Secondly, we say:

Gabriel was the one who brought the message and conveyed the revelation, yet he was unseen by the people: they had neither seen him with their eyes nor heard his speech with their ears. Some claimed that the one who came to the Prophet was a devil teaching him what to say, or that a human being was teaching it to him. Allah therefore told His servants about the messenger who brought it, describing him in the finest terms and explaining his standing with the utmost clarity. All of this honored Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, refuted their allegations against him, and affirmed his message. For Gabriel was his companion who brought him the revelation. Thus Allah said:

“Indeed, this is the word of a noble messenger.”

That is, the human messenger did not utter it of his own accord; he merely conveyed it, saying what he had been told. The designation “messenger” thus indicated that his role was solely that of an intermediary acting on another’s behalf. Allah then described Gabriel with attributes that ruled out every flaw: strength, an established position, trustworthiness, and nearness to Allah, glorified be He. Once the standing of the angelic messenger had been established, He made clear that he came from Him and brought nothing but good.

The human messenger’s outward character was already known to them, and he was the one who conveyed the message to them. Were it not for these human messengers, they would have been unable to receive the message from the angelic messenger.

He said:

“Your companion”

to indicate that he had lived among them for years before this, with no history of the things they now alleged and accused him of—madness, sorcery, and the like. It also indicated that, had it not been for his prior life among them and his companionship with them, they would have been unable to receive from him.

Do you not hear Him say: