Angel Jibril, may Allah bestow peace to him, was a regular visitor to Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace. He brought revelations and messages from Allah. Once he came in the form of a man at a time when several companions of the Prophet ﷺ were present. He asked some questions which the Prophet ﷺ replied and then went away. The companions could not recognise him. However, when he left, the Prophet said he was Jibril who had come to teach them. The whole incident and the conversation between the Prophet ﷺ and Jibril are recorded in prophetic traditions, known as Hadith al-Jibril (The Tradition of Jibril).
The Prophet ﷺ also saw Jibril in his original form. It is recorded in the Qur’an. “He certainly saw of the greatest signs of his Lord.” (53:18)
The Prophet ﷺ also saw and met many other angels at several other occasions including the Night Journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and to the heavens.
Many companions had also the privilege of encountering angels. For example, at the Battle of Badr a companion reported that he saw the head of an enemy being chopped off but he could not see the entity that did that. The Qur’an has informed that Allah had assigned a battalion of angels to assist Muslims in the Battle of Badr. Many other companions saw and felt their presence in the battle. The Qur’an said, addressing the Prophet ﷺ: “(Remember) when you cried out to your Lord for help, He answered, ‘I will reinforce you with a thousand angels – followed by many others.” (8:9)
At yet another occasion Abu Sufyan, son of Harith, saw men in white clothes riding on horses between the earth and the sky.
As regards Jinn, the Qur’an informed about a group of Jinn hearing the recitation of the Qur’an by the Prophet ﷺ: “And [mention, O Muhammad], when We directed to you a few of the jinn, listening to the Qur’an. And when they attended it, they said, “Listen quietly.” And when it was concluded, they went back to their people and gave them the warning.” (46:29)
Many prophetic traditions describe meetings of the jinn with the Prophet ﷺ. At another occasion Abdullah, son of Masood, may Allah be pleased with him, accompanied the Prophet ﷺ for a meeting with a group of jinn. The Prophet ﷺ stationed his companion at a point and directed not to go further. The Prophet went ahead and had a meeting with them. The companion saw the arrival of a group of jinn to meet the Prophet and their departure thereafter.