Abdullah said: We asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about this verse and he said:


أَرْوَاحُهُمْ فِي جَوْفِ طَيْرٍ خُضْرٍ لَهَا قَنَادِيلُ مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِالْعَرْشِ تَسْرَحُ مِنْ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ شَاءَتْ ثُمَّ تَأْوِي إِلَى تِلْكَ الْقَنَادِيلِ فَاطَّلَعَ إِلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ اطِّلَاعَةً فَقَالَ هَلْ تَشْتَهُونَ شَيْئًا قَالُوا أَيَّ شَيْءٍ نَشْتَهِي وَنَحْنُ نَسْرَحُ مِنْ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ شِئْنَا فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ بِهِمْ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا أَنَّهُمْ لَنْ يُتْرَكُوا مِنْ أَنْ يُسْأَلُوا قَالُوا يَا رَبِّ نُرِيدُ أَنْ تَرُدَّ أَرْوَاحَنَا فِي أَجْسَادِنَا حَتَّى نُقْتَلَ فِي سَبِيلِكَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى فَلَمَّا رَأَى أَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ حَاجَةٌ تُرِكُوا

The souls of martyrs are alive in the bodies of green birds who have their nests in chandeliers hanging from the Throne of the Almighty. They eat the fruits of Paradise from wherever they wish and they nestle among these chandeliers. Once their Lord cast a glance at them and he said: Do you want anything? They said: What more could we desire? We eat the fruit of Paradise from wherever we wish. Their Lord asked them the same question three times. When they saw that they will continue to be asked, they said: O Lord, we wish that you could return our souls to our bodies so that we could be martyred in your way once again. When Allah saw that they had no needs, he left them to enjoy.

Source: Sahih Muslim 1887