الوَحي — Waḥy
Root: و-ح-ي
Linguistic Meaning
Waḥy in its linguistic sense means to communicate something without speaking — through gesture, expression, sign, or instinct. A subtle, wordless communication that conveys meaning.
"Sometimes after a long marriage, a husband and wife can look across a room at each other and without saying anything understand what the other is thinking — that is waḥy in the linguistic sense."
The key quality: the communication happens without words, yet meaning is transmitted clearly.
Terminological Meaning
In Islamic terminology, waḥy is divine inspiration sent from Allah to the prophets — the mechanism by which revelation (tanzīl) is conveyed.
Broader Quranic Usages
The same word أَوحَى is used in the Quran for three distinct types of communication:
| Type | Recipient | Nature |
|---|---|---|
| Prophetic waḥy | Prophets and Messengers | Full divine revelation — Quran, Sunnah |
| Divine instinct | Animals (e.g., bees) | Built-in guidance; natural behaviour directed by Allah |
| Divinely-placed inspiration | Righteous people (e.g., Umm Mūsā) | A strong feeling or certainty placed in the heart by Allah, not prophetic revelation |
Waḥy to the Bee — Sūrat al-Naḥl 16:68
وَأَوحَى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعرِشُون "And your Lord inspired the bee: take houses from the mountains, and from the trees, and from what they erect."
Here أَوحَى = divine instinct. The bee was not a prophet. Allah built this guidance into its very nature.
Waḥy to the Mother of Mūsā
وَأَوحَيْنَا إِلَى أُمِّ مُوسَى أَن أَرضِعِيهِ (Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:7) "And We inspired the mother of Mūsā: suckle him..."
This is a divinely-inspired certainty in her heart — not prophetic revelation.
In Sūrat Yūsuf, Āyah 3
بِمَا أَوحَيْنَا إِلَيكَ هَذَا القُرآن "...through what We revealed to you of this Quran."
The story of Yūsuf was completely unknown to the Prophet ﷺ before this waḥy — proof that the Quran could only come from Allah.
Derivatives
| Arabic | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| وَحَى / أَوحَى | Form I / Form IV | to inspire, to reveal |
| وَحي | maṣdar/noun | waḥy, revelation, inspiration |
| مُوحًى | ism mafʿūl (Form IV) | that which is revealed/inspired |
Session References
- Surah Yusuf Session 4: Linguistic vs. terminological meaning of waḥy; three types of Quranic usage (prophets, bees, Umm Mūsā); applied to Āyah 3.