| Answer: The word
wahi has a literal meaning and is also used as a term. It
is used in the literal meaning (to put something in the mind)
in the verse you have referred to. As a term, it is used in
the Qur’an at many instances as you very well know. When used
as a term, it means religious guidance provided by the
Almighty to His messengers.
So one must try to
determine when a word is used literally and when it is used as
a term. Such variation in usage is very customary for many
other Arabic words as well. Take the case of the word zakah
for example. As a term, it means a prescribed amount given in
the way of Allah to obtain purity of heart and to obtain the
blessings of Allah. Literally speaking, however, the word
zakah, in Arabic, has two meanings: “purity” and “growth.”
The words “purify them” in the first and ‘people who will
increase their wealth’ in the second verse of the Qur’an
quoted below indicate these two meanings of the word:
خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً
تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِمْ بِهَا (٩:١٠٣)
Take charity from their wealth [O
Prophet!] in order to cleanse them and purify them with it.
(9:103)
وَمَا آتَيْتُمْ مِّنْ زَكَاةٍ تُرِيدُونَ
وَجْهَ اللَّهِ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُضْعِفُوْنَ(٣٠:٣٩)
And that which you give as zakah, seeking
Allah’s countenance, it is these people who will increase
their wealth [in the Hereafter]. (30:39)
In other words, in
these two verses, the word zakah is used in its two literal
meanings and not used as a term.
So one must appreciate
that all words that become terms are never stripped of their
original literal meaning. The real thing is that one must be
able to distinguish the difference in such usage. Consulting a
good commentary or some scholar could always be of help on
such occasions.
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