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.
Gabriel says in this passage:
- Mary is highly favored.
- She will get pregnant even though she is a virgin.
- The baby’s name will be Jesus.
- Jesus’ titles are Son of the Most High and Son of God.
- Jesus will be great, have a throne (indicating royalty and power), rule over an everlasting kingdom and have power.
- He announces that Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, will also get pregnant even though she is barren.
However, there are major disagreements between the Koran and the Bible over points 4 and 5.
- 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.
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.
This can mean one of two things: two of the message receivers were not talking to Gabriel (or another spiritual being)-or-two of them were lying and only one was truly talking to Gabriel.