Fatwa ID: 06759

 

Answered by: Alimah Jannatun Nessa

 

Question:

 

Is it good to put plants next to graves so they can do Zikr?

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Answer:

 

Many Muslims mistakenly believe that planting vegetation next to graves will alleviate the punishment of the individuals buried there by doing zikr. The misconception is brought about by an incorrect understanding of the following hadith.

 

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مُجَاهِدًا، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ طَاوُسٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ مَرَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى قَبْرَيْنِ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ إِنَّهُمَا لَيُعَذَّبَانِ، وَمَا يُعَذَّبَانِ فِي كَبِيرٍ، أَمَّا هَذَا فَكَانَ لاَ يَسْتَتِرُ مِنْ بَوْلِهِ، وَأَمَّا هَذَا فَكَانَ يَمْشِي بِالنَّمِيمَةِ ‏”‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ دَعَا بِعَسِيبٍ رَطْبٍ، فَشَقَّهُ بِاثْنَيْنِ، فَغَرَسَ عَلَى هَذَا وَاحِدًا وَعَلَى هَذَا وَاحِدًا ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏”‏ لَعَلَّهُ يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمَا، مَا لَمْ يَيْبَسَا ‏”‏‏.‏

 

Narrated Ibn `Abbas: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) passed by two graves and said, “Both of them (persons in the grave) are being tortured, and they are not being tortured for a major sin. As for this one, he did not save himself from being soiled with his urine, and as for the other, he used to go about spreading gossip. The Prophet (ﷺ) then asked for a green leaf of a date-palm tree, split it into two pieces planted one on each grave and said, “It is hoped that their punishment may be abated till those two pieces of the leaf get dried.” [Sahih al-Bukhari, 6052 and 216] 

 

According to the scholars’ interpretation of the aforementioned hadith, the lessening of punishment was due to the Prophet’s ﷺ personal intercession for the two people buried there. Allah sent revelation to the Prophet ﷺ instructing him to split a leaf (or twig, according to some scholars) into two pieces and place one piece on each grave, stating that his intercession has been accepted until the leaf or twig dries.

 

This was a unique privilege Allah granted to the Prophet ﷺ and is not the same for every Muslim. Hence, there would be no benefit if a Muslim planted any sort of vegetation next to a grave and believed that it would, be bidah or an innovation in the religion. 

 

 

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Alimah Jannatun Nessa

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

 

 

 

[Umdatul Qari, volume 15, page 206, Hadith 6052, Daar al fikr]

((ما لم يبسا)) وجه التاقيت فيه هو محمول على أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم سأل الشفاعة لهما فأجيبت شفاعته بالتخفيف عنهما إلى يبسهما.

 

[Fathul Bari, volume 1, page 382, Hadith 216, Daar ar-Rayan]

قال المازرى: يحتمل أن يكون اوحى اليه ان العذاب يخفف عنهما هذه المدة. انتهى. وعلى هذا فلعل هنا التعليل قال: ولا يظهر له وجه غير هذا. وتعقبه القرطبي بأنه لو حصل الوحي لما أتى بحرف الترجي، كذا قال.

 

 

[Sahih al-Bukhari 216]

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِحَائِطٍ مِنْ حِيطَانِ الْمَدِينَةِ أَوْ مَكَّةَ، فَسَمِعَ صَوْتَ إِنْسَانَيْنِ يُعَذَّبَانِ فِي قُبُورِهِمَا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ يُعَذَّبَانِ، وَمَا يُعَذَّبَانِ فِي كَبِيرٍ ‏”‏، ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏”‏ بَلَى، كَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا لاَ يَسْتَتِرُ مِنْ بَوْلِهِ، وَكَانَ الآخَرُ يَمْشِي بِالنَّمِيمَةِ ‏”‏‏.‏ ثُمَّ دَعَا بِجَرِيدَةٍ فَكَسَرَهَا كِسْرَتَيْنِ، فَوَضَعَ عَلَى كُلِّ قَبْرٍ مِنْهُمَا كِسْرَةً‏.‏ فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لِمَ فَعَلْتَ هَذَا قَالَ ‏”‏ لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يُخَفَّفَ عَنْهُمَا مَا لَمْ تَيْبَسَا أَوْ إِلَى أَنْ يَيْبَسَا ‏”‏‏.‏

 

 

Narrated Ibn `Abbas: Once the Prophet, while passing through one of the graveyards of Medina or Mecca heard the voices of two persons who were being tortured in their graves. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “These two persons are being tortured not for a major sin (to avoid).” The Prophet (ﷺ) then added, “Yes! (they are being tortured for a major sin). Indeed, one of them never saved himself from being soiled with his urine while the other used to go about with calumnies (to make enmity between friends). The Prophet (ﷺ) then asked for a green leaf of a date-palm tree, broke it into two pieces and put one on each grave. On being asked why he had done so, he replied, “I hope that their torture might be lessened, till these get dried.”