The word ‘Mohiyee’ has originated from the word ‘Hayat’. According to Maqayis-ol-Loghata it has two meanings:

Life the opposite of death and to be shameful the opposite of which is to be shameless. But the scholars have reverted the second meaning to the first saying that this shamefulness means the constriction of the soul in the body and this is also the sign of life. In other words shamefulness means to protect oneself from evil, weaknesses and harm.

A point to be noted is that rain is called “Haiy” because it gives life to the dead earth. Clans are also called Haiyy because it denotes the collective life of people. A large snake is called Haiyya because it has more life, movement and strength than its capacity (1)

Raghib has mentioned 6 meanings of Hiyat in Mafuradat.

1. the life of the vegetations; 2, Life of the animals, 3, the life of the human intelligence, 4, life devoid of sadness and full of happiness,5, the eternal life, 6, Life which is one of the attributes of God ( It is the perfect life full of authority and knowledge)

Life has other varieties also like the spiritual life based on belief and which has often been referred to in the Qura’n. Any way, God as Mohiyee (The life giver) is evident in many ways: the vegetation has covered the khaki soil of the earth and consists of big plants as well as small, some are wild and some as herbs and others are the fruit bearing trees. A deep study of their beauty and freshness leads mankind to the greatness of God who is the creator of all.

There are various kinds of animals those who live on the land and those who live water, birds, the cattle, the insects, the tamed animals and the wild ones, the microscopic creatures, the large animals and mammoths and in the end man who is the best of all living beings. We can construe the greatness of the creator who gave life to all of them.

It is certain that the more the life is complicated the greater will be its strangeness. Because the creation of life from something lifeless is an enigma that is yet to be solved. The efforts of thousand of thinker and scholars have been unable to solve it.

When we proceed we find the stream of spiritual life which God has based on His revelations that He sent to His apostles. Verse 122 of Surah Anam says, “Is he, who was dead, we raised him to life.”

In verse 97 of Surah Nahl God says:

Whoever does goodness be it male or female, being a believer, then We shall certainly create for them a good and pure life.”

This kind of des c r i p tion of life has come often in the Qura’n. The life better and greater than this is resurrection and the restructuring of the human form on the rotten bones; it will be a life where there will be no death.

God being Mohiyee here means the symbol of creation and origin in the vast sense for He is the fountainhead of all creations. The message of this attribute is for us to realize that he is the source of all creation.

We have to look up to Him for the preservation of our worldly and spiritual life. It is he who gives life and we should seek life from Him. On the other side the benefit of adopting this attribute is that He becomes the protector and helper of the spiritual as well as the worldly life. We should therefore strive to save the believers in God from spiritual and worldly death and try to draw their attention to God and good deeds.

1. Maqayis-ol-Lughata, Mafuradat, Lisan-ol-Arab, Nihaya of Ibn Athir and Tahqiq fi Kalemate Qura’n