وَعَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ
قَالَ: لَمَّا حَضَرَتْ كَعْبًا الْوَفَاةُ أَتَتْهُ أُمُّ بِشْرٍ بِنْتُ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ مَعْرُورٍ فَقَالَتْ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ إِنْ لَقِيتَ فُلَانًا فَاقْرَأْ عَلَيْهِ مِنِّي السَّلَامَ.
فَقَالَ: غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكِ يَا أُمَّ بِشْرٍ نَحْنُ أَشْغَلُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَتْ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَمَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُول: «إِنَّ أَرْوَاحَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي طَيْرٍ خُضْرٍ تَعْلُقُ بِشَجَرِ الْجَنَّةِ؟» قَالَ: بَلَى. قَالَتْ: فَهُوَ ذَاكَ
Abd ar-Rahman ibn Kab told on his father’s authority that when death came to Kab,(Ibn Majah in Janaiz. 4 gives Kab ibn Malik.) Umm Bishr, daughter of al-Bara ibn Marur 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 taluqu 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-bath wannushur, transmitted it.