عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَ قُلْتُ أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ بِالْأُفُقِ الْمُبِينِ [التكوير: 23] وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى [النجم: 13] قَالَتْ أَنَا أَوَّلُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْهُمَا فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا ذَاكَ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لَمْ يَرَهُ فِي صُورَتِهِ الَّتِي خُلِقَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا مَرَّتَيْنِ رَآهُ مُنْهَبِطًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ سَادًّا عِظَمُ خَلْقِهِ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ
Masruq says: I was with Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and I said: Allah Almighty says: {وَلَقَدْ رَآہُ بِالْأُفُقِ الْمُبِینِ} ... Indeed, he (the Prophet, peace be upon him) saw him on the clear horizon. And He also said: {وَلَقَدْ رَآہُ نَزْلَۃً أُخْرٰی عِنْدَ سِدْرَۃِ الْمُنْتَھٰی۔} ... whom he saw with his eyes. And once again, he saw him descending near Sidrat al-Muntaha. Sayyida (Aisha) replied: Among this Ummah, I was the first to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about these two verses, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: That was Jibreel (Gabriel), peace be upon him. In the form in which Jibreel (peace be upon him) was created, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him in that form only twice. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him descending from the sky to the earth, and his great form filled the space between the sky and the earth.