He was asked about the verse "Do not think of those who were killed in the way of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, being provided for" [Al Imran 3:169], and he replied, "We ourselves asked about that and were told that their souls are in green birds that roam freely in Paradise wherever they wish, and they take shelter in lamps suspended from the Throne. Your Lord looked upon them once and asked, 'Do you wish for anything more, that I may give you more?'They said, 'Our Lord, what more could we wish for, when we are in Paradise, roaming wherever we please?'Then He looked upon them a second time and asked, 'Do you wish for anything more, that I may give you more?'When they saw that they would not be left alone, they said, 'Return our souls to our bodies so that we may go back to the world and be killed in Your way once again.'"He added in it, "And convey our greetings of peace to our Prophet, and tell him about us, that we are well pleased and that He is pleased with us."
حدثنا ابن أبي عمر حدثنا سفيان عن عطاء بن السائب عن أبي عبيدة عن ابن مسعود مثله وزاد فيه وتقرئ نبينا السلام وتخبره عنا أنا قد رضينا ورضي عنا