Whenever Jibreel (May peace be upon him) came to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), he would become the very personification of respect and would request permission. Out of respect, he would not come closer to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) all of a sudden, but he would be constantly requesting the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) for permission. When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would grant him permission, then he would come close to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and he would sit parallel-legged.
In many different types of books of Hadith like the Sihah, Sunan, etc., there are many Hadith of this kind. As an example, the following Hadith is being reproduced here:
Translation of Hadith: It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him), he says: We were present before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Suddenly a person with a beautiful face, fragrant odor and in a clean dress came to Him and said:
Assalaamulaikum, O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). May I come closer to you? Then He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Come closer. He came a little closer. In the same way, he kept requesting for permission many times and kept coming closer to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
In Musnad Imam Ahmad Bin Hambal, the Hadith is with a slight change:
Jibreel said: Assalamulaikum, O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Walaikum Assalam. Then he said: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) may I come closer? He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Come closer.
In Kanz Ul Ummal, the words are like this:
Jibreel (May peace be upon him) said: May I come closer to You, O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Come closer to me.
In Sunan Nasai, the following words have been recorded:
Jibreel (May peace be upon him) came to the edge of the floor coverlet and said: O Personification of Praise and Worthy of all extolment (i.e. even His name was used as a form of praise) Assalaamulaikum! Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) replied to his salaam. Jibreel (May peace be upon him) said: O Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! May I come closer to you? The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Come closer. Jibreel (May peace be upon him) kept requesting permission and the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) continued granting it.
Musnad Imam Ahmad Bin Hambal and Sunan-e-Baihaqui have these words:
O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! May I enter your presence?
The commentator has interpreted this line thus:
Jibreel (May peace be upon him) requested permission in this manner to come closer to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) because of the fear that coming closer suddenly would come under disrespect of the Prophet of Allah Ta’ala (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
This shows us the respect and reverence with which Jibreel (May peace be upon him) would come to the Holy Prophet. In the same way, Allah Ta’ala used to command Jibreel (May peace be upon him) that he should not leave the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) without asking His permission and will.
Do not return until the Beloved (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) permits you to
Hadhrat Qazi Sanaullah Panipati Naqshbandi (May Allah shower His mercy on him) narrates a Hadith in his Tafseer-e-Mazhari on the authority of Ibn e Sa'ad and Abu Shaikh:
Translation of Hadith: When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was done with the Battle of Badr, Jibreel (May peace be upon him) came to Him on a red horse wearing armor, holding a spear in his hand and entreated: O Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), Allah Ta’ala has sent me to you and has commanded me not to return until you are pleased with me. Is the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) pleased with me? The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Yes, I am pleased with you. Then Jibreel (May peace be upon him) returned.