Al Harith bin Hisham asked the Prophet, "How does the divine inspiration come to you?" He replied, "In all these ways: The Angel sometimes comes to me with a voice which resembles the sound of a ringing bell, and when this state abandons me, I remember what the Angel has said, and this type of Divine Inspiration is the hardest on me; and sometimes the Angel comes to me in the shape of a man and talks to me, and I understand and remember what he says."  

أَنَّ الْحَارِثَ بْنَ هِشَامٍ سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَيْفَ يَأْتِيكَ الْوَحْىُ قَالَ كُلُّ ذَاكَ يَأْتِي الْمَلَكُ أَحْيَانًا فِي مِثْلِ صَلْصَلَةِ الْجَرَسِ فَيَفْصِمُ عَنِّي وَقَدْ وَعَيْتُ مَا قَالَ وَهْوَ أَشَدُّهُ عَلَىَّ وَيَتَمَثَّلُ لِي الْمَلَكُ أَحْيَانًا رَجُلاً فَيُكَلِّمُنِي فَأَعِي مَا يَقُولُ  

How does the the wahi (inspiration) come to you? He said: At times it comes to me like the ringing of a bell and that is most severe for me and when it is over I retain that (what I had received in the form of wahi), and at times an Angel in the form of a human being comes to me (and speaks) and I retain whatever he speaks.  

أَنَّ الْحَارِثَ بْنَ هِشَامٍ سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَيْفَ يَأْتِيكَ الْوَحْىُ فَقَالَ أَحْيَانًا يَأْتِينِي فِي مِثْلِ صَلْصَلَةِ الْجَرَسِ وَهُوَ أَشَدُّهُ عَلَىَّ ثُمَّ يَفْصِمُ عَنِّي وَقَدْ وَعَيْتُهُ وَأَحْيَانًا مَلَكٌ فِي مِثْلِ صُورَةِ الرَّجُلِ فَأَعِي مَا يَقُولُ  

"Al-Harith bin Hisham asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: 'How does the Revelation come to you?' He said: 'Like the ringing of a bell, and when it departs I remember what he (the Angel) said, and this is the hardest on me. And sometimes he (the Angel) comes to me in the form of a man and gives it to me.'"  

سَأَلَ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يَأْتِيكَ الْوَحْىُ قَالَ فِي مِثْلِ صَلْصَلَةِ الْجَرَسِ فَيَفْصِمُ عَنِّي وَقَدْ وَعَيْتُ وَهُوَ أَشَدُّهُ عَلَىَّ وَأَحْيَانًا يَأْتِينِي فِي مِثْلِ صُورَةِ الْفَتَى فَيَنْبِذُهُ إِلَىَّ  

How does the the wahi (inspiration) come to you? He said: At times it comes to me like the ringing of a bell and that is most severe for me and when it is over I retain that (what I had received in the form of wahi), and at times an Angel in the form of a human being comes to me (and speaks) and I retain whatever he speaks. (Using translation from Muslim 2333b)  

أَنَّ الْحَارِثَ بْنَ هِشَامٍ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يَأْتِيكَ الْوَحْيُ؟ قَالَ أَحْيَانًا يَأْتِينِي فِي مِثْلِ صَلْصَلَةِ الْجَرَسِ وَهُوَ أَشَدُّهُ عَلَيَّ ثُمَّ يُفْصَمُ عَنِّي وَقَدْ وَعَيْتُ وَأَحْيَانًا يَأْتِينِي مَلَكٌ فِي مِثْلِ صُورَةِ الرَّجُلِ فَأَعِي مَا يَقُولُ  

"Al-Harith bin Hisham asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: 'How does the Revelation come to you?' He said: 'Like the ringing of a bell, and when it departs I remember what he (the Angel) said, and this is the hardest on me. And sometimes he (the Angel) comes to me in the form of a man and gives it to me.'" (Using translation from Nasāʾī 933)  

سَأَلَ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يَأْتِيكَ الْوَحْيُ؟ قَالَ فِي مِثْلِ صَلْصَلَةِ الْجَرَسِ فَيَفْصِمُ عَنِّي وَقَدْ وَعِيتُ عَنْهُ مَا قَالَ وَهُوَ أَشَدُّهُ عَلَيَّ وَأَحْيَانًا يَأْتِينِي فِي مِثْلِ صُورَةِ الْفَتَى فَيَنْبِذُهُ إِلَيَّ  

"عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ

رَسُولَ الله ﷺ كَيْفَ يَأتِيكَ الْوَحْىُ؟ فَقَالَ: أَحْيَانًا يَأتِينِى فِى مِثْلِ صَلْصَلِ الْجَرَسِ فَيَفْصِمُ عَنِّى وَقَدْ وَعَيْتُ مَا قَالَ، وَهُوَ أَشَدُّهُ عَلَىَّ، وَأَحْيَانًا يَأتِينِى الْمَلَكُ فَيَتَمَثَّلُ لِىَ رَجُلًا فَيُكَلِّمُنِى، وَأَعِى مَا يَقُولُ".