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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Emendation of A Shi‘ite Creed Concerning the descent of revelation (Nuzulu 'l-Wahy) ========================================================= Ash-Shaykh Abu Ja‘far, may Allah have mercy upon him, says *on the descent of revelation that*[^1] , "Our belief concerning this is that there is a Tablet between the two eyes of Israfil . .

." ash-Shaykh al-Mufid, may Allah have mercy upon him, says that Abu Ja‘far depends in this matter on a shadhdh tradition which is not generally accepted. Moreover, he has mentioned previously that the Tablet is an angel of Allah, the Almighty. Wahy, originally, means a hushed speech; it might also bear the meaning of any speech which is intended to be understood by the hearer privately and by no one else, and directed at him and to no one else.

But if it is applied to Allah, the Sublime, then according to the usage of Islam and the law of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, it signifies what has been reserved for the messengers, peace be upon them, alone and is not given to others. Allah, the Sublime, says: So We revealed to Moses's mother, "Suckle him . .

." [28:7]; thereupon Muslims unanimously agreed that the revelation in this case was a vision, or a speech addressed to and heard by Moses's mother alone, when she was asleep. And Allah, the Sublime, says: And thy Lord revealed unto the bees [16:68], which means a secret illumination, since it is restricted to the bees, and the bees are acquainted with it without a speech proclaimed loudly by the speaker in order to be heard by others.

And Allah, the Sublime, says: Surely the devils inspire their friends [6:121], which means that they whisper to their friends through what they introduce into their inmost hearing, by which means they inform privately without telling it abroad. And He, the Exalted, says: He came forth unto his people from the sanctuary and inspired them [19:11], which means that he commanded them without the utterance of words.

He likened this (i.e., his signal to them) to revelation in being hidden from others and secret from them. Allah, the Exalted, (might give illumination to many of His creatures in their dreams, the interpretation of which may be proved sound and their truth established, yet they cannot be specified as revelation, since the shari‘ah has been settled once and for all.