وَعَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ
قَالَ: أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُحَدِّثُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إِنَّا نسمَة الْمُؤمن طير طَيْرٌ تَعْلُقُ فِي شَجَرِ الْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى يُرْجِعَهُ اللَّهُ فِي جَسَدِهِ يَوْمَ يَبْعَثُهُ»
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 taluqu 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, Nasai and Baihaqi, in Kitab al-bath wan-nushur, transmitted it.