“I asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.) about the Messenger, the Prophet, and the Muhaddath. He said, 'The Messenger is the one to whom Jibril comes face to face, so he sees him and speaks to him. This is the Messenger.
As for the Prophet, he is the one who sees in his dream, like the vision of Abraham and like what the Messenger of Allah (sw) saw from the causes of prophethood before the revelation until Jibril (as) came to him from Allah with the message. And Muhammad (sw), when prophethood was gathered for him and the message came to him from Allah, Jibril would come to him with it and speak to him face to face. And among the Prophets are those to whom prophethood was gathered, and they see in their dreams, and the Spirit comes to them, speaks to them, and converses with them without seeing in wakefulness.
As for the Muhaddath, he is the one who is spoken to, hears, but does not see (directly) nor see in his dream.'"