2 – Hammad narrates from Ibrahim, from ʿAlqamah, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

“Gabriel came to the Prophet ﷺ in the form of a young man wearing spotless white clothes. He greeted: ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, ‘And upon you be peace.’ Gabriel then asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, may I draw nearer?’ ‘Come closer,’ he answered.

He began, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is iman (faith)?’ He replied, ‘Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the divine decree, its good and its bad.’

Gabriel said, ‘You have spoken the truth.’ We were amazed at his saying, ‘You have spoken the truth,’ as though he himself possessed knowledge!

He then asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what are the prescriptions of Islam?’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ answered, ‘Establishing the prayer, giving the zakah, fasting in Ramadan, and performing the ghusl after major impurity.’

Again he said, ‘You have spoken the truth,’ and we marvelled at his reply, as though he knew!

He continued, ‘What is ihsan (spiritual excellence)?’ He said, ‘It is to worship Allah as though you see Him; for if you do not see Him, He certainly sees you.’

Gabriel responded, ‘You have spoken the truth.’

He then asked, ‘When will the Hour be established?’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, ‘The one who is questioned about it knows no more than the questioner.’

Thereupon he turned and left. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Bring that man back to me.’ We went after him but found no trace. When we informed the Prophet ﷺ, he said, ‘That was Gabriel; he came to teach you the hallmarks of your religion.’”