Presented by Zia H Shah MD

At the Moment of Death (Soul’s Departure)

Hadith 1 (Umm Salama – Sahih Muslim): The Prophet ﷺ visited Abu Salamah after he had passed away and found his eyes open. He closed the eyes of the deceased and then said:

• Arabic Text: «إِنَّ الرُّوحَ إِذَا قُبِضَ تَبِعَهُ الْبَصَرُ.»
• English Translation: “When the soul is taken (i.e. at the time of death), the sight follows it.” In other words, the dying person’s gaze follows the departing soul.
• Scholarly Explanation: Imām al-Nawawī explains that this means “when the soul exits the body, the [dying person’s] eyes follow it, looking to see where the soul will go.” ​islamweb.net Scholars have derived from this hadith that death is essentially “the severing of the soul’s attachment to the body and its departure from it.” Thus, when the soul leaves, the body’s faculties (like eyesight) cease their function, which is why the eyes of the deceased often fix open, as if gazing after the soul. The Prophet ﷺ taught the Companions to gently close the eyes of the deceased at this moment out of respect. He also warned the family not to wail or supplicate for anything improper at the deathbed, because “the angels say ‘Āmīn’ to what you say” in those moments. Instead, he made a beautiful duʿā (supplication) for the departed, seeking forgiveness and a lofty status for the soul of Abu Salamah. This hadith highlights that the soul’s departure is the defining moment of death – once the soul leaves the body, the person’s worldly life ends, and the body is left lifeless while the soul moves on. As another scholar summarized: “Death is the separation of the soul from the body… after which the body decays while the soul continues its journey.”

Hadith 2 (Abu Qatadah – Sahih al-Bukhari): The Prophet ﷺ once passed by a funeral procession and remarked, “مُسْتَرِيحٌ وَمُسْتَرَاحٌ مِنْهُ” – “Relieved or one who is relieved from” (i.e. “either the deceased is relieved, or others are relieved from him”). The Companions asked him to explain, and he said:

• Arabic Text: «الْعَبْدُ الْمُؤْمِنُ يَسْتَرِيحُ مِنْ نَصَبِ الدُّنْيَا وَأَذَاهَا إِلَى رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ، وَالْعَبْدُ الْفَاجِرُ يَسْتَرِيحُ مِنْهُ الْعِبَادُ وَالْبِلَادُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوَابُّ.»
• English Translation: “The believing servant is relieved (by death) from the troubles and pains of this world and moves on to the mercy of Allah. But the wicked servant is one whom people, the land, the trees, and the animals are relieved from (due to his death).”
• Scholarly Explanation: This profound statement highlights two very different outcomes at the moment the soul leaves the body. For a righteous believer, the departure of the soul releases him from worldly hardships. His soul’s separation from the body is a relief in the sense that it can now rest and experience the mercy and comfort that Allah has prepared – a transition to a better state. Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī notes that the believer’s soul finds repose, no longer constrained by the burdens and illness that afflict the body in earthly life. In contrast, when an evil soul departs, it is a relief for others in creation: people and even the environment are safe from that person’s harm and corruption. The hadith thus describes the immediate effect of the soul’s separation: for the believer it is the start of peace, whereas for society the death of a tyrant or wrongdoer brings relief. This teaching reminds us that the soul’s moral state at the time of leaving the body determines whether death is truly a relief (raḥa) or the beginning of torment. As another hadith mentions, “Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him; and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him.” When the believing soul leaves the body, it eagerly anticipates meeting Allah’s mercy, whereas an impure soul faces the dread of divine judgment ​ar.wikisource.org.

The Soul’s Journey After Leaving the Body (Life in al-Barzakh)

Once the soul has separated from the body, Islamic teachings describe a transitional existence (known as al-Barzakh) in which the soul experiences a new reality while the body lies in the grave. Many authentic narrations shed light on how the soul moves, where it goes, and how (and if) it reconnects with the body during this intermediary phase. We focus on well-known, sound hadiths about this journey:

Hadith 3 (Al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib – Musnad Aḥmad, Sunan Abī Dāwūd): This is a famous, detailed narration describing what happens to righteous and wicked souls at death and afterward. Al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (raḍiyAllāhu ‘anhu) said: “We went out with the Prophet ﷺ in the funeral of a man from the Anṣār… we reached the grave before he was buried. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat at the edge of the grave, and we sat around him quietly, as if birds were on our heads (in awe). He had a stick with which he was drawing on the ground. Then he raised his head and said: ‘Seek refuge in Allah from the torment of the grave,’ twice or thrice.” He then described the ascent of the believer’s soul and the fate of the disbeliever’s soul:

• Arabic Text (excerpt): عن البراء بن عازب رضي الله عنه قال: … «إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ الْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا كَانَ فِي إِقْبَالٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَإِقْبَالٍ مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزَلَتْ إِلَيْهِ مَلَائِكَةٌ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ، بِيضُ الْوُجُوهِ كَأَنَّ وُجُوهَهُمُ الشَّمْسُ، مَعَهُمْ كَفَنٌ مِنْ أَكْفَانِ الْجَنَّةِ، وَحَنُوطٌ مِنْ حَنُوطِ الْجَنَّةِ، حَتَّى يَجْلِسُوا مِنْهُ مَدَّ الْبَصَرِ، ثُمَّ يَجِيءُ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ عليه السلام حَتَّى يَجْلِسَ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ فَيَقُولُ: أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الطَّيِّبَةُ – وفي رواية: الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ – اخْرُجِي إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٍ»، قال: «فَتَخْرُجُ تَسِيلُ كَمَا تَسِيلُ الْقَطْرَةُ مِنْ فِي السِّقَاءِ، فَيَأْخُذُهَا، فَإِذَا أَخَذَهَا لَمْ يَدَعُوهَا فِي يَدِهِ طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ، حَتَّى يَأْخُذُوهَا فَيَجْعَلُوهَا فِي ذَلِكَ الْكَفَنِ وَفِي ذَلِكَ الْحَنُوطِ، وَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا كَأَطْيَبِ نَفْحَةِ مِسْكٍ وُجِدَتْ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ…»، إلى آخر الحديث. (Translation of the Arabic excerpt:) “…When a believing servant is about to depart this world and proceed to the Hereafter, angels from the heaven descend to him – their faces white and radiant like the sun – bringing with them a shroud from Paradise and perfumes from Paradise. They sit around him as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head and says: ‘O good and peaceful soul, come out to the forgiveness of Allah and His pleasure.’ Thereupon the soul exits the body as smoothly as a drop of water flowing from a jug. The Angel of Death takes it, and as soon as he has seized it, the other angels present do not let it remain in his hand even for a moment before they take it and place it in the perfumed shroud. A most fragrant scent, like the finest musk on earth, emanates from the soul…” – and the Prophet ﷺ went on to describe how the angels carry the blessed soul up through the heavens. The gates of each heaven are opened for it, and the angels in heaven welcome the soul, saying, “Who is this pure soul?” calling it by the best names it was known by on earth. The soul is brought to the seventh heaven. Allah Almighty then says: “Record the book of My servant in `Illiyyīn (the highest register), and return him to the earth, for I created them from it, and I shall return them to it, then I will bring them forth from it again.” Thus the soul is returned to the body in the grave. Two angels (Munkar and Nakīr) come to the person and make him sit up in the grave for the questioning. They ask the believer: “Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is this man (the Prophet) that was sent among you?” The believer, by Allah’s grace, gives righteous answers: “My Lord is Allah; my religion is Islam; this man is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.” At this, a voice from the heavens announces: “My servant has spoken the truth. Spread out carpets from Paradise for him, clothe him from Paradise, and open for him a door to Paradise.” So a door to Jannah is opened, and its gentle breeze and fragrance come to him, and his grave is made spacious and filled with light. This is part of the bliss that the righteous soul enjoys, even as it is reunited with the body in the grave. In contrast, “when a disbelieving (or wicked) servant is about to depart this world to the Hereafter, angels with dark, grim faces come down to him from the heavens, bringing rough, coarse cloth (from Hell). They sit around him as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head and says: ‘O wicked soul, come out to the wrath of Allah and His anger!’ Then the soul is dragged out of the body, torn out like a thorny branch being pulled through wet wool – ripping the veins and nerves –” (in another version: “as if the soul is extracted with great pain, like pulling a skewer through wet cotton”). The angels snatch the filthy soul and wrap it in the coarse cloth, and the foulest stench comes from it, like the worst rotten corpse on earth. The angels ascend with this soul, but when they reach the lowest heaven, its gates are not opened for this soul. The denizens of heaven cry out, “Who is this vile soul?” – calling it by the worst names it was known by. Allah Almighty says: “Record the book of My servant in Sijjīn (the lowest register), in the lowest earth. Cast him back to earth, for from it I created them, to it I return them, and from it I will bring them forth again.” The condemned soul is flung back down, returning to its body. Then two angels come to the disbeliever in his grave, make him sit up and interrogate him: “Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who was the man sent among you?” The disbeliever or corrupt person can only say, “Ah! I don’t know… I heard people say something and I said the same, but I truly know nothing.” Then a voice from heaven declares: “He lies! Spread out carpets from Hell for him, and open for him a door to Hell.” Through that door comes scorching heat and poisonous wind, and the grave tightens around him until his ribs interlock due to the pressure. Then an angel, harsh and severe, is appointed to torment the wicked soul. The Prophet ﷺ said: “If a mountain were struck with the iron hammer he carries, it would turn to dust. The disbeliever is struck with it, and he screams in pain – a scream that everything between heaven and earth hears except humans and jinn.” Then the grave returns to dark silence, “and his soul is restored to his body” to continue suffering the punishment of the grave.
• English Summary: In summary, this hadith teaches that upon death, the soul of the believer leaves the body gently, is honored by angels, and taken up to the heavens before returning to the body for the grave’s life. The righteous soul enjoys comfort, answered correctly in the grave’s trial of questions, and begins to experience the bliss of Paradise (a window to Jannah is opened for it in the grave). The sinful or disbelieving soul, by contrast, is ripped out of the body, denied entry to the heavens, and returned to its body to face the grave’s interrogation, which it fails. That soul then begins to suffer in the grave with harrowing torment and constriction around the body.
• Scholarly Explanation: This long hadith is reported with slight variations in wording in several collections (Ahmad, Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Mājah, etc.) and is authenticated by scholars (al-Albānī graded it ṣaḥīḥ). Classical scholars such as Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Kathīr often cited this narration when explaining the stages of life after death. Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah highlighted that “this hadith indicates that the soul continues to exist after leaving the body – refuting the philosophers who deny that – and that the soul ascends to the heavens and descends, and that it is returned to the body, and that the deceased is questioned, and then enjoys bliss or suffers punishment (in the grave).” Indeed, the explicit statement “then his soul is returned to his body” appears for both the believer and disbeliever in this narration, which is a key proof that, in Barzakh, the soul has some connection back with the body. The great commentator Imām Ibn Ḥajar mentions that this returning of the soul is not like the full union of soul and body in worldly life, but a unique reattachment by which the dead person, in the grave, can experience the questioning and either bliss or torment. The body, though buried, is not left alone – the soul is returned in a state known only to Allah, and the person, now in the “life of the grave,” perceives the rewards or punishments of that state. This is why the Prophet ﷺ urged us to seek refuge from the grave’s torment, as it is a real phase of existence. The hadith of al-Barā’ also alludes to Quranic verses: it quotes {“Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the firm word, in the life of this world and in the Hereafter…”} (Qur’an 14:27) as applying to the believer’s ability to answer in the grave, and it cites {“the gates of heaven will not be opened for them”} (Qur’an 7:40) regarding the evil soul’s failed ascent. In essence, this narration ties the fate of the soul back to the body: even after a temporary separation and journey heavenward, the soul comes back to accompany the body in the grave, illustrating a continued relationship until the final Resurrection. As Ibn al-Qayyim writes, the Barzakh life is a bridge between the worldly life and the Resurrection, where the soul experiences a preview of its final abode while the body lies in the earth. The righteous are in a state of comfort and the wicked in a state of distress, and both soul and body (in a form known to Allah) partake in that experience.

Note: Similar accounts of the soul’s journey are reported in other authentic hadiths. For example, a hadith narrated by Abū Hurayrah (collected in Sunan al-Nasā’ī) describes the angels of mercy and angels of punishment greeting the soul at death in nearly the same terms. It adds that when the believing soul is carried to the sky, “the souls of other believers (who have died before) come to it and ask about their acquaintances on earth”, rejoicing to meet the new arrival. This indicates that souls of believers can meet and visit one another in Barzakh, a point confirmed by scholars like Ibn al-Qayyim. On the other hand, if the deceased was wicked, the hadith says “the souls of the disbelievers” receive it with disdain. These reports reinforce the idea that the soul remains conscious and active after leaving the body, able to encounter other souls. They also emphasize that the body in the grave is affected by the state of the soul: the grave widens or tightens, becomes pleasant or hellish, in accordance with the soul’s fate. This dual existence of the soul apart from the body (ascending to heaven) and then rejoining the body (in the grave) is one of the mysteries of the Barzakh life. It demonstrates that the connection between soul and body, though severed at death, is partly restored in the intermediate realm by Allah’s will, so that the individual as a whole can undergo the next stage of the divine plan.

The State of the Soul in Barzakh (Bliss or Restriction)

Authentic narrations also describe where souls reside during the Barzakh period and what form they take, especially highlighting the honor of the righteous and the martyrs, and the situation of believers’ souls in general after separation from the body.

Hadith 4 (Ibn Mas‘ud/Masruq – Sahih Muslim): The souls of martyrs hold a special status after death. On the authority of Masruq, it is narrated: “We asked ʽAbdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd about the meaning of the verse, {‘Do not consider those who were killed in the path of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, well provided for’} (Qur’an 3:169). He replied: We had asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about that, and he said:

• Arabic Text: «أَرْوَاحُهُمْ فِي جَوْفِ طَيْرٍ خُضْرٍ، لَهَا قَنَادِيلُ مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِالْعَرْشِ، تَسْرَحُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ شَاءَتْ، ثُمَّ تَأْوِي إِلَى تِلْكَ الْقَنَادِيلِ… فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: هَلْ تَشْتَهُونَ شَيْئًا؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: أَيّ شَيْءٍ نَشْتَهِي وَنَحْنُ نَسْرَحُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ شِئْنَا؟ … فَيَقُولُونَ: يَا رَبِّ، نُرِيدُ أَنْ تَرُدَّ أَرْوَاحَنَا فِي أَجْسَادِنَا حَتَّى نُقْتَلَ فِي سَبِيلِكَ ثَانِيَةً»​
• English Translation: “Their souls are inside green birds, which roam freely in Paradise. These birds have lamps (or chandeliers) hanging from the Throne of the Almighty. The souls wander in Paradise wherever they wish, then return to rest in those lamps under the Throne. Allah looks upon them and asks: ‘Do you desire anything?’ They say: ‘O Lord, what more could we desire? We roam wherever we want in Paradise!’ He asks them this three times. When they see that He will continue to ask, they finally say: ‘O Lord, we wish that You could return our souls to our bodies so that we might be slain in Your cause again.’ When Allah sees that they have no other need, He lets them be (to enjoy their state).” ​quran.com
• Scholarly Explanation: This hadith (found in Sahih Muslim and other collections ​sunnah.com) powerfully illustrates the exalted state of martyrs’ souls. The Prophet ﷺ likened their souls to green birds in Paradise, indicating that they are not confined to their graves at all, but immediately enjoy the freedom and provisions of Jannah. Imām al-Nawawī, in his commentary on this hadith, writes that this is the honor Allah bestows on the martyrs: their souls are “alive and provided for” as the Qur’an states, meaning they enjoy a real, conscious life of delight in the Barzakh​ sunnah.com. The imagery of green birds and lamps hanging from the Throne conveys how close these souls are to Allah’s divine presence (under the Throne) and how they can move effortlessly in Paradise. We should not misunderstand this imagery as trivial; rather, as Ibn Hajar explains, being in the crops or bodies of birds is a way to signify that the souls have a vehicle or form in Barzakh that lets them experience Paradise, since they no longer have their earthly bodies. These souls can eat of the fruits of Paradise and travel under the protection of Allah’s Throne. Only when Allah “questions” them do they express a remaining wish – to return to their bodies and attain martyrdom again – not out of regret, but because they have now tasted the immeasurable honor of dying for Allah and would do it again. The fact that they desire to be returned to their bodies (even temporarily) shows that the separation of soul and body for the martyr is experienced as a victory, not a loss. They only wish to repeat the sacrifice for even higher reward​ ​quran.com. The Prophet ﷺ also said in another narration, “No soul that has goodness with Allah and has passed on would wish to return to this world — except for the martyr, who wishes he could come back to be martyred again, due to the honor he receives.”​ quran.com This indicates that the martyr’s soul is utterly satisfied in the Barzakh, yet would embrace the chance for even more reward. In sum, the soul of the martyr is separate from the body, yet alive in a very complete sense: enjoying food, movement, and company in Paradise. This hadith has led scholars to conclude that martyrs are a special category whose souls do not experience the constraint of the grave at all, as a reward for their ultimate sacrifice. Their relationship to their body after death is unique: since they immediately live in Paradise in a different form, they do not remain with their earthly remains in the usual way. (Their bodies may not even decay as other bodies do – many martyrdom accounts attest to martyrs’ corpses found fresh and fragrant long after burial, which scholars view as a karāmah/miracle, not a universal rule but an occasional honor.) On the Day of Resurrection, however, even these blessed souls will be returned to rejoin their original bodies (as indicated when they wished to be returned to their bodies), to be raised for the final judgment. Thus, while the separation of soul from body is very comfortable for the martyr in Barzakh, it is not permanent – Allah will reunite them on the Last Day for entry into the everlasting Paradise.

Hadith 5 (Ka‘b bin Malik or Jābir – Sunan Ibn Mājah and others): There is also evidence that the souls of believing Muslims in general enjoy a similar freedom (though perhaps not the exact same station as martyrs) in the Barzakh. The Prophet ﷺ said:

• Arabic Text: “Innamā nasamatu al-mu’min ṭā’irun yuʿallaq(u) fī shajar al-jannah ḥattā yurjiʿahu-llāhu ilā jasadihi yawma yubʿathuh.”
  (Transliteration:) “Innamā nasamatu’l-mu’min ṭā’irun yaʿlaqu fī shajaril-jannah ḥattā yurjiʿahullāhu ilā jasadihi yawma yubʿathuh.”
• English Translation: “The soul of the believer is a bird feeding on the trees of Paradise until Allah returns it to its body on the Day He resurrects it.” This hadith is reported in Ibn Mājah (Book of Zuhd, hadith no. 4271) and al-Tirmidhī (who graded it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ). It was authenticated by Imām al-Albānī and other scholars​x.com.
• Scholarly Explanation: This narration generalizes the concept of a soul taking the form of a bird in Paradise to every righteous believer, not just martyrs. The wording “nasama (soul/spirit) of the believer” suggests that once a pious Muslim dies, his or her soul also goes to Paradise in a bird-like form to enjoy the fruits of Jannah. Imām Ibn Kathīr, commenting on this, said that it does not contradict the martyrs’ hadith; rather, all believing souls receive a portion of Paradise in Barzakh, but the martyrs’ souls are distinguished by being in green birds near the Throne​ quran.com. Other scholars reconcile that ordinary believers’ souls may also become birds in Paradise, but perhaps not green birds with lamps under the Throne – that elite degree is for the shuhadā’ (martyrs)​ quran.com. In any case, the phrase “until Allah returns it to its body on the Day of Resurrection” is crucial. It explicitly affirms that even while the soul is in Paradise, the connection to the body is not permanently severed – there will come a rejoining. On the Day of Resurrection, all souls, whether of martyrs or other believers (or disbelievers), will be put back into their original bodies, and people will rise from their graves for judgment. So this hadith emphasizes two points: (1) during the interim period (Barzakh), a believer’s soul enjoys a bird-like existence, indicating freedom and pleasure, not bound to the corpse; (2) the soul will be reunited with the body at Resurrection, which is why Muslims believe in the physical resurrection to come. The imagery of a bird eating in the trees of Paradise conveys ease and contentment. Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah pointed out that Allah created human souls with the capacity to experience life independently of the body, by His command. In Barzakh, the soul of a believer is given a spiritual body suitable to that world (like a bird) ​quran.com, so it can tangibly enjoy delights. Meanwhile, the physical body remains in the grave, returning to dust. This is not reincarnation, but a temporary state of the soul. Imam al-Qurtubī writes that one should not imagine the soul literally flitting about as a bird forever; rather, “bird” is a metaphor for the nimbleness and bliss of the soul in Barzakh. Allah knows the true form. The key takeaway is that righteous souls are not trapped or suffering – they are with Allah, in green gardens, awaiting the Last Day. This should give comfort about the fate of loved ones who died in faith. It also underscores that the separation of soul from body, for the believer, is not a state of loss but one of liberation: the soul is taken to a better realm, while the body rests. On the other hand, for the wicked soul, other texts indicate it does not go to Paradise; rather, it is confined to “Sijjīn” (a lowest place). The Prophet ﷺ in a hadith said the souls of evildoers are imprisoned in the lowest earth, and in Qur’an 83:7-8 Allah speaks of “Sijjīn” as the register of the wicked. Some scholars interpret that the evil soul is shackled near its grave or in a wretched dimension, unable to roam free, and it too will reunite with its body at Resurrection to face full justice.

In conclusion, the authentic hadiths from the major collections paint a consistent picture: At death, the soul separates from the body – a moment marked by the eyes following the soul’s exit. For the believer, this separation is gentle and liberating, while for the disbeliever it is harsh. After death, during Barzakh, the soul continues to exist – it ascends to the heavens or is thrown down, it is returned in some manner to the body in the grave for the trial, and it experiences either comfort or torment. The soul of the believer may enjoy a heavenly existence (likened to a bird in Paradise), whereas the soul of a wrongdoer is tormented and constrained. The soul retains awareness and identity, meeting other souls or encountering angels, while the body undergoes the natural process of death and decay. Despite this separation, these hadiths affirm a lingering connection: the soul hears and sees what happens to the body to a certain extent (e.g., hearing the footsteps leaving the grave), and when Allah wills, the soul and body will be rejoined – in the grave for questioning, and ultimately on the Day of Resurrection for final judgment.

All these narrations from Bukhari, Muslim, Nasā’ī, Ibn Mājah, Aḥmad and others are in harmony with the Qur’an, which describes the “Barzakh” after death (Qur’an 23:100) and the reality that “every soul shall taste death” (3:185) – meaning the soul will certainly experience the moment of departing the body – and then be raised again. In the words of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: “The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter. If one is saved from it, what comes after is easier; and if one is not saved, what comes after is worse.”​ ar.wikisource.org​ar.wikisource.org Knowing these teachings helps a Muslim understand that death is not annihilation but a transfer of the soul from one form of existence to another. The relationship between the soul and body is only paused temporarily, not ended forever. As Imam al-Nawawī and other commentators emphasize, the righteous soul’s separation from the body is the beginning of its reunion with the mercy of Allah, while the wicked soul’s separation ushers in divine wrath. Each hadith above, from the moment of death until the Barzakh life, guides us to prepare our souls for a good end and a peaceful waiting period until we are resurrected, God willing.

Sources:

• Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Riqāq (Prophetic traditions on heart-softening matters), Hadith no. 6512.
• Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Jana’iz (Funerals), Hadith (Umm Salama) no. 920.
• Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Imāra (Governance/Jihād), Hadith (Masruq – Ibn Mas‘ud) no. 1887​ sunnah.com​sunnah.com.
• Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī, Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Sunnah; Imam Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal, Musnad Aḥmad, Hadith of al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (the long narrative of the soul) (authenticated by al-Albānī in Silsilat al-Āḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥa no. 122).
• al-Nasā’ī, Sunan al-Nasā’ī al-Kubrā (or al-Sunan al-Mujtaba), Hadith of Abū Hurayrah describing the believer’s and disbeliever’s soul at death (authenticated by al-Albānī).
• Ibn Mājah, Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith no. 4271: “Nasmat al-mu’min ṭā’ir… (the soul of the believer is a bird in Paradise…)”. Also Ibn Mājah no. 4262 (hadith of al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib in a shorter form).
• al-Tirmidhī, Jāmi‘ al-Tirmidhī, Hadith no. 1641 and 1642 (souls of the martyrs in green birds).
• Comments and explanations from: Sharḥ al-Nawawī ‘ala Muslim (Imam al-Nawawī’s commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)​ islamweb.net; Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar; Ibn al-Qayyim’s Kitāb al-Rūḥ; Ibn Taymiyyah’s Majmū‘ al-Fatāwā; and modern fatwas/scholarship (e.g. Islam Q&A) summarizing these issues. Each of the above hadiths is considered authentic (ṣaḥīḥ or ḥasan) by virtue of chains of narration and acceptance by the scholars.