Ilhām
Definition
Ilham is the inspiration that Allah places in the heart of the sincere believer — a direct communication not through the formal mechanism of prophethood (which has ended with Muhammad ﷺ) but through the subtle impressions and certainties that a purified heart receives. Al-Ghazali is careful to distinguish ilham from prophetic wahy: it is personal, not authoritative for others, and must always be tested against Quran and Sunna. But he insists that it is real: the heart that has been purified through worship, dhikr, and the removal of spiritual diseases becomes increasingly capable of receiving these divine communications as a natural result of its closeness to Allah.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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