Prophet Zechariah عليه السلام Doing Wahi to His People

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعدى

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Prayers of blessings and peace upon the one after whom there is no prophet

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds. One of the beautiful subjects in the holy Religion of Islam is Wahi. Wahi is a term that means divine inspiration or revelation. Additionally, in a linguistic sense, it may also mean to give a sign (to signal, to gesture), to whisper, to send a secret message (Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage; p.1016). In the meaning of Wahi is the sense of speed, so that the one who receives a Wahi receives it quickly into his heart. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

وَمَا کَانَ لِبَشَرٍ اَنۡ یُّکَلِّمَہُ اللّٰہُ اِلَّا وَحۡیًا اَوۡ مِنۡ وَّرَآیِٔ حِجَابٍ اَوۡ یُرۡسِلَ رَسُوۡلًا فَیُوۡحِیَ بِاِذۡنِہٖ مَا یَشَآءُ ؕ اِنَّہٗ عَلِیٌّ حَکِیۡمٌ

And it is not for a mortal human that Allah should speak to him except by Wahi, or from behind a veil or by sending a Messenger to do Wahi by His permission what He wants. Surely, He is High, Wise

(Surah 42, Ayah 51)

It is the third form of communication between Allah and humans (Allah sending a Messenger of His to do Wahi) that is the subject of discussion in this blog post. While many of the Mufassirin have interpreted the Messenger which Allah sends to do Wahi as a reference to the Archangel Gabriel عليه السلام or else another such Angel, others have explained that what is meant is a human Prophet. Hence, in the Tafsir of Imam al-Baidawi concerning Allah’s Saying “or He sends a Messenger to do Wahi by His permission of what He wants”:

أو يرسل إليه نبياً فيبلغ وحيه كما أمره

Or he sends to him a Prophet who conveys his Wahi as He commanded him (v.5 p.85)

Likewise, Zamakhshari has mentioned in his famous Tafsir al-Kashshaf in explanation of the portion of the Ayah “or He sends a Messenger...”:

أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولاً أي نبيناً كما كلم أمم الأنبياء على ألسنتهم

A Prophet like how He spoke to the nations of the Prophets in their tongues (p.983)

And this interpretation is strengthened by the example mentioned in the Quran of the holy Prophet Zechariah عليه السلام doing Wahi to his people:

فَخَرَجَ عَلٰی قَوۡمِہٖ مِنَ الۡمِحۡرَابِ فَاَوۡحٰۤی اِلَیۡہِمۡ اَنۡ سَبِّحُوۡا بُکۡرَۃً وَّعَشِیًّا

So he (Zechariah) came out to his people from the Altar and did Wahi to them that they should glorify (Allah) in the morning and in the evening

(Surah 19, Ayah 11)

This episode has been detailed in the Gospel, which says: “And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless” (Luke 1:22)

The Mufassirin have interpreted Zechariah عليه السلام doing Wahi to his people to mean he used gestures to communicate with them for his Sign was that he could not speak to the people for three nights (Surah 19, Ayah 10). This is confirmed elsewhere in the Quran:

قَالَ اٰیَتُکَ اَلَّا تُکَلِّمَ النَّاسَ ثَلٰثَۃَ اَیَّامٍ اِلَّا رَمۡزًا

He said, “Your Sign is that you will not speak to the people for three days except by gesture

(Surah 3, Ayah 41)

Nonverbal communication by means of signs and gestures is also associated with the Prophet Ezekiel عليه السلام

But I say it is also possible to understand Prophet Zechariah عليه السلام making Wahi to his people to mean that he was granted the ability to inspire into their hearts and minds, similar to how the Angels and the Holy Spirit inspire what Allah wants into the hearts of the Prophets, Saints and Believers. This kind of extrasensory perception is also affirmed for the Messiah Jesus عليه السلام

فَلَمَّاۤ اَحَسَّ عِیۡسٰی مِنۡہُمُ الۡکُفۡرَ

ِSo when Jesus sensed unbelief from them

(Surah 3, Ayah 52)

This is an instance of the Messiah عليه السلام having an extrasensory perception granted to him by Allah whereby he could sense unbelief from the hearts of the Children of Israel.