Nor did the early generations say that the Prophet heard it from Allah Most High, as some later scholars claim. Allah Most High says:

“Allah has certainly bestowed a favour upon the believers by sending among them a Messenger from their own midst, reciting His verses to them.”

In the two Sahīh collections, Ibn Masʿūd is reported to have said:

“The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to me, ‘Recite the Quran to me.’ I said, ‘Shall I recite it to you when it was revealed to you?’ He replied, ‘I like to hear it from someone else.’ So I recited Surah al-Nisā’ to him until I reached this verse: ‘How will it be when We bring a witness from every nation and bring you as a witness against these?’ He said, ‘That is enough.’ I looked, and his eyes were streaming with tears.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard it from Gabriel, who brought it down to him. Gabriel heard it from Allah Most High, as Ahmad and other imams explicitly stated. Allah Most High says:

“Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel—it is he who brought it down upon your heart by Allah’s permission.”

And Allah Most High says:

“The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down”
“upon your heart, so that you might be one of the warners,”
“in a clear Arabic tongue.”

Allah Most High also says:

“When We replace one verse with another—and Allah knows best what He sends down—they say, ‘You are only a fabricator.’ Rather, most of them do not know.”
“Say: The Holy Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth.”

Thus He, glorified be He, states that the Holy Spirit—who is the Trustworthy Spirit, Gabriel—brought it down from Allah in truth. None of the early generations said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard it from Allah. Only some later scholars said this.