5 – Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ayyub narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn Saʿd, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq; al-Aʿmash narrated to me, from someone I do not suspect, from Abu l-Duha Muslim ibn Subayh, from Masruq ibn al-Ajdaʿ, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud, who said:

We asked him about these verses, “Do not suppose that those who were killed in the path of Allah are dead; rather, they are alive with their Lord, being provided for” (Āl ʿImrān 3:169). He replied, “Indeed, we ourselves once inquired about them, and it was said to us: ‘When ⦗23⦘ your brothers were struck down at Uhud, Allah—glorified and exalted is He—placed their spirits inside the hollows of green birds that alight at the rivers of Paradise, eat of its fruits, and then nest in golden lamps beneath the Throne. They say, “Our Lord, there is nothing higher than what You have granted us: Paradise, from which we eat wherever we wish.” Then He looks in on them and says, “My servants, what do you desire so that I may grant you more?” They answer, “Our Lord, there is nothing higher than what You have granted us: Paradise, from which we eat wherever we wish—except that we would love for You to return our souls to our bodies, send us back to the world, and let us fight until we are slain for Your sake once again.”’”