And He—exalted be He—also says:

“He sends down the angels with the Spirit by His command upon whomsoever He wills of His servants: ‘Warn that there is no god but I; so be mindful of Me.’” (Qur’an 16:2)

And He—exalted be He—says:

“Lord of the Throne, He casts the Spirit from His command upon whomsoever He wills of His servants so that he may warn of the Day of Meeting.” (Qur’an 40:15)

Thus Allah has called the angel a “Spirit,” and He has likewise called the message the angel brings a “Spirit”; the two are inseparable, and the Messiah—peace be upon him—was supported by both.

For this reason many Qur’anic commentators have said that the Spirit is Gabriel, while others have said that it is the revelation itself. The matter resembles the term nāmūs: it may denote the bearer of the secrets of good, just as jāsūs denotes the bearer of the secrets of evil. Accordingly, nāmūs can refer to Gabriel, and it can also refer to the Book he brought down with its commands, prohibitions, and statutes. When Waraqah ibn Nawfal said to the Prophet ﷺ, “This is the nāmūs who used to come to Moses,” he understood nāmūs in both senses—and the two are inseparable.