Wahy

Waḥy (Arabic: وحي‎‎, IPA: [waħj]; also spelled wahi) is the Arabic word for revelation. In Islamic belief, revelations are God's Word delivered by his chosen individuals – known as Messengers prophets – to mankind. In Islam, the Quran is considered a wahy given to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. The word awha (أوحى awḥá) occurs in a number of shades of meaning in the Quran, each of them indicating the main underlying idea of directing or guiding someone. The word "wahy" (revelation) is derived from awha.

In Islamic tradition, the 42:51 verse of the Quran serves as the basis of understanding for wahy. It says "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 which God's revelation can reach His chosen individuals, especially prophets. 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. In the third mode, the revelation is sent from God through archangels like Gabriel and is delivered to the prophets. It is the highest form of revelation, and Muslims believe the whole Quran was revealed in this mode.

Ilham is considered a lower form than wahy. Historically, there have been attempts to distinguish between the two terms; however their usage in the Quran points to an interchangeability of the terms.

According to Islamic scholar Muhammad Shafi Usmani, God has created three media through which humans receive knowledge: men’s senses, 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.

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