The angel Gabriel is considered the most important of all the angels in Islam. In the Qur’an, the angel is called Gibreel or the Holy Spirit.
The main responsibility of the angel Gibreel is to convey the words of Allah to His prophets. This is Gibreel, who revealed the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad.
Examples from the Quran (angel Gibreel)
Angel Gibreel is mentioned by name only in a few verses of the Quran:
Say (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ): “Whoever is an enemy to Jibrael (Gabriel) (let him die in his fury), for indeed he has brought it (this Qur’ân) down to your heart by Allâh’s Permission, confirming what came before it [i.e. the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] and guidance and glad tidings for the believers. + “Whoever is an enemy to Allâh, His Angels, His Messengers, Jibrael (Gabriel) and Mikael (Michael), then verily, Allâh is an enemy to the disbelievers.”(2: 97-98).
“If you two turn to Him, your hearts are really so inclined, but if you support each other against him, then truly Allah is his Protector and Gibreel and all the righteous among the believers, and besides, the angels will support him” (66: 4 ).
A few more verses mention the Holy Spirit (Ruh), which all Muslim scholars agree with Angel Gibreel.
“And truly, this (the Qur’ân) is a revelation from the Lord of the ‘Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists), Which the trustworthy Rûh [Jibrael (Gabriel)] has brought down; Upon your heart (O Muhammad SAW) that you may be (one) of the warners, In the plain Arabic language. (Quran 26: 192-195).
“Say, the Holy Spirit (Gibreel) brought a revelation from your Lord in the Truth to strengthen believers and as a Guide and Vowels to Muslims” (16: 102).
Other examples
Other details about the nature and role of the Angel of Gibreel come to us through the prophetic traditions (Hadith). Gibreel would appear to Prophet Muhammad at the appointed time to show the verses of the Quran and ask him to repeat them. Then the Prophet listened, repeated and memorized the words of Allah. Angel Gibreel often took the form or shape of a man when he appeared before the prophets. At other times, he only shared his revelation with a voice.
Umar said that once a man came to the gathering of the Prophet and his Companions – no one knew who he was. He was very white with white clothes and black hair. He continued to sit very close to the Prophet and asked him in detail about Islam. When the Prophet answered, a strange man told the Prophet that he answered correctly. Only after he left, the Prophet told his companions that it was Angel Gibreel who came to the question and taught them the faith. So there were others who saw Gibreel when he was in human form.
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The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), however, was the only one who saw Jibreel in its natural form. He described Jibreel as having six hundred wings covering the sky from land to horizon. Once, he was able to see Jibreel in its natural form during Isra and Mi’raj.
It is also said that Angel Jibreel carried out the destruction of the city of the Prophet Lot (Lut), using only the tip of one wing to turn the city upside down.
Jibreel is known for his important role of inspiring and communicating the revelation of Allah through the prophets, may Allah please with them all.