Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
It is established that the Prophet ﷺ saw Jibril (peace be upon him) in his original form in which Allah created him only twice: the first time in Makkah at the beginning of revelation, and the second time on the Night Journey and Ascension at Sidrat al-Muntaha. As for seeing him sitting on a chair between heaven and earth after the period of interruption of revelation, this is connected to the first sighting and is not a separate third sighting of him in his original form.
In the hadith of Jabir ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both, the Prophet ﷺ spoke about the period when revelation stopped temporarily. He said:
“While I was walking, I heard a voice from heaven. I raised my head, and there was the angel who had come to me at Hira, sitting on a chair between heaven and earth...”
Then the Prophet ﷺ returned and said:
“Cover me, cover me.”
Then Allah revealed the opening verses of Surat al-Muddaththir.
Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
This is the sighting referred to by Allah:
﴿And indeed, he saw him on the clear horizon.﴾
[At-Takwir 81:23]
It is also the sighting mentioned by Allah:
﴿He was taught by one mighty in power, possessing soundness, and he rose in his true form, while he was on the highest horizon. Then he approached and came closer.﴾
[An-Najm 53:5-8]
Ibn Kathir stated that these verses refer to the Prophet ﷺ seeing Jibril in the form in which Allah created him.
No. The hadith about seeing Jibril sitting on a chair between heaven and earth does not establish a third sighting of him in his original form.
Rather, the hadith occurs in the context of the events surrounding the beginning of revelation and the first sighting of Jibril, which took place before the Night Journey and Ascension.
Therefore, there is no contradiction between the hadith of Al-Muddaththir and the verses that speak of seeing Jibril on the horizon. The texts refer to the same first sighting and the events connected with it, not to a third sighting of Jibril in his original angelic form.
The second sighting took place during the Night Journey and Ascension in heaven.
Allah says:
﴿And indeed, he saw him another time, at Sidrat al-Muntaha, near which is the Garden of Refuge.﴾
[An-Najm 53:13-15]
Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said regarding this verse that the Prophet ﷺ saw Jibril with six hundred wings. Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
An-Nawawi mentioned that the majority of scholars held that what is meant is that the Prophet ﷺ saw Jibril in the form in which Allah created him.
No. Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
“But he saw Jibril, peace be upon him, in his true form twice.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari.
It is also reported in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“It was only Jibril. I did not see him in the form in which he was created except on these two occasions.”
This is clear evidence that seeing Jibril in his original angelic form occurred only twice.
The Prophet ﷺ saw Jibril in his true form twice: the first time in Makkah at the beginning of revelation, when he saw him on the horizon; and the second time on the Night Journey and Ascension at Sidrat al-Muntaha.
As for the report that he saw Jibril sitting on a chair between heaven and earth, it is not evidence of a third sighting in Jibril's original form. Rather, it relates to the events of the first sighting and the beginning of revelation.
And Allah knows best.