Full Sharh — Mishkat al-Masabih 1549

English Translation

‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Ka‘b told on his father's authority that when death came to Ka‘b,( Ibn Majah in Jana'iz. 4 gives Ka'b b. Malik.) Umm Bishr, daughter of al-Bara’ b. Ma'rur visited him and said, “Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman, if you meet so and so, give him a greeting from me." He replied, “God forgive you, Umm Bishr, I shall be too occupied to do that.” She said, “Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman, have you not heard God’s messenger say that the souls of believers are in green birds which are suspended on and feed on (The Arabic uses ta'luqu followed by bi. Mirqat explains the meaning in the sense given above) the trees of paradise?” On his replying that he had, she said that that was what she meant. Ibn Majah and BaihaqI, in Kitab ul-ba‘th wannushur, transmitted it.