He added: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was granted three gifts: he was given the five daily prayers; he was given the closing verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah; and forgiveness was extended to anyone from his community who does not associate anything with Allah—namely, the muqahimāt¹, the sins that plunge a person headlong.

Narrated by Muslim 279; Aḥmad 1/387 and 422; Ibn Jarīr 27/52 and 55; and al-Baghawī in Sharḥ al-Sunnah 3756.

Sufyān reported through Qays ibn Wahb, through Murrah, from Ibn Masʿūd on the verse, “And indeed he saw him during another descent” (Qur’an 53:13): he said, “[He saw] Gabriel, and the hair on his shins was like pearls, resembling drops of dew on vegetation.”

Ibn Jarīr recorded it 27/51 through two routes from Sufyān. I say: its chain is authentic according to the criteria of Muslim.

Second route: from Qatādah ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Taymī. Abū Ẓibyān al-Janabī told us: “We were sitting with Abū ʿUbaydah ibn ʿAbd Allah—that is, the son of Ibn Masʿūd—and with Muḥammad ibn Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ; both were seated when he said …”

¹ The muqahimāt are the grave sins that cast a person headlong into peril.