"And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, 'They are dead.' Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not," regarding the nature of the life that is the life of the martyrs.
Muhammad said: "Amwat" (dead) is in the nominative case (marfu') implying: they are dead; and likewise "bal ahya'" (rather, they are alive) implies: rather, they are alive.
Yahya [narrated] from al-Mu'alla, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Tharwan, from Hudhayl, from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, who said: "The souls of the martyrs are in the crops of green birds that graze in Paradise wherever they wish, then they seek shelter in lanterns suspended from the Throne."
﴿وَلا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ وَلَكِن لَا تشعرون﴾ كَيفَ الْحَيَاة الَّتي هِيَ حَيَاة الشُّهَدَاء.
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: ﴿أموات﴾ مَرْفُوع على معنى: هُم أموات، وَكَذَلِكَ ﴿بل أَحيَاء﴾ الْمَعْنى: بل هُم أَحيَاء.
يَحْيَى: عَنِ الْمُعَلَّى، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ ثَرْوَانَ، عَنْ هُذَيْلٍ، عَنْ عبد الله ابْن مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: ((أَرْوَاحُ الشُّهَدَاءِ فِي حَوَاصِلَ طَيْرٍ خُضْرٍ تَرْعَى فِي الْجَنَّةِ؛ حَيْثُ شَاءَتْ، ثُمَّ تَأْوِي إِلَى قناديل معلقَة بالعرش)).
