وحى

Core meaning

To convey to someone, directly and out of others' sight, what he must know or do: God's revelation to His messengers, the instruction given to the bee, the silent sign, the saying the diverters whisper to each other.

Uses

1. أَوْحَىٰ / يُوحَىٰٓ / أُوحِىَ → "reveal" : God to His messengers; the messenger follows only what is revealed to him.

   • «إِنَّآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ كَمَآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ نُوحٍۢ» — "We have indeed revealed to you, as We revealed to Nuh" (4:163)
   • «إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ» — "I only follow what is revealed to me" (6:50)

2. أَوْحَىٰ إِلَى ٱلنَّحْلِ → "inspire" : to a creature that is no messenger: the instruction placed within it.

   • «وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلنَّحْلِ» — "And your Guardian inspired the bee" (16:68)

3. فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِمْ → "signal" : Zakariyya, deprived of speech, conveys by a gesture.

   • «فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِمْ» — "and signaled to them" (19:11)

4. يُوحِى بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ → "inspire one another" : the diverters whisper a gilded saying to each other.

   • «يُوحِى بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ زُخْرُفَ ٱلْقَوْلِ» — "who inspire one another with gilded saying" (6:112)

Evidence from the text

The same verb serves for God and for the diverters (6:112): it does not state the holiness of the source but the manner, a direct communication that needs neither witness nor public speech. In 19:11 Zakariyya, who cannot speak, passes to his people the order to glorify by a mere sign.

Coming from God, the verb names the revelation to the messengers, from Nuh to those after him (4:163), and the messenger's rule: he follows only what is revealed to him (6:50, 10:15, 46:9). Addressed to the bee (16:68) or to the earth (99:5), it is rendered "inspire": the instruction written into the creature.

Distinctions

• نزل — نَزَّلَ / أَنزَلَ: to send down the Scripture; وحى: the communication itself, direct and discreet.

See also

نحل (the bee, to which the verb is addressed in 16:68)