Is revelation only what sages experience in meditation?

No. True revelation is not the product of human meditation but God’s word to a human being. Some of what old traditions call inspiration was in fact revelation, and not everything that is called revelation is genuine.

This is a very wide question, and only its outlines can be answered here. Islam draws a clear line between what a person experiences through their own reflection or meditation and what God communicates to them. Revelation proceeds from God, not from man. The first verse above names the ways in which this happens.

Many ancient teachings, such as Taoism, Confucianism and Hinduism, speak of the inspiration of wise men. Often what is really meant is revelation. The Holy Qur’an teaches that God sent a messenger to every people. So it may well be that genuine revelation stood at the beginning of such teachings, even if it was later called something else.

On the other hand, not everything that is called revelation is genuine. A person can imagine things. They can fall prey to delusion, or in mental distress hear things that do not come from God. That is why it is not enough for someone to speak of an inner voice. One has to examine where it comes from.

True revelation does not spring from a person’s own desires. The third verse above says of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) that what he proclaimed was pure revelation. Revelation is therefore more than an inner experience. It is a message that comes from God Himself.