The Prophet ﷺ passed by two graves and said, "These two are being punished, and they are not being punished for something major. As for one of them, he did not shield himself from urine." Waki said, "from his urine." "And as for the other, he used to walk about spreading malicious gossip."Then he took a fresh palm branch, split it into two halves, and planted one piece on each grave.They asked, "Messenger of Allah, why did you do this?"He replied, "Perhaps their punishment will be lightened so long as these do not dry out." Waki said, "until they dry out."
حدثنا أبو معاوية ووكيع المعنى قالا حدثنا الأعمش عن مجاهد قال وكيع سمعت مجاهدا يحدث عن طاوس
مر النبي ﷺ بقبرين فقال إنهما ليعذبان وما يعذبان في كبير أما أحدهما فكان لا يستنزه من البول قال وكيع من بوله وأما الآخر فكان يمشي بالنميمة ثم أخذ جريدة فشقها بنصفين فغرز في كل قبر واحدة فقالوا يا رسول الله لم صنعت هذا قال لعلهما أن يخفف عنهما ما لم ييبسا قال وكيع تيبسا
Its isnad is sahih. Bukhari also related it, 1:278. Tirmidhi related it in abridged form, 2:74-75 (1:102-103 of our commentary). Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasai, and Ibn Majah also related it, as noted in the commentary on Tirmidhi.Khattabi said in Maalim Sunan 1:19-20, As for his saying, "Perhaps it will lighten their punishment as long as they have not dried out," this is from the angle of seeking blessing through the trace of the Prophet ﷺ and his supplication for easing their punishment. It is as if he ﷺ made the duration of their remaining moist a limit for the matter by which the lightening of the punishment from them occurred, and this is not because there is some meaning in the moist palm branch that is not found in the dry one.The common people in many lands spread palm leaves over the graves of their dead, and I think they have followed this reasoning, but what they have taken up from it has no valid basis.I said in my commentary on Tirmidhi, Khattabi spoke the truth, and the common people have grown even more insistent on this practice which has no foundation, and have gone to excess in it, especially in Egypt, imitating the Christians, to the point that they have taken to placing flowers on graves and exchanging them as gifts among themselves. People place them on the graves of their relatives and acquaintances as a greeting to them, and as a courtesy to the living!It has even come to resemble an official custom in international courtesies, so you find that dignitaries among the Muslims, when they arrive in a city in the lands of Europe, go to the graves of its great figures, or to the grave of the one they call "the Unknown Soldier," and place flowers upon it.Some of them place artificial flowers, which have no moisture in them, imitating the Europeans and following the ways of those before them.Scholars who resemble the common people do not even condemn them for this! Rather, you find them doing the very same thing at the graves of their own dead!I have come to know that most of the endowments called "charitable endowments" have their revenue devoted to the palm leaves and sweet basil placed on graves. All of this is innovation and reprehensible practice with no basis in the religion, and no support for it in the Book or the sunnah.It is obligatory upon the people of knowledge to condemn these things, and to abolish these customs as much as they are able!