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القرآن
2 The Qur'an explains the Qur'an 6 / 9

Reveal or inspire: according to who receives

Observation 4 examples 1 min

The root وحي denotes a discreet communication. The text modulates it by recipient: addressed to a prophet, it is revelation; addressed to others (a mother, the bee, the sky, the earth), it is inspiration. The translation keeps these two words, and a third when a human addresses it to humans.

Moussa receives revelation: "listen to what is revealed" (20:13); "We had revealed to Moussa" (20:77). Moussa and his brother say it themselves: "It has been revealed to us" (20:48).

His mother receives inspiration: "We inspired your mother with what was inspired" (20:38); "We inspired Moussa's mother" (28:7). The same root, in the same account, takes two senses according to who receives it.

Inspiration extends to creation: "your Guardian inspired the bee" (16:68); "inspired to each sky its command" (41:12); the earth will recount its news "for your Guardian will have inspired it" (99:5). It even exists among the prophets' enemies, "who inspire one another with embellished speech" (6:112).

Finally, when a human addresses other humans this way, it is neither: Zakariya, deprived of speech, "signaled to them" (19:11).

In the text

Example 20:13
فَٱسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَىٰٓ
“listen to what is revealed”
The recipient is a prophet: reveal.
Example 20:38
إِذْ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّكَ مَا يُوحَىٰٓ
“We inspired your mother with what was inspired”
Same account, another recipient: inspire.
Example 16:68
وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلنَّحْلِ
“your Guardian inspired the bee”
Inspiration given to creation.
Example 19:11
فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِمْ
“signaled to them”
From a human to humans: neither revelation nor inspiration.