The Living Month

الْحَيُّ

Al-Ḥayy — The Ever-Living

وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لَا يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِ ۚ

And trust thou in the Living One Who dieth not, and hymn His praise. He sufficeth as the Knower of His bondmen's sins

Surah Al-Furqān (25:58)

Intention

Today, I will stay up longer than usual tonight — meeting Al-Ḥayy in the hours most people sleep through.

Reflection

Al-Ḥayy in Ramadan: the Ever-Living is most intensely encountered in the month where you are most awake. The long tarāwīḥ prayers, the tahajjud before suhoor, the nights spent with the Quran — Ramadan pushes you into the hours where Al-Ḥayy is most accessible. The last third of every Ramadan night is a meeting with the Living One who never sleeps.

On this verse

While you sleep and wake, He never does. While you fast and eat, He needs nothing. Rely on the One who outlasts everything.

Du'a

The opening of the Prophet (peace be upon him)'s night prayer — invoking three archangels and three attributes. In Ramadan's nights, this du'a opens a direct channel.

Hadith

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'When the son of Adam dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: a continuing charity, knowledge that benefits, or a righteous child who prays for him.'

— Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1631