16
They are as Allah Most High says:
“They say, ‘The Most Merciful has taken a son.’ Glory be to Him! Rather, they are honored servants. They do not speak before He speaks, and they act only at His command. He knows what lies before them and what lies behind them, and they intercede only for those with whom He is pleased; and they stand in awe for fear of Him. Whoever among them were to say, ‘I am a god besides Him,’ We would requite him with Hell. Thus do We requite the wrongdoers.”
[Surah al-Anbiyāʾ: 26–29].
Allah has related that the angels came to Abraham and Lot in human form, so that Abraham served them the calf. Gabriel—peace be upon him—used to come to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in the form of Dihyah al-Kalbī (1). On one occasion, he came to him (2) in the form of a Bedouin, and the Companions saw him (3). The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had also seen him in
(1) *Sahīh Muslim*, 4/1906 (Book of the Merits of the Companions, “Chapter on Some of the Merits of Umm Salama”), contains a hadith narrated by Abū Uthmān al-Nahdī from Salmān al-Fārisī—may Allah be pleased with him. A portion of this hadith is narrated from Usāma ibn Zayd—may Allah be pleased with him—and al-Bukhārī also related this portion in volume 4 of his *Sahīh* (Book of Virtues, “Chapter on the Signs of Prophethood in Islam”). Al-Bukhārī’s wording is:
“Abū Uthmān narrated to us, saying: ‘I was informed that Gabriel—peace be upon him—came to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—while Umm Salama was with him. He began speaking and then rose. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—asked Umm Salama, “Who was that?”—or words to that effect. She replied, “That was Dihya.” Umm Salama said, “By Allah, I thought that he was none other than Dihya until I heard the Prophet of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—deliver a sermon concerning Gabriel”—or words to that effect.’ He said: ‘I asked Abū Uthmān, “From whom did you hear this?” He replied, “From Usāma ibn Zayd.”’”
See also Ibn al-Athīr, *Jāmiʿ al-Usūl*, 12/44–45. In *al-Musnad* (al-Maʿārif ed.), 8/167, Ibn Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both—said: “Gabriel—peace be upon him—used to come to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in the form of Dihya.” Shaykh Ahmad Shākir—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic”; see his commentary. See also Ibn Taymiyya, *al-Safadiyya*, 1/197.
(2) MSS B and A read: *wa-atā* (“and he came”).
(3) In *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 4/112 (Book of the Beginning of Creation, “Chapter on the Mention of the Angels”), Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—reported that al-Hārith ibn Hishām asked the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—how revelation came to him.... The hadith states: “...At times the angel assumes the form of a man before me and speaks to me, and I understand what he says.” It also appears in two other places in al-Bukhārī: 1
وَهُمْ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:
{وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَلَدًا سُبْحَانَهُ بَلْ عِبَادٌ مُكْرَمُونَ - لَا يَسْبِقُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَهُمْ بِأَمْرِهِ يَعْمَلُونَ - يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ارْتَضَى وَهُمْ مِنْ خَشْيَتِهِ مُشْفِقُونَ - وَمَنْ يَقُلْ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّي إِلَهٌ مِنْ دُونِهِ فَذَلِكَ نَجْزِيهِ جَهَنَّمَ كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ}
[سُورَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ: ٢٦ - ٢٩]
.
وَقَدْ أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَنَّهُمْ أَتَوْا إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَلُوطًا فِي صُورَةِ الْبَشَرِ حَتَّى قَدَّمَ لَهُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْعِجْلَ، وَكَانَ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ يَأْتِي النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي صُورَةِ دِحْيَةَ الْكَلْبِيِّ
(١)
. وَأَتَاهُ
(٢)
مَرَّةً فِي صُورَةِ أَعْرَابِيٍّ حَتَّى رَآهُ الصَّحَابَةُ
(٣)
، وَقَدْ رَآهُ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي
(١) ، صَحِيحَ مُسْلِمٍ ٤/١٩٠٦ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ الصَّحَابَةِ، بَابٌ مِنْ فَضَائِلِ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ) حَدِيثٌ عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِيِّ عَنْ سَلْمَانَ الْفَارِسِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ. وَفِي جُزْءٍ مِنْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ رِوَايَةٌ عَنْ أُسَامَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَرَوَى هَذَا الْجُزْءَ الْبُخَارِيُّ فِي صَحِيحِهِ ٤ (كِتَابُ الْمَنَاقِبِ، بَابُ عَلَامَاتِ النُّبُوَّةِ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ) وَنَصُّهَا - وَهَذِهِ رِوَايَةُ الْبُخَارِيِّ -: " حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عُثْمَانَ قَالَ: أُنْبِئْتُ أَنَّ جِبْرِيلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَتَى النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَعِنْدَهُ أُمُّ سَلَمَةَ، فَجَعَلَ يُحَدِّثُ، ثُمَّ قَامَ. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - لِأُمِّ سَلَمَةَ: مَنْ هَذَا؟ - أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ - قَالَ: قَالَتْ: هَذَا دِحْيَةُ. قَالَتْ أُمُّ سَلَمَةَ: ايْمُ اللَّهِ مَا حَسِبْتُهُ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ حَتَّى سَمِعْتُ خُطْبَةَ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بِخَبَرِ جِبْرِيلَ - أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ -. قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ لِأَبِي عُثْمَانَ: مِمَّنْ سَمِعْتَ هَذَا؟ قَالَ: مِنْ أُسَامَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ ". وَانْظُرْ: جَامِعَ الْأُصُولِ لِابْنِ الْأَثِيرِ ١٢/٤٤ - ٤٥. وَفِي الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْمَعَارِفِ) ٨/١٦٧ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: وَكَانَ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ يَأْتِي النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي صُورَةِ دِحْيَةَ. قَالَ الشَّيْخُ أَحْمَد شَاكِر رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ: إِسْنَادُهُ صَحِيحٌ - وَانْظُرْ تَعْلِيقَهُ. وَانْظُرِ: الصَّفَدِيَّةَ لِابْنِ تَيْمِيَّةَ ١/١٩٧
(٢) ب، أ: وَأَتَى.
(٣) فِي صَحِيحِ الْبُخَارِيِّ ٤/١١٢ (كِتَابُ بَدْءِ الْخَلْقِ، بَابُ ذِكْرِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ) عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّ الْحَارِثَ بْنَ هِشَامٍ سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - كَيْفَ كَانَ يَأْتِيهِ الْوَحْيُ. . . وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: ". . يَتَمَثَّلُ لِي الْمَلَكُ أَحْيَانًا رَجُلًا فَيُكَلِّمُنِي فَأَعِي مَا يَقُولُ ". وَفِي الْبُخَارِيِّ فِي مَوْضِعَيْنِ آخَرَيْنِ ١