The life of this world...

The life of this world, in comparison to the life hereafter is not a real life, as the above-mentioned verse shows. It is transitory, while the life hereafter is the real life, because that life will not end; death will not reach it. Allah says: . . . in security; they shall not taste therein death except the first death (44:55-56); They shall have therein what they wish and with Us is more yet (50:35).

Thus, there will be no death in the life hereafter, and there shall be no deficiency in that life nor there shall be any annoyance for them. But the first factor, that is, security is the basic characteristic of that real life. The life hereafter, therefore, is the real life because there is no death in it; and, as Allah Himself has declared in many other verses, it is He Who controls it. Obviously, the life hereafter is also dependent and not independent.

It has not got this characteristic of eternity by itself; it is a gift given to it by God. Going a step further, it will be realized that the real life is only that which 'cannot' be overtaken by death. The life here­after 'will not' be overtaken by death; but it 'can' be overtaken, if God so pleases. Therefore, that also is not "real" life.

Real life is that in which non-existence at any stage is impossible; which is essential being; in other words, where life is not acquired by the person, but the person is life itself and life is the person himself. Allah says: and rely on the Ever-living Who dies not (25:58). Thus, the only real life is Divine Life, Essential Being.

The above discourse shows that the exclusiveness in the verse: He is the Living, there is no god but He (40:65) is real, not relative: In reality, He is the only Living One, because real life, unconquered by death or deterioration, is His alone. In the verse under discussion, as in a similar verse: Allah there is no god but He, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting . . .

(3:2), the word "Allah" is the subject, "there is no god but He" is its first predicate, "the Ever-living" is the second and "the Self-subsisting . . ." the third predicate. Accordingly, the meaning would be "Allah is the Ever-living. . ." ; and life would be reserved for Allah only; others would get life only when He bestows it on them.

"al-Qayyum" (the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist) is on the paradigm of fay 'ul from the verb al-qiyam to stand); as is al-qayyam on the paradigm of fay'al, in the same meaning.