The Mirror of Knowledge

The Mirror of Knowledge

The Meaning of Revelation in the Quran with an Emphasis on the Consciousness of All Beings

Document Type : Scientific-research

Authors
Seyyed Hatam Mahdavi Noor 1
Abdovahid Vafaei 2
1 Department of Islamic Studies, YI.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Islamic Studies, ST.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
10.48308/jipt.2026.242925.1725
Abstract
In Islamic theology, revelation (wahy) is often understood within the framework of legislative revelation given to the prophets. However, the Holy Quran employs this root regarding prophets, non-prophetic human beings, honeybees, the heavens and the earth, satanic promptings, and hidden human communications as well. The central issue of this article is whether these applications are merely homonyms and scattered metaphors, or if they possess a unified semantic core. Using a conceptual-interpretive analysis method and relying on lexical, exegetical, and philosophical sources, the article reconstructs the lexical core of wahy based on three components: “conveyance of meaning,” “speed,” and “hiddenness.” Subsequently, considering the verses regarding the glorification (tasbih), speech, and gathering (hashr) of beings, as well as the gradation (tashkik) of consciousness in Transcendent Theosophy, it defines wahy as “the fast and hidden conveyance of meaning or command to a recipient, proportionate to their existential rank.” Simultaneously, it distinguishes between legislative, inspirational, and ontological (cosmological) revelation, and its lexical or metaphorical uses, in order to preserve the authority (hujjiyyah) of prophetic revelation. The conclusion is that the structural unity of wahy is a Quranic-philosophical formulation of the levels of conveying meaning and command in the universe.
Keywords
Revelatory conveyance
Inspiration
Prophetic experience
Wahy
The Holy Qurʾān.
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