The Arabic name for Gabriel is Jibril, Jibrīl, Jibreel, Jabrilć or Djibril
Muslims believe Gabriel to have been the angel who revealed the Qur'an to the
prophet Muhammad.
Gabriel's physical appearance is described in the Hadith (4:54:455):
Narrated By Abu Ishaq-Ash-Shaibani: I asked Zir bin Hubaish regarding the
Statement of God: "And was at a distance Of but two bow-lengths Or (even)
nearer; So did (God) convey The Inspiration to His slave (Gabriel) and then he
(Gabriel) Conveyed (that to Muhammad). (53:9-10) On that, Zir said, "Ibn Mas'ud
informed us that the Prophet had seen Gabriel having 600 wings."
Gabriel is regarded with the same respect by Muslims as all the Prophets, and
upon saying his name or referring to him a Muslim repeats: " upon him be peace".
Gabriel's primary tasks are to bring messages from God to His messengers. As in
Christianity, Gabriel is said to be the angel that informed Mary (Arabic Maryam)
of how she would conceive Jesus (Isa):
She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Ruh
[angel Jibrael (Gabriel)], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in
all respects. She said: "Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Beneficent (God)
from you, if you do fear God." (The angel) said: "I am only a Messenger from
your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son." She said: "How can
I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?" He said: "So (it
will be), your Lord said: 'That is easy for Me (God): And (We wish) to appoint
him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (God), and it is a matter (already)
decreed, (by God).' "
(Quran, 19:17-21)
Muslims believe Gabriel to have accompanied Muhammad in his ascension to the
heavens, where Muhammad is said to have met previous messengers of God, and was
informed about the Islamic prayer (Bukhari 1:8:345). Muslims also believe that
Gabriel descends to Earth on the night of Lailat-ul-Qadr ("The Night of Power"),
a night in the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan in the Islamic
calendar.
In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an archangel who is thought to serve as a
messenger from God ("angel" literally translates to "messenger" from the Koine
Greek; an "arch" angel is a "primary" or "chief" messenger). He first appears in
the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible. He was also referred to as the "Left
Hand of God".[citation needed] Christians believe him to have foretold the
births of John the Baptist and Jesus, and Muslims believe he was the medium
through which God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad.
In Biblical tradition, he is sometimes regarded as the angel of death or one of
God's messengers; also, as the angel of fire and snow who rides the
sword[citation needed]. The Talmud described him as the only angel that can
speak Syriac and Chaldee. In Islam, Gabriel is one of God's chief messengers but
other above mentioned titles are not given to him (for example the angel of
death is Azrael).
In the Catholic Tradition, he is known as one of the archangels. In Islam, he is
called the chief of the four favoured angels and the spirit of truth, and in
some views Gabriel is the same person as the Holy Spirit. Gabriel also finds
mention in the writings of the Bahá'í Faith, most notably in Bahá'u'lláh's
metaphysical work The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys.
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