ʿAbd Allah ibn Yusuf narrated to us; Mālik narrated to us, from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her):

Al-Ḥārith ibn Hishām (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, “Messenger of Allah, how does revelation come to you?” He replied, “Sometimes it comes to me like the ringing of a bell, and that is the hardest for me; then it departs, and I have retained whatever it conveyed. At other times the angel appears to me in the form of a man, speaks to me, and I understand what he says.”

ʿĀʾishah added, “I have seen him when revelation descended upon him on an intensely cold day; once it left him, his forehead would be dripping with sweat.”

Ismāʿīl narrated to us; Mālik narrated to us, from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, from his father, from ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: “Sometimes the angel appears to me in the form of a man and I understand what he says,” with wording similar to the above.