The angel that Muhammad was supposed to have met in the cave while meditating and who brought down the Qur’an for recitation. In the first encounter, Aisha related that when Muhammad did not recite, Gabriel caught him (forcefully) and pressed him so hard that he could not bear it anymore, and this was repeated three times. Gabriel left Muhammad terribly shaken. Muhammad feared that something might have happened to him, returned and asked Khadija to cover him until his fear was gone. Muhammad thought that the spirit was a jinn. (Sahih Bukhari 1.3) He even contemplated commiting suicide by throwing himself down a mountain.
Gabriel’s appearance in the Bible
In contrast, the Bible recorded four incidences of Gabriel’s appearance to man, two to Daniel:
And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.” As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.” While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. **(Daniel 8:16-18) **
While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill-- while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. **(Daniel 9:20-22) **
But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard…Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. **(Luke 1:13,18-19) **
*In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The Angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid,Mary, you have found favor with God. *(Luke 1:26-30)
We see that in the three incidents that Angel Gabriel first appeared, he sought to allay the fears of those seeing him. He must have been an awesome sight to behold. He touched Daniel and raised him to his feet, and told Zechariah and Mary not to be afraid. Also, Gabriel always made sure that the recipients understood the message he brought. The Angel Gabriel does not leave his recipients in total disarray and confusion. Compare this with the reaction of Muhammad when the spirit appeared to him in the cave. Muhammad was so totally confused and was so fearful that he sought comfort from his wife and even wanted to commit suicide.
The following verse taken from the Bible explains what has happened:
2 Corinthians 11:14
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.