أَنَّ الْحَارِثَ بْنَ هِشَامٍ، سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم 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 .
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 aringing bell, and when this state abandons me, I remember what the Angel has said, and this type ofDivine Inspiration is the hardest on me; and sometimes the Angel comes to me in the shape of a manand talks to me, and I understand and remember what he says."