‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Ka‘b told on his father's authority that when death came to Ka‘b,( Ibn Majah in <i>Jana'iz</i>. 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 <i>ta'luqu</i> followed by <i>bi</i>. <i>Mirqat</i> 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 <i>Kitab ul-ba‘th wannushur</i>, transmitted it.

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. رَوَاهُ ابْنُ مَاجَهْ وَالْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي كِتَابِ الْبَعْثِ والنشور