 ٣ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنِ الاحْوَلِ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) عَنِ الرَّسُولِ وَالنَّبِيِّ وَالْمُحَدَّثِ قَالَ الرَّسُولُ الَّذِي يَأْتِيهِ جَبْرَئِيلُ قُبُلاً فَيَرَاهُ وَيُكَلِّمُهُ فَهَذَا الرَّسُولُ وَأَمَّا النَّبِيُّ فَهُوَ الَّذِي يَرَى فِي مَنَامِهِ نَحْوَ رُؤْيَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَنَحْوَ مَا كَانَ رَأَى رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) مِنْ أَسْبَابِ النُّبُوَّةِ قَبْلَ الْوَحْيِ حَتَّى أَتَاهُ جَبْرَئِيلُ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) مِنْ عِنْدِ الله بِالرِّسَالَةِ وَكَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) حِينَ جُمِعَ لَهُ النُّبُوَّةُ وَجَاءَتْهُ الرِّسَالَةُ مِنْ عِنْدِ الله يَجِيئُهُ بِهَا جَبْرَئِيلُ وَيُكَلِّمُهُ بِهَا قُبُلاً وَمِنَ الانْبِيَاءِ مَنْ جُمِعَ لَهُ النُّبُوَّةُ وَيَرَى فِي مَنَامِهِ وَيَأْتِيهِ الرُّوحُ وَيُكَلِّمُهُ وَيُحَدِّثُهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَكُونَ يَرَى فِي الْيَقَظَةِ وَأَمَّا الْمُحَدَّثُ فَهُوَ الَّذِي يُحَدَّثُ فَيَسْمَعُ وَلا يُعَايِنُ وَلا يَرَى فِي مَنَامِهِ.
 3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from al-Ahwal who has said the following. “I Asked abu Ja‘far  about the messenger, the prophet and al-Muhaddith (one who reports Divine guidance).” The Imam  said, “A messenger is one to whom Jibril (angel) comes openly he sees him (the angel) and speaks to him. Such person is a messenger. A prophet is one who sees in his dream something like the dream of Abraham  or the dream of our Prophet (s.a.) about reasons for prophethood before the coming of revelation until Jibril came from Allah with to inform him that he was to be a messenger. In the case of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.) when prophethood was established in him then Jibril brought him the message that he was to be a messenger. Jibril would come and speak to him openly. Some of the prophets in whom prophethood is established they see in their dreams, the spirit comes to them, speaks and reports to them but they do not see the spirit when awake. Al-Muhaddith is one to who is reported to and he hears the reporting but does not see openly or in his dream.”