Inspiration: Its Definition and Characteristics, and Who Are the Most Prominent Inspirers

Definition of inspiration:

It is a revelation from God or a divine signal sent to a person that pushes them to do something and try to make a change or a difference. It is an idea that lights up in a person’s mind, illuminating the way for them and giving them the opportunity to find a solution to a problem or escape from a predicament or disaster that befell them.

Inspiration Characteristics:

1. Inspiration is something of the heart that is neither palpable nor tangible. We perceive it with the mind or the sixth sense, but we do not perceive it with the five senses.
2. Inspiration may push us to break a deadlock or solve a puzzle that we have been unable to do.
3. Inspiration is also an opportunity and honor from God Almighty that He gives us to test our intelligence, patience, and the extent of our love for H
4. Sometimes inspiration is an opportunity to teach, correct a mistake, and get rid of doubt.
5. Inspiration increases insight and strengthens intuition.
6. Inspiration is an alert, not informing.

Meanings of inspiration:

1. According to what God Almighty says in the noble verse: (So He inspired it to its impiety and piety) [Surah: Al-shams, verse: 8]. In this noble verse, the verb “inspired” came in the sense of “know” or “guide,” That is, with the intent of education, awareness, and guidance by God Almighty for one. Here education is a heartfelt matter that God Almighty does through revelations and messages to a person, so that they can learn and obey the commands of God Almighty, and feel reverence in the presence of the Creator.
2. The meaning of inspiration comes also as what is thrown into the heart/soul/mind of a person to motivate them to do something or leave it.
3. The difference between inspiration and informing is that inspiration is more personal because it comes in a learned way or needs an alert.
4. Inspiration for clerics is non-argumentative and does not need a proof, but in the doctrine of the Sufis and orientalists, it is argumentative and needs a clear and compelling proof.
5. Ibn Sina says in defining inspiration and explaining its meanings: It is the spiritual effect that remains in the human soul. It may come in the state of sleep and in the state of wakefulness. It may be weak so that it does not move the imagination or motivate the memory, so it does not leave any trace indicating its existence. It may be strong, so the mind awakens to its presence and the senses awaken from their slumber, and the body awakens from its sleep and the heart awakens from its stillness. So, the image is drawn in the imagination and fixed in the memory. It is either an inspiration or an unambiguous revelation or a dream that does not need to be interpreted or an interpretation of the vision.
6. The scholar Ibn Sina explained in his book “Nine Letters” the vast and great difference between revelation and inspiration. It points that revelation descends to those with pure hearts that are unblemished and not disturbed by hatred, envy, resentment, and major sins. Ibn Sina singled out the descent of revelation to people with pure bodies and souls who did not commit major sins. Only the righteous, the pious, the truthful, the people of the Sunnah, and the people of the Book are honored by the descent of the revelation, and this revelation can turn into a real miracle that becomes audible or visible.
7. The difference between inspiration and revelation is that inspiration comes from an internal source, while revelation comes from an external source. Inspiration comes from moral manifestation, while revelation comes from witness manifestation. Revelation occurs through the manifestation of God and His followers, hearing his words, memorizing what they say, and executing orders. As for inspiration, it is a bright window that shines on a person. It extends a helping hand to them, giving them a great idea or a solution to a problem, illuminating the path for them, and freeing them from the impasses and trenches surrounding them.
8. The difference between inspiration and revelation in the Hadith is that inspiration is more general and more comprehensive than revelation. This is because revelation is conditional on communication, discourse, receiving orders, and tasks. As for inspiration, it is not accompanied by conditions, communication, or instructions.

What does it mean to be inspiring to people?

All people are looking for role models in the positive sense of the word role model, which they emulate in their ordinary lives. The student needs a role model to obtain high academic degrees, and the doctor needs a role model to follow in their footsteps and complete the path, and so forth.

To be an inspiring person for many people, be sure that it is not easy. This is because you will bear additional burdens and great responsibility, and you must remain in the same positive image in order to maintain the state of inspiration and imitation of your personality, behavior, and achievements by others.

Qualities of a person who inspires others:

1. They affect society in a lively and effective way.
2. They push people to make positive lifestyle changes.
3. They serve to reinforce some morals.
4. They help people and give them more.
5. Their supporters turn to them to find solutions to their problems.
6. People love them.
7. The inspirers stay alive over time with their accomplishments, actions, and their ability to change.
8. They persuade people not to accept and surrender to humiliation.
9. The inspirer gives a gift or a word of thanks free of charge.
10. The inspirer sows goodness wherever they go, even for their enemy or people who hate them.
11. The inspirer takes advantage of every second of their time with scientific and practical achievements, guiding people, advising, and educating them.
12. The inspirer does not know despair, weakness of determination or frustration, rather they always keep moving forward.

The most important inspirers in various fields of life:

1. Marie Curie:

1867-1934 AD, she is a scientist in the fields of physics and chemistry from Poland, and she later obtained French citizenship. She is globally classified as the first woman in history to win the famous Nobel Prize. There is another classification as the first woman in the world to win a Nobel Prize in two different fields, which are physics and chemistry at the same time.

2. Rosa Parks:

She is an American citizen, but of African descent, born in 1913 AD and died in 2005 AD. She is an activist and social advocate. She advocated for civil rights legislation for Americans of African descent. She became widely known when she refused to give up her seat on the train or bus to a white person, and this happened in the sixties of the last century when she disobeyed the orders of the bus driver.

3. Emmeline Pankhurst:

She was born in 1858 AD and died in 1928 AD. She is British originally. She worked as a political activist and led the British movement known as Suffragette, which was a quantum leap, as she succeeded in getting British women the right to vote in the year 1918 AD.

4. Ada Lovelace:

She was born in 1815 AD and died in 1852 AD. She is the daughter of the well-known poet Lord Byron. She worked as a mathematician and was famous for being the first computer programmer in history before the advent of computers in their modern and sophisticated form in our time.

She also developed programs and techniques for Charles Babbage's well-known analytical machine, and laid down the basic rules and foundations for programming languages in the modern era. In honor of her, her genius and achievements in programming, programming languages were named after her.

5. Rosalind Franklin:

She was born in 1920 A.D. and died in 1958 A.D. She worked as a scientist in the field of biophysics, and she is British by birth and origin. She worked as an expert in the field of radiography, and she had a prominent and important role in understanding and synthesizing the genetic material strand format of living organisms called DNA, viruses, coal, and graphite.

6. Sima Samar:

An Afghan doctor accomplished in the field of medicine, and she had the honor of pioneering the establishment of clinics, medical, and humanitarian organizations with the aim of improving people’s living conditions and securing their medical and humanitarian needs. She was awarded the Right Livelihood Award by the Swedish government, and the jury explained that she deserved this award well, as she contributed to the defense and advocacy of human rights issues and women's rights in general in many countries and regions of the world.

7. Edward Snowden:

He was a former CIA agent, and he became famous when he leaked the details and mechanism of the Prism program, which was used by the United States of America at the time as a means of espionage, eavesdropping, and knowing what was going on in the world of political and local news. He leaked it to the press in 2013 AD, and on 21/June/2013 AD, the US government charged him with espionage, theft of government property, and transmission of classified information without official authorization. They referred him to the judiciary, after which he sought refuge in Hong Kong.

8. Bill Gates and his wife Melinda:

The duo Bill and Melinda Gates are credited with establishing a charitable association named after them in the year 2000 AD. Warren Buffett joined them in the year 2006 AD. This association aims to promote and spread proper care and awareness, fight extreme poverty, expand education, spread knowledge and fight ignorance, provide job opportunities and fight unemployment in all its forms.

In conclusion:

Inspiration is an honor and a gift from God. It is not only divine signs that make our hearts see goodness, rather, it is a way to fly in a better world and return to the time of the greats and creators, who gave life a special flavor similar to their noble souls. We derive inspiration mainly from research and scrutiny in the biographies of the creators, honorable people, geniuses, artists, and teachers, who served humanity and gave it a lot, and formed a clean environment in this polluted planet, so that their ideas were like prayer and hymns, an invitation to spread goodness and tolerance and contribute to the spread of knowledge and goodness, and to honor people for their humanity only and not for their color, race, shape, religion or sect.