Al-Qayyûm: The Self-Existing

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

Allah is the Self-Existing in that He requires nothing to exist. As an example, human beings exist or are alive because of the self within the body. The 'self' governs the body and without the 'self', the body does not see, hear, feel, taste, or move and finally dies. The body and every cell and atom contained within it are in need of the self to survive. This need is unending throughout one's lifetime. If the 'self' were to disappear even for a moment, the body would die. The 'self', on the other hand, is dependent upon the Self-Existing for existence as are all things in the universe. Without this Divine Grace in different degrees and strengths depending upon the need, nothing would exist.