Al-Bukhari recorded this.

Yahya ibn Saʿid al-Ansari narrated—from Saʿid ibn al-Musayyib—who said: “Revelation descended upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he was forty-three years old; he then remained in Mecca for ten years and in Medina for ten years.”

Muhammad ibn Abi ʿAdi narrated—from Dawud ibn Abi Hind, from al-Shaʿbi—who said: “He was endowed with prophethood at the age of forty. For the first three years the angel Israfil was joined to his prophethood, teaching him individual words and matters, while the Quran had not yet been revealed. When those three years had elapsed, Gabriel was joined to his prophethood, and the Quran was sent down upon his tongue for twenty years. He passed away at the age of sixty-three.”

Abu al-Maʿali al-Abraquhi informed us; ʿAbd al-Qawiy ibn al-Jabbab informed us; ʿAbd Allah ibn Rifaʿah informed us; ʿAli ibn al-Hasan al-Khalaʿi informed us; Abu Muhammad ibn al-Nahhas informed us; ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Ward informed us; ʿAbd al-Rahim ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Barqi narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Hisham narrated to us; Ziyad ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Bakkaʾi narrated—from Muhammad ibn Ishaq—who said:

“The rabbis, monks, and the Arab soothsayers had already spoken about Muhammad ﷺ before his mission, once the time of his appearance drew near. The People of the Book did so on the strength of what they found in their scriptures concerning his description, the description of his era, and what their prophets had enjoined upon them regarding him. As for the soothsayers, the devils brought them whatever they could steal from the heavenly councils—until they were barred from eavesdropping and were pelted with shooting stars. Allah, exalted be He, says: ‘We used to sit in positions to overhear, but whoever tries to listen now finds a flaming meteor lying in wait’ (Surah al-Jinn 9). Then, when the jinn heard the Quran—