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Gabriel in the canonical New Testament
 Gabriel delivering the Annunciation. Painting by El Greco (1575)In the New
Testament, Gabriel is the angel who comes with/in the Holy Spirit and reveals to
Zacharias that John the Baptist will be born to Elizabeth and who visits Mary to
reveal that she will give birth to Jesus. According to later legend, he is the
unidentified angel in the Book of Revelation (formerly known as the Apocalypse
of John) who blows the horn announcing the Judgment Day. To both Catholics and
the Orthodox, he is St. Gabriel the Archangel, known to some as the patron saint
of communications workers. With Michael and Raphael, his feast day is September
29.
Gabriel's visit to Mary in the Gospel of Luke is often called "The
Annunciation," (Luke 1:26 et al.), an event that is celebrated on March 25. It
is also commemorated as the "First Joyful Mystery" each time the rosary is
prayed.
Gabriel also visited Joseph. After learning about Mary's pregnancy, Joseph
considered calling off the marriage, but Gabriel appeared to Joseph in a dream
and told him that the conception was caused by the Holy Spirit.
Gabriel in Islam
The Arabic name for Gabriel is Jibril, Jibrīl, Jibreel, Jabrilæ or Djibril
Gabriel's physical appearance is described in the Hadith (4:54:455):
Narrated By Abu Ishaq-Ash-Shaibani: I asked Zir bin Hubaish regarding the
Statement of God: "And was at a distance Of but two bow-lengths Or (even)
nearer; So did (God) convey The Inspiration to His slave (Gabriel) and then he
(Gabriel) Conveyed (that to Muhammad). (53:9-10) On that, Zir said, "Ibn Mas'ud
informed us that the Prophet had seen Gabriel having 600 wings."
Gabriel's primary tasks are to bring messages from God to His messengers and to
accompany the angel Azrael ("Angel of Death") to take the soul of a person who
dies with ablution. As in Christianity, Gabriel is said to be the angel that
informed Mary (Arabic Maryam) of how she would conceive Jesus (Isa):
She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Ruh
[angel Jibrael (Gabriel)], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in
all respects. She said: "Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Beneficent (God)
from you, if you do fear God." (The angel) said: "I am only a Messenger from
your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son." She said: "How can
I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?" He said: "So (it
will be), your Lord said: 'That is easy for Me (God): And (We wish) to appoint
him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (God), and it is a matter (already)
decreed, (by God).' "
(Quran, 19:17-21)
Muslims believe Gabriel to have accompanied Muhammad in his ascension to the
heavens, where Muhammad is said to have met previous messengers of God, and was
informed about the Islamic prayer (Bukhari 1:8:345). Muslims also believe that
Gabriel descends to Earth on the night of Lailat-ul-Qadr ("The Night of Power"),
a night in the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan in the Islamic
calendar.
Following is a detail from the painting "The Annunciation" by Leonardo Da Vinci.
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