As for the Quranic evidence, that has already been cited and concluded. The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—then proceeded to mention the proof for these levels from the Sunnah, the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He referred to the Hadith of Gabriel: that Gabriel came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was sitting with his Companions, appeared to them in the form of a man, sat down facing the Prophet, and questioned him about islām (submission), īmān (faith), and iḥsān (excellence). He then asked him about the Hour and about its signs. This report is known as “the Hadith of Gabriel,” or “the Hadith of ʿUmar.” It has reached us through several routes from a number of Companions and is therefore sound. The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—quoted the wording transmitted by ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb, although other chains contain slight variations in phrasing; the meaning, however, is the same.

He said: “While we were sitting with the Prophet ﷺ…” It was their habit—may Allah be pleased with them—to gather with the Prophet ﷺ in the mosque, to receive knowledge from him and to listen to the answers he ﷺ gave to the questions that came to him. While they were thus engaged, according to their custom, “a man entered through the door, wearing garments of dazzling white and with hair of deepest black.” In other words, Gabriel, upon him be peace, had taken on the form of that man.