with wrongdoing will be in loss.
20:111 shows the Name on the Day of Judgment: all faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining, and those burdened with wrongdoing will be in loss. People split into two groups there, al-Sa'di says. Those who did wrong through disbelief and evil meet only loss and punishment. The believers who did good fear neither more sins added nor good deeds cut; their sins are forgiven and their good deeds multiplied.
Arabic: وعنت الوجوه للحي القيوم
تذكر آية طه الاسم يوم القيامة: ﴿وَعَنَتِ ٱلْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ ٱلْقَيُّومِ ۖ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ حَمَلَ ظُلْمًا﴾، قال السعدي: «وينقسم الناس في ذلك الموقف قسمين: ظالمين بكفرهم وشرهم، فهؤلاء لا ينالهم إلا الخيبة والحرمان، والعذاب الأليم في جهنم، وسخط الديان»، «والقسم الثاني: من آمن الإيمان المأمور به، وعمل صالحا من واجب ومسنون فَلَا يَخَافُ ظُلْمًا أي: زيادة في سيئاته وَلَا هَضْمًا أي: نقصا من حسناته، بل تغفر ذنوبه، وتطهر عيوبه، وتضاعف حسناته».
Is It the Greatest Name?
﴿ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ﴾Allah! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him: the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah's Greatest Names is in these two verses”, 2:163 and the opening of Surah Al Imran (Sunan Abi Dawud 1496, graded hasan by al-Albani). The second is 3:2, Allah, there is no god except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. On it al-Sa'di says the attributes of divinity all go back to these two, life and sustaining. Anas reported that when something distressed the Prophet ﷺ he would say: “O Living, O Self-Sustaining Sustainer! In Your Mercy do I seek relief” (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3524, graded hasan by al-Albani).
Arabic: اسم الله الأعظم
قال النبي ﷺ: «اسْمُ اللَّهِ الأَعْظَمُ فِي هَاتَيْنِ الآيَتَيْنِ»: آية البقرة 163 وفاتحة سورة آل عمران (سنن أبي داود 1496، حسنه الألباني). والثانية: ﴿ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ﴾، قال السعدي: «المتصف بصفات الألوهية التي مرجعها إلى الحياة والقيومية». وقال أنس: كان النبي ﷺ إذا كربه أمر قال: «يَا حَىُّ يَا قَيُّومُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيثُ» (جامع الترمذي 3524، حسنه الألباني).
From the Sunnah
O Allah, it is unto Thee that I surrender myself. I affirm my faith in Thee and repose my trust in Thee and turn to Thee in repentance and with Thy help fought my adversaries. O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee with Thine Power; there is no god but Thou, lest Thou leadest me astray. Thou art ever-living that dieth not, while the Jinn and mankind die
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِعِزَّتِكَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ أَنْ تُضِلَّنِي أَنْتَ الْحَىُّ الَّذِي لاَ يَمُوتُ وَالْجِنُّ وَالإِنْسُ يَمُوتُونَ
Allah's Greatest Names is in these two verses: "And your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God), none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving' and the beginning of Surah Al 'Imran, "A.L.M Allah, there is no deity but He, the Living, the Eternal
اسْمُ اللَّهِ الأَعْظَمُ فِي هَاتَيْنِ الآيَتَيْنِ { وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ } وَفَاتِحَةُ سُورَةِ آلِ عِمْرَانَ { الم * اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ
A du'a with this Name
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ
I ask pardon of Allah than Whom there is no deity, the Living, the eternal, and I turn to Him in repentance
Sunan Abi Dawud 1517, graded sahih by al-Albani: the Prophet ﷺ said whoever says it will be forgiven, even if he fled from the battlefield
Related Names
Questions about Al-Hayy
What does Al-Hayy mean?
Al-Hayy is the Alive, with a life unlike ours that is not made of soul, flesh or blood.
How many times is Al-Hayy in the Quran?
Al-Hayy is mentioned 5 times in the Quran. Its verse is 2:255, the Verse of the Throne.
Is Al-Hayy Al-Qayyum the greatest Name of Allah?
Some scholars held that Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together are the greatest Name, al-Sa'di reports on 2:255. Abu Dawud 1496 (hasan in al-Albani's grading) places the greatest Name in 2:163 and 3:1-2.
What did the Prophet ﷺ say in distress?
O Living, O Self-Sustaining, in Your mercy I seek relief (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3524, graded hasan by al-Albani).