The Quran distinguishes between one thing and another in its use of the term “perishing.” The Most High says:

“If a man dies leaving no child.”

And the Most High says:

“Do not throw yourselves into destruction with your own hands.”

And the Most High says:

“They prevent others from it and keep away from it themselves. Yet they destroy none but themselves, though they do not realize it.”

And the Most High says:

“They say, ‘There is nothing but our life in this world. We die and live, and nothing destroys us but time.’”

And the Most High says:

“How many towns We have destroyed! Our punishment came upon them by night or while they rested at midday.”

And the Most High says:

“How many generations We destroyed before them!”

And He says:

“There is no town that We will not destroy before the Day of Resurrection.”

And He says:

“In the city there were nine men who spread corruption in the land and did not set things right.”

“They said, ‘Swear to one another by Allah that we will attack him and his family by night. Then we will say to his next of kin, “We did not witness the destruction of his family.”’”

And He says:

“How many generations We have destroyed after Noah!”

And the angels said:

“We will destroy the people of this town.”

And He says:

“Did We not destroy the earlier peoples?”

“Then We will follow them with the later ones.”

These verses indicate that perishing involves transformation and corruption in an existing thing, as we shall explain. It does not mean that the thing does not derive its existence from itself, for all created things share that characteristic.

Third:

It may be said that, on this interpretation, the meaning would be that everything other than Him is contingent, capable of nonexistence, and does not derive its existence from itself. But this is not the meaning they intend. Rather, they intend that everything other than Him derives its existence from Him. There is a clear difference between these two meanings: stating that something is contingent, capable of nonexistence, and does not derive its existence from itself is different from stating that it exists and that its existence comes from Allah.