Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel-for he brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by Allah’s will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe,- Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and messengers, to Gabriel and Michael,- Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject Faith. Surah 2:97-98

If ye two turn in repentance to Him, your hearts are indeed so inclined; But if ye back up each other against him, truly Allah is his Protector, and Gabriel, and (every) righteous one among those who believe,- and furthermore, the angels - will back (him) up. Surah 66:4

Gabriel is an angel, or spiritual messenger, found in both holy books. For the Muslims, Gabriel was the messenger who delivered the Koran to Muhammad for a period of twenty-three years in a cave near Mecca.

Gabriel is only mentioned briefly in the Bible, but he has a pivotal role:

Daniel 8 & 9: Gabriel comes to explain a message to Daniel.

Luke 1: Gabriel announces the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus.

The above two verses from the Koran are the only places Gabriel is mentioned in the Koran. If he is the same Gabriel as the Bible, then the message to Muhammad, Daniel, Zechariah and Mary would be consistent.

Here is the Bible text of what Gabriel said to Mary.
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. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38

Gabriel says in this passage:

1. Mary is highly favored.
2. She will get pregnant even though she is a virgin.
3. The baby’s name will be Jesus.
4. Jesus’ titles are Son of the Most High and Son of God.
5. Jesus will be great, have a throne (indicating royalty and power), rule over an everlasting kingdom and have power.
6. He announces that Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, will also get pregnant even though she is barren.

The Koran agrees with points 1, 2, 3 and indirectly with point 6

• Point 4: The Koran disagrees that Jesus is the son of Allah, believing him to only be a prophet or messenger.
• Point 5: The Koran disagrees that Jesus shares authority with Allah, since the Koran believes he is not Allah.

Gabriel could not say one thing to Mary, then a different message to Muhammad.

Other religious leaders have claimed that Gabriel visited them.

A religious group called The Mormons believe Gabriel and Michael spoke to their leader Joseph Smith in the 1820s. The Mormons claim people can become gods if they do good works and that Jesus and Satan were brothers. Their religion contradicts the beliefs of both Christians and Muslims. This is not to say that Gabriel cannot be trusted, but that throughout time many have purported that Gabriel have given them messages.