Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 1549
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَالِدٍ الأَحْمَرُ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ قَيْسٍ، عَنِ الْمِنْهَالِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ زَاذَانَ، عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ، قَالَ خَرَجْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فِي جِنَازَةٍ فَانْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى الْقَبْرِ فَجَلَسَ وَجَلَسْنَا كَأَنَّ عَلَى رُءُوسِنَا الطَّيْرَ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Kurayb narrated to us; Abu Khalid al-Ahmar narrated to us, from Amr ibn Qays, from al-Minhal ibn Amr, from Zadhan, from al-Bara’ ibn Azib, who said: ‘We went out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for a funeral and came to a grave. He sat down, and we sat down, as though birds were perched on our heads.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic simile describes their stillness as if birds were on their heads.