Al-Hayy: The Living

"Allah! There is no god but He--the Living (Al-Hayy), the Self-Existing, Eternal..." (2:255).

The Living is Allah's quality which perceives and is motivated to action. That which is devoid of action and perception altogether is said to be dead. The lowest level of perception is when the perceiver becomes conscious of self. That which is not conscious of self is inanimate and dead. The perfect and absolute Living is that under which the perception of all perceived things are arranged and all existing things fall under it so that no perceived thing strays away from Allah's knowledge and no motivation, impulse or action strays away from Allah's action. All of that is descriptive of Allah. Allah is the absolute Living.

As for every living being except the Living, its life is commensurate with its perception and motivation, impulse or action, and all of that is restricted to narrow limits. Moreover, there are gradations of living beings. Their ranks are commensurate with their gradation in perception and motivation to action, even as we have indicated before in respect of the ranks of the angels, human beings and animals.