Sharif Jurjānī (may Allah have mercy on him) says in his “Taʿrīfāt”: “Ilham (ilhām), is that which is cast into the heart (qalb) by way of spiritual effusion (fayḍ). It is said: ‘Ilham is a knowledge that falls into the heart and this knowledge calls one to action without adducing a verse (āya) as proof or reflecting upon a proof.’[1]
Ilham may occur either directly from the Exalted Allah or (by His permission) through angels. From such ilham, commands, prohibitions, encouragements, and warnings are understood.
A. Ilham from Allah
The Exalted Allah, in His Book, narrates to us about Maryam (may Allah be pleased with her), how she sought refuge under a date palm tree on a winter day, and how, without any intermediary, a spiritual ilham and revelation (waḥy) was addressed to her. In Sūrat Maryam, verses 25–26:
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“Shake the trunk of the palm tree toward you; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So eat and drink and be contented.”
Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī (may Allah have mercy on him), in his tafsir (tafsīr) of this verse, states that this is similar to what is mentioned regarding the mother of Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) in Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ 28:7:
“And We inspired to the mother of Musa.” This, too, was something cast and inspired into the heart by way of spiritual breathing.[2]
The Exalted Allah (glorified and exalted is He), regarding the mother of Musa (peace be upon him), when she was distressed over her son and Pharaoh’s armies were about to attack to kill him, informed us in Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ 28:7 that He inspired and revealed to her directly, without intermediary:
“And We inspired to the mother of Musa, ‘Suckle him; but when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear and do not grieve. Indeed, We will return him to you and will make him [one] of the messengers.’”[3]
The mother of Musa (Levhan b. Henit) cast her beloved child into the river (the Nile) with its mighty waves. What could become of this noble child amid the river’s violent waves, except destruction? Yet, being accustomed to hearing revelation (ilham) from her Lord in both solitude and company, and possessing certain knowledge regarding her son Musa (peace be upon him), she relied solely on her Lord and entrusted him to the river.
Levhan was thus a believing woman. She was not a prophet but a walī (friend of God).[4] In the Israelite community, such a woman was Maryam (may Allah be pleased with her). Now, what can be said regarding the community of Muhammad? For Allah, the Exalted, bears witness in Sūrat Āl ʿImrān 3:110 that they are the best community raised up for mankind:
“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.”
B. Ilham from Angels
An angel may converse with a human, as the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The thought cast by the angel into the heart is to promise good and affirm truth. Whoever finds this in his heart, let him know it is from Allah; so let him praise Allah.”[5]
Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “The Exalted Allah, in Sūrat Āl ʿImrān 3:42:
‘[And mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds."’ According to this verse, know that Maryam (may Allah be pleased with her) was not a prophet. For Allah, the Exalted, says in Sūrat Yūsuf 12:109:
“And We sent not before you [as messengers] except men to whom We revealed from among the people of the cities.”
Since Maryam (may Allah be pleased with her) was not among the prophets, the coming of Jibril (Gabriel, peace be upon him) to her is a karāma (saintly wonder). The face-to-face conversation between Maryam (may Allah be pleased with her) and Jibril (peace be upon him) is not unique to her; angels have conversed with many other righteous people.[6]
It is narrated that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A man set out to visit a brother of his in another town. Allah sent an angel to watch over his path. When the man came upon the angel, the angel asked, ‘Where are you going?’ He replied, ‘I am going to visit a brother of mine in this town.’ The angel asked, ‘Is there any favor you hope to obtain from him?’ He replied, ‘No, except that I love him for the sake of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.’ The angel said, ‘I am a messenger sent to you by Allah to inform you that Allah loves you as you love your brother for His sake.’”[7]
The commentator of “Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn,” Allāma Muḥammad b. ʿAllān Ṣiddīqī Shāfiʿī (may Allah have mercy on him), says: “The Exalted Allah sent an angel to watch over his path, and when he met him, asked, ‘Where are you going?’ The apparent meaning is that the angel spoke to him face-to-face and directly.”[8]
The Exalted Allah, in Sūrat Fuṣṣilat 41:30–31:
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“Indeed, those who have said, ‘Our Lord is Allah’ and then remained steadfast – the angels will descend upon them, [saying], ‘Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised. We were your allies in worldly life and [are so] in the Hereafter.’”
Allāma Ālūsī (may Allah have mercy on him), in his tafsir of this verse, says: “The descent of the angels occurs at the time of death, when one is placed in the grave, and at the time of resurrection (baʿth). It is said that the descent of the angels also refers to their opening the hearts of the servants through ilham in times of religious and worldly hardship, removing their fear and sorrow, and assisting them. The apparent meaning is that the angels descend upon them in three or more situations. Some scholars say that, at many times, angels descend upon the pious and they receive ilham and addresses from them. Reflect well on this.
Then Ālūsī (may Allah have mercy on him), continuing his tafsir of Sūrat Fuṣṣilat 41:30, says:
‘Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised.’
That is, the glad tidings of Paradise promised by the prophets refer to the time of resurrection (baʿth), one of the three times when the angels descend, and the believers are given the good news of entering Paradise. Again, Ālūsī (may Allah have mercy on him), in Sūrat Fuṣṣilat 41:31:
‘We were your allies in worldly life and [are so] in the Hereafter.’ This is among the glad tidings of this world, meaning, ‘We are your helpers in all your affairs. We inspire you with the truth and guide you to goodness and righteousness.’ He continues: In other situations as well, angels converse face-to-face with some of the people of taqwa and say, ‘We are your allies in worldly life.’[9]
Fakhr al-Dīn Rāzī (may Allah have mercy on him), in his tafsir of these verses, says: “The Exalted Allah informs us that the angels say to the believers:
‘We are your allies in worldly life and in the Hereafter.’ The meaning is: Just as devils influence souls with whisperings and false imaginings, so too do angels affect human souls through ilham, direct unveilings (kashf), and true spiritual stations (maqām).
For the people of unveiling and witnessing, it is well known that all angels are friends of all pure and good souls. This friendship endures both in this world and the Hereafter. Indeed, this connection with the angels is established and cannot be lost; rather, after death it becomes even stronger and more lasting. For the essence of the nafs is of the same kind as the angels; it is like a ray compared to the sun, or a drop compared to the sea. The corporeal connections between angels and the nafs are such that, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
‘If devils did not circulate in the heart of the son of Adam, the son of Adam would behold the angelic realms of the heavens.’ When corporeal ties and bodily management are removed, so too are veils and obstacles. The effect reaches its cause; the drop reaches the sea, the ray reaches the sun. This is the meaning of the verse:
‘We were your allies in worldly life and [are so] in the Hereafter.’[10]
ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn (may Allah be pleased with him) used to hear the glorification of the angels. When he fell ill and was cauterized, he could no longer hear it. After some time, Allah restored this to him and he again heard the angels’ glorification. Ibn al-Athīr (may Allah have mercy on him), in his book “Usd al-Ghābah,” narrates with his chain: The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade cauterization. ʿImrān (may Allah have mercy on him) said: ‘We were cauterized, but we neither prospered nor succeeded.’
It is also narrated that when he was ill, the angels would greet him with peace. When he was cauterized, the angels’ greeting ceased, but after some time, he again began to hear their greeting.[11]
Sufis call the knowledge born of ilham ‘ilm al-ladun (divine, direct knowledge). This knowledge is obtained purely by Allah’s grace, without the mediation of words (kalima).
Some say:
‘We learned knowledge without letters or sound,
We recited it without error or omission.’
That is, by means of divine effusion and lordly ilham, we learned without verbal instruction or oral teaching.
When Imam Ghazālī (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about ilham, he said: ‘Ilham is the light of the lamp of the unseen. This light falls upon a pure, subtle, empty heart.’ All of this indicates the possibility of unveiling (kashf) and the soundness of ilham. When the heart is emptied of worldly attachments and sorrows, and purified from the darkness and stains of sin, true ilham and unveiling become possible. Do you not see that flies settle only on dirty, unwashed vessels? In the same way, dark, satanic beings descend only upon corrupted hearts. Thus, the heart is veiled from contemplating the ḥaqīqa (inner reality). The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘If devils did not circulate in the heart of the son of Adam, they would behold the angelic realms of the heavens.’[12]
However, these whisperings are removed from the heart by constant dhikr (remembrance of God) and vigilant awareness of Allah. Indeed, the devil places his snout (mouth) upon the heart of the son of Adam. If he remembers Allah, the devil withdraws; if he forgets, the devil swallows his heart like a morsel.”[13] When the heart becomes accustomed to whisperings and falls heedless of Allah’s remembrance, it becomes diseased. But if the heart becomes accustomed to dhikr, is irrigated by its light, and the sun of Allah’s manifestations shines upon it, then the heart is revived and counted among the living. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘The example of one who remembers his Lord and one who does not is like that of the living and the dead.’[14]
Whenever a believer persists in Allah’s remembrance, he becomes upright upon the sharia (sacred law), is adorned with taqwa (God-consciousness), finds intimacy with his Lord, and—by Allah’s will—becomes truly alive. Sufis say: ‘Hearts are of two kinds: one that does not give birth and is not near to giving birth. This heart, rather, is like a fetus in the womb of desires (shahwa), deviations, and errors.
The other is a heart that gives birth, soaring into the expanse of tawhid (the oneness of God), flying into the sky of maʿrifa (gnosis), and is freed from the darkness, desires, and caprice of the nafs. By Allah’s permission, it is gladdened, illuminated by the rays of certainty, and becomes a clear mirror. Satan can no longer find a way into such a heart nor affect it. These states are not far-fetched. Spiritual strength has entered the unseen world; its owner, once dead, is revived, once in darkness, is illuminated, and once satanic, is now angelic. Allah, the Exalted, says in Sūrat al-Anʿām 6:122:
‘Is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him a light by which to walk among the people...’
Undoubtedly, these spiritual secrets cannot be attained by mere words. If a person has no share in something, there is no harm in leaving it to its people. The arrow is given to the archer.
As a poem says:
‘Just as there are peoples created for density,
There are hearts and eyes created for love.’
The least share in this knowledge is to affirm it and entrust it to its people. The least punishment for those who deny it is to have no share in it. For this knowledge belongs to the truthful (ṣiddīqūn) and those brought near (muqarrabūn) to Allah.[15]
From the Erginli Dictionary
(ilham-i ilahi; mukālama; taʿlīm-i rabbānī—‘ilm-i insānī; umniyya)
Khawatir: That which comes to the heart; if it is for a good deed, it is called ilham. For these khawatir are either ilham, or a prompting from the nafs, or from the enemy (Satan) out of envy, or else from the angel. (Küt, I, 126)
Revelation (waḥy) may occur while awake or in sleep (without seeing the angel), by hearing a voice, by fully grasping the speech (kalām), or in the form of ilham. This may be an explicit revelation or a dream that needs no interpretation or explanation. If the narrative continues, one of these may be needed. This varies by person, time, and custom. Revelation is subject to interpretation, and ruling to explanation. (Ishārāt, IV, 144)
Khawatir are addresses that come to the heart. Sometimes the angel, sometimes Satan, sometimes the nafs, and sometimes Allah, the Exalted, cast these khawatir into the heart. If from the angel, it is called ilham; if from the nafs, hawājis; if from Satan, waswās (waswās). If the khatir is from Allah, it is called khatir al-Ḥaqq. (Qushayri, 46)
Allah, the Exalted, says: ‘One who had knowledge from the Book said, “I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.”’ Ilham is the station (maqām) of the muḥaddathūn (those spoken to by inspiration). This station is above the station of firāsa (spiritual insight), for firāsa is rare or may be difficult for its possessor and cause distress, whereas ilham only occurs in a noble station.
Ilham has three degrees: The first is the ilham of the prophets, which is almost as certain as hearing, or occurs as absolute revelation (waḥy). The second is ilham that occurs as a vision; its sign is that it does not tear any veil, does not exceed limits, and is never subject to error. The third is ilham that arises only for the sake of verified certainty; this ilham speaks only from pre-eternity. Ilham has a goal that is refrained from being indicated by signs (ishāra). (Manāzil, 30)
Khawatir are things that arise in the heart from remembrance (dhikr) and reflection. By this, I mean the knowledge that comes to the heart through renewal and recollection. They are called khawatir because they come to the heart when it is unaware. These khawatir are what set the will in motion. Surely, intention, resolve, and will only arise after something is recalled. The beginning of actions is khawatir.
A khatir moves desire, desire moves resolve, resolve moves intention, and intention moves the limbs, thus action occurs. The khatir that moves desire is of two kinds: one that leads to evil (harmful in the future), and one that leads to good (beneficial in the Hereafter). Because these are two different khawatir, they have different names: the khatir that calls to good is called ilham, the one that calls to evil is called waswasa. Know that these khawatir are created, and every created thing must have a creator. (Iḥyāʾ, III, 32–33)
Taʿlīm-i Rabbānī (divine instruction): Divine knowledge reaches a person by one of two ways. The first is revelation (waḥy): when the nafs attains perfection (kamāl), is purified from its natural impurities and the stains of greed and ambition, turns away from worldly (dunyā) desires, severs attachment to vain and empty wishes, and turns to its Creator and Lord, clinging to His grace and bounty, relying on the effusion of His light. Allah, with His beautiful favor, turns fully to this nafs purified from all filth, and with a divine gaze, makes it a tablet, and from the Universal Soul (al-nafs al-kullī), a pen, recording all knowledge upon that tablet. The Universal Intellect is the teacher, the Sacred Soul is the student. Thus, the nafs attains all knowledge; all forms are imprinted upon it without thought or learning.
The second way is ilham: ilham is the Universal Soul informing the individual soul according to its purity, capacity, and aptitude. Ilham is an effect of revelation, for revelation pertains to the unseen.
Source: Zafer Erginli (ed.), Metinlerle Tasavvuf Terimleri Sözlüğü.