Al-Qayyūm (Self-Subsisting)

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Al-Ghazali:
Know that all objects fall into the following categories:

1. Those that need space e.g. attributes that need the space of another object to be within it; we refer to them as: NOT Qāîm (Subsisting) upon their own Selves.

2. Those that do not need space, they are indeed dependent upon their own selves and need no other space to be within it; those are called Jauhar (Essence) i.e. depending upon their own selves e.g. Nafs or Soul who really do not need the human physicality for their Wujud (Being).

  Jauhar (Essence) itself has dependency upon Allah for its creation; so that even those objects cannot fully depend on themselves, indeed they are independent of all others except Alalh, you may say.

Qurtubi:
Al-Aqlishi said: "There is a difference between Al-Qāîm and Al-Qayyūm, Al-Qāîm stands unwavering over all creation and attends to its needs and all in it needs Al- Qāîm. Al-Qayyūm needs only its own Nafs (Self) and no other and stands over all creation as well.

Dara: All actual entities in this world of ours are the result of  the concrescence of many other entities and Prehensions. For example, our bodies are the result of the concretion of atoms, molecules, DNA polymers, cells, components such as skin, hair, heart, hand, and lungs and so on. Who keeps all these integrated together? Who prevents them from falling apart from each other? Hu (IT, He) is Al-Qayyūm (Self-Subsisting)! The integrator of components, inter-relater of all relationships, the force, the glue that keeps things together, the endower that gives them needs and perquisites and the endower that satisfies these needs. 


© 2006-2002,  Dara O. Shayda, Hind Rifai M.D.