And Islam was sent only to cultivate love and concord among people and to put an end to disputes and quarrels. Yet the generous and merciful Prophet was moved to pity and compassion for the two, so he took a fresh palm stalk, split it in half, and planted one piece on each grave.
The Companions asked him about this unfamiliar action, and he replied, “Perhaps Allah will lighten for them the punishment they are undergoing for as long as these two stalks do not dry out.”
Scholarly disagreement
The scholars have differed over placing a palm stalk on a grave. Some consider it recommended, treating the Prophet’s action as a general legal ruling. Their reasoning is straightforward: the stalk glorifies Allah while it remains moist beside the deceased, and perhaps some of that glorification will reach him and bring light to his grave.
Others deem the practice unfounded, arguing that it introduces an act of worship that needs proof, and the revealed law provides none. In their view, this was a singular incident whose wisdom is unknown; hence the Prophet did not repeat it for anyone other than the occupants of these two graves. None of his Companions did so either, except for Buraydah ibn al-Ḥuṣayb, who requested that two stalks be placed on his own grave.
As for glorification (tasbīḥ), it is not limited to what is fresh rather than dry, for Allah the Exalted says, “There is nothing except that it exalts Him with praise” ⦗17:44⦘.
They further contend: even if we assume that the wisdom lies in the moist stalk’s glorification, it remains confined to a situation like that of the Prophet when he was shown the punishment of these two. Qadi Iyad said, “He based the planting of the stalks on unseen knowledge—namely his statement, ‘They are being punished’—so analogy is invalid, for we cannot know that the same cause exists.”
Lessons derived from the hadith
1- Affirmation of the punishment of the grave, as widely reported in the narrations and upheld by the majority of the ummah.
2- Neglecting to cleanse oneself from impurities is a cause of that punishment; one must therefore take due care. The hadith shows that urine, in particular, is closely linked to the punishment of the grave, a point confirmed by the report of al-Hakim and Ibn Khuzaymah: “Most of the punishment of the grave is on account of urine.”