He quoted his father to the effect that he used to tell that God’s messenger said, “The spirit of a believer is only a bird which feeds on (Here the Arabic is ta'luqu fi. Mirqat quotes Suyuti who explains it as in the translation above. The verb can have either the sense of being attached to something or of eating) the trees of paradise till God restores him to his body on the day He resurrects it.”
Malik, Nasa’i and Baihaqi, in Kitab al-ba'th wan-nushur, transmitted it.
God’s messenger came in where we were when we were washing his daughter and said, “Wash her with water and lotus leaves three or five times, or more than that if you think fit, and put camphor, or some camphor, in the last washing, then inform me when you are finished.” When we had finished we informed him, and he threw us his lower garment saying, “Put it next her body.” A version has, "Wash her an odd number of times, three, or five, or seven, beginning with the right side and the places where ablution is performed.” She said that they braided her hair in three plaits and placed them behind her back.
‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Ka‘b told on his father's authority that when death came to Ka‘b,( Ibn Majah in Jana'iz. 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 ta'luqu 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-ba‘th wannushur, transmitted it.
