Gabriel is the name of one of the seven archangels who are of the highest rank in the hierarchy of angels. In the Old Testament his name is only mentioned in Daniel (8:15 ff. and 9:21 ff.). In the New Testament he appears before Mary and announces God's plan to make her the mother of the Saviour (Luke 1:26). He also appears as a messenger to Zacharias informing him that Elizabeth is to bear a son and that he shall have the name of John (Luke 1:8—20). Since Gabriel appears in both Daniel and Luke as the revealing angel, it is possible that it was this biblical representation which formed the basis of the Mohammedan conception of the archangel as the messenger who delivered the Koran from Allah to the prophet, Mohammed.
