Surah Ali Imran Ayah 2

Each time the names Al-Ḥayy and Al-Qayyum pass through our hearts, they should send a shockwave through our veins. They force us to pause and reflect on the vastness of Allah’s responsibility, the immensity of His favour, and the countless actions He continuously carries out to sustain our very existence.

This realization should naturally bring us to the conclusion of the first part of the ayah: ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ

Knowing Allah as Al-Ḥayy (The Ever-Living) and Al-Qayyum (The Self-Sustaining, Sustainer of all), our hearts should instinctively rush toward submission to Him alone. Any other ilah or master that our hearts submit to, whether it is people in our lives, the whispers of Shayṭan, or the desires of our own nafs - can never be Al-Ḥayy or Al-Qayyum.

No one and nothing else can grant life, sustain it, or provide what Allah provides. And it is not only about material provisions! He alone gives the feelings our souls desperately need: love, mercy, forgiveness, peace, and reassurance.

To turn elsewhere is to forget Who truly sustains us at every moment.