There are different definitions, what ilham might mean: One of them is doing or saying (or being guided to do or say) the right thing without being a Prophet. Ilham is based on the hadith saying:
I understand that in Islamic school of thought, it is said to be revelation of God's message to His chosen people like Prophets, Messengers (and according to some folks also the pious and righteous slaves of God - Ilham).
The difference being, Wahy (revelation) is always clear and correct, while Ilham (inspiration) may be fractured (unclear) and incomplete (especially in the beginning), which is why Shaykh Abu Hasan Ash Shadhili said, “If your spiritual unveilings contradict the Book and the Sunna, act upon the book and the sunna and leave off your unveiling ...
Therefore, if any one thinks that he is getting messages from Gabriel or any other angel, he may be lying or mentally ill like suffering from hallucination or schizophrenia. Allah may send some guidance known as ilham to some auliya or saints via dreams and unknown methods but is not wahiy.
But since the concept of ilham or inspiration is used, and since inspiration is a spiritual action, we can conclude the self is also non-physical in the eyes of the Quran, so "soul" can also be a fair translation of the Arabic word nafs. Quran also suggests that nafs survives bodily death implying that it is a non-physical thing:
Musa (pbuh) did not agree with him probably because he was acting against Shariah. So, how were Al-Khidr's actions justified? Was he a prophet and got wahi? Or was it kashf, ilham or something along that line? Or was he just acting out of common sense? Please answer with reference from the Quran and Sahih Hadith.
What is the relationship between Ilham and leg of a bird? What does the Quran and Sunnah say about telling one's dreams to someone else? As to why clothes were related to religion or piety or (degree/level) of faith the most plausible relation and that, which all sources I've consulted referred to is the known verse from suart al-'Araaf: