وَعَنْ جَابِرٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ فَتْرَةِ الْوَحْيِ قَالَ: " فَبَيْنَا أَنَا أَمْشِي سَمِعْتُ صَوْتًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَرَفَعْتُ بَصَرِي فَإِذَا الْمَلَكُ الَّذِي جَاءَنِي بِحِرَاءٍ قَاعِدٌ عَلَى كُرْسِيٍّ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ فَجُئِثْتُ مِنْهُ رُعْبًا حَتَّى هَوَيْتُ إِلَى الأرضِ فجئتُ أَهلِي فقلتُ: زَمِّلُونِي زَمِّلُونِي فَأنْزل اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: [يَا أيُّها الْمُدَّثِّرُ. قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ. وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ. وَالرجز فاهجر] ثمَّ حمي الْوَحْي وتتابع ". مُتَّفق عَلَيْهِ
Jabir said he heard God's messenger telling about the intermission in the inspiration as follows:
"While I was walking I heard a voice from the sky, and raising my eyes I saw the angel who had come to me on Hira sitting on a throne between heaven and earth. I was terror stricken on that account so that I fell to the ground. I then went to my family and said, `Wrap me up, wrap me up.' They wrapped me up, and then God most high sent down, `You who are shrouded, arise and deliver warning, your Lord magnify, your clothes cleanse, and defilement shun. * The inspiration then became hot and followed continuously." *Quran; 74:1-5 (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 4, 3238, 4925, 4926, 4954, 6214), Muslim (No. 161a, 161b), At-Tirmidhi (No. 3325) and Ahmad (No. 13959, 14504). Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 5843).