وَعَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْنَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ مسعودٍ عَنْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ: (وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِنْدَ ربِّهم يُرزقون) الْآيَةَ قَالَ: إِنَّا قَدْ سَأَلْنَا عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ:
" أَرْوَاحُهُمْ فِي أَجْوَافِ طَيْرٍ خُضْرٍ لَهَا قَنَادِيلُ مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِالْعَرْشِ تَسْرَحُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ شَاءَتْ ثُمَّ تَأْوِي إِلَى تِلْكَ الْقَنَادِيلِ فَاطَّلَعَ إِلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمُ اطِّلَاعَةً فَقَالَ: هَلْ تَشْتَهُونَ شَيْئًا؟ قَالُوا: أَيَّ شَيْءٍ نَشْتَهِي وَنَحْنُ نَسْرَحُ مِنَ الْجنَّة حيثُ شِئْنَا ففعلَ ذلكَ بهِمْ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا أَنَّهُمْ لَنْ يُتْرَكُوا مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلُوا قَالُوا: يَا رَبُّ نُرِيدُ أَنْ تُرَدَّ أَرْوَاحُنَا فِي أَجْسَادِنَا حَتَّى نُقْتَلَ فِي سبيلِكَ مرَّةً أُخرى فَلَمَّا رَأَى أَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ حَاجَةٌ تُرِكُوا "
Masruq said:
We asked 'Abdallah b. Mas'ud about this verse, “Do not consider those who have been killed in God’s path to be dead; nay, they are alive in the presence of their Lord and are being supplied with provision" (Al-Qur’an; 3:169). He replied that he had asked about that, and the Prophet said, "Their spirits are in the crops of green birds which have lamps suspended from the Throne, which go where they wish in paradise and then return to those lamps. Their Lord looks down on them and asks whether they desire anything, and they ask in reply what they could wish when they can go where they like in paradise. He does that with them three times, and when they see that they will not be left alone without asking something, they tell their Lord that they wish Him to return their spirits to their bodies so that they may be killed in His path once again. Then when He sees that they lack nothing they are left without further questioning." Muslim transmitted it.
Reported by Muslim (No. 1887). Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 3804).