Wahy – inspirations from Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High)

On the ‘About my reversion to Islam - in depth’ page I have written that I had a dream from Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) and also a Wahy about the Qur’an and noted that I do not believe I can use them to propagate Islam.

In support of my belief that they cannot be used to spread the religion I have set out below an extract from Volume 6, pages 94-95, of the English translation of the Tafsir, Ma’ariful Qur’an, by Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi.

The Tafsir can be found on the Internet and can also be bought at various Islamic bookshops in Australia. I bought my set of eight volumes from Darussalam Islamic Bookstore in Lakemba, Sydney, many years ago.

One link to a copy of Volume 6 is:

https://archive.org/details/EnglishMaarifulQuranMuftiShafiUsmanir.aVol6/page/n1/mode/2up

The late Shaykh Muhammad Shafi was one of the most highly regarded shaykhs on the Subcontinent. Born in India in 1897, he was a strictly orthodox Sunni Muslim who followed the Hanafi school.

He taught at Darul Uloom Deoband but resigned in 1943 to devote himself to the Pakistan Movement. A brief biography, which to the best of my knowledge is accurate, can be found in Wikipedia. The link is Muhammad Shafi Deobandi - Wikipedia.

In his commentary on verse 38 of Surah Ta-Ha, the Shaykh explains about the different types of Wahy that come from Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High).

Aside from a few minor changes, including the omission of the Arabic text and some formatting, that do not alter the meaning I have quoted it verbatim.

I have highlighted in red the part where he states that Wahy received by common people like me cannot be used to spread Islam. I would like to add that the Shaykh also writes . . . “saints and other devout people receive such inspirations”, but I am not a saint and do not pretend to be one nor am I a devout man.

Any Muslim who tries to pressure me into using the dream to spread Islam has no right to do so. I do not doubt that Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi is correct in saying that such Wahy cannot be used to spread the religion. I only wish that he had recorded why he believed so.

I suspect that I know the reason, but I am not a qualified scholar and as such cannot give my own opinion about the teachings of Islam.

 The extract reads:

“Can a Revelation be sent to a person who is not a Prophet?

“The truth of the matter is that the literal meaning of the word Wahy is a secret message which can be understood only by the person to whom it is addressed and by no one else. According to this literal sense the word Wahy is not restricted to the prophets only and it can be used for people at large and even to animals.

“In verse 16:68 the word has been used in its literal and general sense, i.e. instructing the bees by means of Wahy.

“Similarly in verse 20:38 the word has been used in its general meaning and this does not necessarily mean that she [ED: Mary] was a prophet. Sayyidah Maryam also received Divine messages though the scholars unanimously hold the view that she was not a prophet. The Wahy of this type is made by means of a Divine inspiration. Allah Ta'ala puts an idea into someone's heart and then confirms him in the belief that it is from Allah Ta'ala. Saints and other devout people receive such inspirations.

“Abu Hayyan and some other scholars hold that sometimes such inspirations can be made through angels as happened to Sayyidah Maryam when Jibra’il (alayhi as-salam – may the peace of Allah be upon him) appeared before her in the form of a human being and conveyed to her the will of Allah Ta'ala.

“These inspirations however, are specific to the person to whom they are made and are not meant for (ED: to be made) public or to be used for the propagation of the True Faith,whereas the Wahy which is revealed to the prophets aims at appointing someone to reform people and enjoining upon him to invite people to the True Faith. It is the duty of such a person not only to have complete faith in his Wahy himself, but also to bind others to accept his prophethood and the Wahy and to pronounce as infidels those who deny him.

This is the difference between Wahy in the sense of Ilham or literal and the Wahy of a prophet or technical Wahy.

“Literal Wahy has always been there and will be there forever, whereas the prophethood and (Wahy of a prophet) have ceased with the Holy Prophet (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), who was the last Prophet.

“Some respected scholars have given them the names of legislative Wahy and non-legislative Wahy.

“The false prophet of Qadiyan has used these definitions and certain writings of Sheikh Muhiyy-uddin Ibn 'Arabi in support of his claim to prophethood. His arguments, however, are contrary to what Ibn 'Arabi himself has written.”

I want to stress that even though I have been blessed with Wahy from Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) that does not mean I am important.

On the contrary, I believe that Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) expects nothing but abject humility at all times, whether it be with Him or others.

At the very best I am nothing more than an utterly worthless wretch of no importance, whom Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) found in the gutters of life – if not literally at least figuratively - and upon whom He took pity. That is the very best that can be said of me except that I am a Muslim.

My solace is that Rasoolullah (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) has said that even the most humble of Muslims is great in Allah’s eyes.