بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوحىٰ لَها
For your Lord will have inspired her.
EXEGESIS
Awḥā (inspired) is a transitive, third-person, singular verb taken from the root w-ḥ-y, which literally means to signal instantly, whether it be through gestures, the use of sounds, or in writing in a hidden or unrecognisable way. It can also mean to inspire, as seen in 16:68, or to issue an order, as in 5:111. It has also been interpreted as the giving of knowledge in secrecy and with speed. A comprehensive perception of these meanings is to make one understand something covertly. Accordingly, in this verse, it refers to a form of revelation through which God will either inspire or command the earth to speak. Both interpretations are acceptable.
The lām in la-hā takes the meaning of the prefix ilā which is translated as to, onto, or towards. Other references within the Quran show that the root verb w-ḥ-y and its derivatives are used with the prefix ilā (see 72:1).
What is certain is that God on that day will convey a command to the earth to expose and narrate all its gathered information, and as the earth is the addressee of the command, it shall respond in obedience.
EXPOSITION
The word waḥy – divine inspiration – has been used in many verses of the Quran to signify a method of communication between God and his different creatures. Mostly it is used for God’s communication with His messengers and prophets, as seen in We have indeed revealed to you as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him, and [as] We revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, Jesus and Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon – and We gave David the Psalms (4:163). Other examples are shown in 10:87 and 53:4.
Other times, waḥy has been used for exceptional personalities who were close to Him but were not messengers, such as the mother of Prophet Moses (a): We revealed to Moses’ mother, [saying]: ‘Nurse him’ (28:7). Or the disciples of Prophet Jesus (a): And when I inspired the Disciples (5:111), and some other examples include the angels as shown in 8:12.
It is also noteworthy that the broader meaning of waḥy includes any secretive communication between two parties. Thus, the source of waḥy is not limited to God or the divine world, and can also originate from the devils (shayāṭīn) to influence human beings in their decision making, as noted elsewhere in the Quran (see 6:121 and 6:112).
Finally, waḥy has also been used in relation to insects: And your Lord inspired the bee (17:68), and inanimate objects as seen in the current discussion. In this context, waḥy means disposing an object or an animate being to behave in a particular way.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
[1] Ayn, 3/320; Raghib, p. 859; Tahdhīb al-Lughah, 5/192.
[2] Tahqiq, 13/58; Bukhari.
[3] Hans Wehr, p. 30.
[4] Habakkuk 2:14.