Waḥy

"Wahi" redirects here. For other uses, seeWahi (disambiguation).

Waḥyu(Arabic:وَحْي,IPA:[waħj];pl.:وُحِيّwuḥiyy,IPA:[wuħijː];also spelledwahi) is the Arabic word forrevelation.In Islamic belief, revelations areGod's word delivered by his chosen individuals – known asMessenger prophets– to mankind.

Quran

InIslam,theQuranis considered a revelation given to the Islamic prophet,Muhammad.The wordawha(أوحىawḥá) occurs in a number of shades of meaning, each of them indicating the main underlying idea of directing or guiding someone or something.

• "...andinspiredin each heaven its command "(Quran 41:12-Sahih International).
• "And your lordinspiredto the bee "(16:68).
• "And weinspiredto the mother ofMoses"(28:7).

Islamic scholars say that there is a clear difference between these kinds ofwahyandwahyto the Messenger Prophet. The prophets were very much conscious about revelations and they firmly believed that the revelations were true and came from the Almighty God. The wordwahy(revelation) is derived fromawha.

InIslamic tradition,Quran 42:51serves as the basis of understanding forwaḥy.

"It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills".

Based on this, Islamic scholars have described three ways in whichGod's revelation can reach his chosen individuals, especiallyprophets.

• An inspired message – not a word but an idea – can enter the heart of the chosen individuals either in the state of consciousness or in dream.
• The second mode, it is said, is the word heard by the person spoken to, like, from behind a veil (indirectly). An example would be Moses and the burning bush.
• In the third mode, the revelation is sent from God through archangels likeGabrieland is delivered to the prophets. It is the highest form of revelation, andMuslimsbelieve the whole Quran was revealed in this mode.

Purpose

According toIslamic scholarMuhammad Shafi Usmani,God has created three media through which human receive knowledge: thesenses,the faculty of reason,and the divine revelation; and it is the third one that addresses the liturgical and eschatological issues, answers the questions regarding God's purpose behind creating mankind, and acts as a guidance for the mankind as to choosing the correct way.In Islamic belief, the sequence of divine revelation came to an end with Muhammad.

Mode of descent

As regard to revelation received byMuhammad,Muslim sources mention various modes in which they believe revelation came to him. Muslim scholarMuhammad Shafi Usmanihas summarized five modes of descent. The common mode was that Muhammad would hear sound like "the ringing of a bell" after which he found the message committed to his memory. Sometimes, the archangel would come in human shape, most often ofDihyah al-Kalbi.In two cases, Gabriel appeared in his real form. Once, on the night ofMiraj,Muhammad is believed to have had a direct conversation with God. In the fifth mode, Gabriel would let the revelation enter into Muhammad's heart.

See also

• Ilham
• Divine inspiration
• Tanzil

Further reading

• Tamer, Georges,Revelation,in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God (2 vols.), Edited by C. Fitzpatrick and A. Walker, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 2014, Vol. II, pp. 524–527.ISBN1610691776.
• M. M. Azami(2003).The History of the Qur'anic Text from Revelation to Compilation: A Comparative Study with the Old and New Testaments.UK Islamic Academy.ISBN978-1872531656.
• 1000 Qudsi Hadiths: An Encyclopedia of Divine Sayings;New York: Arabic Virtual Translation Center; (2012)ISBN978-1-4700-2994-4

External links

• Revelation and how it came to the Prophet Muhammad (s),search for "wahy"
• Q16:68,50+ translations, islamawakened.com