" And certainly he saw him in another descent" (al-Qur'an, Iiii. 13) imply that he saw Gabriel.  

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ { وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى} قَالَ رَأَى جِبْرِيلَ  

It is narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he (the Holy Prophet) saw (Allah) with, his heart.  

رَآهُ بِقَلْبِهِ  

" The heart belied not what he saw" (al-Qur'an, Iiii. 11) and" Certainly he saw Him in another descent" (al-Qur'an, Iiii. 13) imply that he saw him twice with his heart.  

{ مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى} { وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى} قَالَ رَآهُ بِفُؤَادِهِ مَرَّتَيْنِ  

Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaiba narrated it on the same authorities.  

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو جَهْمَةَ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ  

I was resting at (the house of) 'A'isha that she said: O Abu 'A'isha (kunya of Masruq), there are three things, and he who affirmed even one of them fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I asked that they were. She said: He who presumed that Muhammad ﷺ saw his Lord (with his ocular vision) fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I was reclining but then sat up and said: Mother of the Faithful, wait a bit and do not be in a haste. Has not Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:" And truly he saw him on the clear horizon" (Al-Qur'an, Surat at-Takwir, 81:23) and" he saw Him in another descent" (Al-Qur'an, Surat Najm 53:13)? She said: I am the first of this Ummah who asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it, and he said: Verily he is Gabriel. I have never seen him in his original form in which he was created except on those two occasions (to which these verses refer); I saw him descending from the heaven and filling (the space) from the sky to the earth with the greatness of his bodily structure. She said: Have you not heard Allah saying: "Eyes comprehend Him not, but He comprehends (all) vision. and He is Subtle, and All-Aware" (Al-Qur'an, Surat al-Anʿam 6:103)? (She, i.e. 'A'isha, further said): Have you not heard that, verily, Allah says: "And it is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a partition or that He sends a messenger to reveal, by His permission, what He wills. Indeed, He is Most High and Wise." (Al-Qur'an, Surat ash-Shura, 42:51) She said: He who presumes that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ concealed anything from the Book of Allah fabricates the greatest lie against Allah. Allah says: "O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people." (Al-Qur'an, Surat al-Ma'idah, 5:67). She said: He who presumes that he would inform about what was going to happen tomorrow fabricates the greatest lie against Allah. And Allah says "Say, 'None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah , and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.'" (Al-Qur'an, Surat an-Naml, 27:65).  

يَا أَبَا عَائِشَةَ ثَلاَثٌ مَنْ تَكَلَّمَ بِوَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْفِرْيَةَ قُلْتُ مَا هُنَّ قَالَتْ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ رَأَى رَبَّهُ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْفِرْيَةَ قَالَ وَكُنْتُ مُتَّكِئًا فَجَلَسْتُ فَقُلْتُ يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْظِرِينِي وَلاَ تَعْجَلِينِي أَلَمْ يَقُلِ اللَّهُ ﷻ { وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ بِالأُفُقِ الْمُبِينِ} { وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى} فَقَالَتْ أَنَا أَوَّلُ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ سَأَلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ جِبْرِيلُ لَمْ أَرَهُ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ الَّتِي خُلِقَ عَلَيْهَا غَيْرَ هَاتَيْنِ الْمَرَّتَيْنِ رَأَيْتُهُ مُنْهَبِطًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ سَادًّا عِظَمُ خَلْقِهِ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الأَرْضِ فَقَالَتْ أَوَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ { لاَ تُدْرِكُهُ الأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ} أَوَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ { وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ وَحْيًا أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولاً فَيُوحِيَ بِإِذْنِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّهُ عَلِيٌّ حَكِيمٌ} قَالَتْ وَمَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَتَمَ شَيْئًا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْفِرْيَةَ وَاللَّهُ يَقُولُ { يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ} قَالَتْ وَمَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ يُخْبِرُ بِمَا يَكُونُ فِي غَدٍ فَقَدْ أَعْظَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْفِرْيَةَ وَاللَّهُ يَقُولُ { قُلْ لاَ يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ}  

She ('A'isha) said: If Muhammad were to conceal anything which was sent to him, he would have certainly concealed this verse:" And when thou saidst to him on whom Allah had conferred favour and thou too had conferred favour: Keep thy wife to thyself and fear Allah, and thou wast concealing in thy heart that which Allah was going to disclose, and thou wast fearing men while Allah has a better right that thou shouldst fear Him."  

وَلَوْ كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ كَاتِمًا شَيْئًا مِمَّا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ لَكَتَمَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ { وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِي أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَخْشَاهُ}  

I asked 'A'isha if Muhammad ﷺ had seen his Lord. She replied: Hallowed be Allah, my hair stood on end when you said this, and he (Masruq) narrated the hadith as narrated above. The hadith reported by Diwud is more complete and longer.  

سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ هَلْ رَأَى مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ رَبَّهُ فَقَالَتْ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ قَفَّ شَعْرِي لِمَا قُلْتَ وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ بِقِصَّتِهِ وَحَدِيثُ دَاوُدَ أَتَمُّ وَأَطْوَلُ  

I said to 'A'isha: What about the words of Allah:" Then he drew nigh and came down, so he was at a distance of two bows or closer still: so He revealed to His servant what He revealed" (al-Qur'an, liii. 8-10)? She said: It implies Gabriel. He used to come to him (the Holy Prophet) in the shape of men; but he came at this time in his true form and blocked up the horizon of the sky.  

قُلْتُ لِعَائِشَةَ فَأَيْنَ قَوْلُهُ { ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى * فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى * فَأَوْحَى إِلَى عَبْدِهِ مَا أَوْحَى} قَالَتْ إِنَّمَا ذَاكَ جِبْرِيلُ ﷺ كَانَ يَأْتِيهِ فِي صُورَةِ الرِّجَالِ وَإِنَّهُ أَتَاهُ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةِ فِي صُورَتِهِ الَّتِي هِيَ صُورَتُهُ فَسَدَّ أُفُقَ السَّمَاءِ