upon light.”

The faith in the believer’s heart thus accords with the light of the Quran. Sometimes inspiration in the heart takes the form of statements and knowledge, and of supposing that a particular statement is false, that a particular action is invalid, or that one thing carries greater weight or is more correct than another.

An authentic hadith reports that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Among the nations before you were people who were inspired. If there is any such person in my community, it is Umar.”

Such a person is one who receives inspiration and is addressed inwardly. Umar never said of anything, “I think it is such and such,” without its proving to be as he thought. They believed that tranquility spoke through his heart and tongue.

Furthermore, if matters pertaining to the created world may be disclosed to a believing servant because of the strength of his faith—whether with certainty or conjecture—then religious matters are all the more readily disclosed to him, since he has a greater need for their disclosure. Evidence concerning things arises in the believer’s heart that he is usually unable to express, for not everyone can articulate the meanings within his heart.

When a liar speaks in the presence of a truthful person, the latter recognizes his falsehood from the tenor of his words. A strong sense of faith-born modesty then comes over him, preventing him from speaking out; inwardly, however, he has already taken precautions against the liar. He may nevertheless hint at the falsehood or state it explicitly, out of fear of Allah and compassion for Allah’s creatures, so that they beware of transmitting the liar’s account or acting upon it.