Sunan Ibn Majah Book 24, Hadith 2801

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، فِي قَوْلِهِ ‏{وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ‏}‏ قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّا سَأَلْنَا عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَرْوَاحُهُمْ كَطَيْرٍ خُضْرٍ تَسْرَحُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ فِي أَيِّهَا شَاءَتْ ثُمَّ تَأْوِي إِلَى قَنَادِيلَ مُعَلَّقَةٍ بِالْعَرْشِ فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ كَذَلِكَ إِذِ اطَّلَعَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ اطِّلاَعَةً فَيَقُولُ سَلُونِي مَا شِئْتُمْ ‏.‏ قَالُوا رَبَّنَا وَمَاذَا نَسْأَلُكَ وَنَحْنُ نَسْرَحُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ فِي أَيِّهَا شِئْنَا فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا أَنَّهُمْ لاَ يُتْرَكُونَ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلُوا قَالُوا نَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَرُدَّ أَرْوَاحَنَا فِي أَجْسَادِنَا إِلَى الدُّنْيَا حَتَّى نُقْتَلَ فِي سَبِيلِكَ ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا رَأَى أَنَّهُمْ لاَ يَسْأَلُونَ إِلاَّ ذَلِكَ تُرِكُوا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah concerning the Verse:“Think not of those as dead who are killed in the way of Allah. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision,”[3:169] that he said: “We asked about that, and (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said: ‘Their souls are like green birds that fly wherever they wish in Paradise, then they come back to lamps suspended from the Throne. While they were like that, your Lord looked at them and said, “Ask me for whatever you want.” They said: “O Lord, what should we ask You for when we can fly wherever we wish in Paradise?” When they saw that they would not be left alone until they had asked for something, they said: “We ask You to return our souls to our bodies in the world so that we may fight for Your sake (again).” When He saw that they would not ask for anything but that, they were left alone.’”