Placing flowers, basil, green leaves, or other items on the grave
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The second question of Fatwa No. ( 20517 )
Q 2: I have a relative who passed away, and I loved him for the sake of Allah and still do. I visit his grave two to three times a week, stand by the grave and make du'a for him, and then place basil on his grave. This is because I heard that whoever places a tree or something similar on a grave, it seeks forgiveness for the deceased until it dries out. Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
A 2 : Placing flowers, basil, green leaves, or other items on the grave, under the claim that they seek forgiveness for the deceased until they dry out, is all an innovation and a bid'ah (religious innovation) with no basis in the pure Shari'ah. What is prescribed (mashru') is seeking forgiveness for the deceased and making du'a for him at his grave or in any place, for that is what benefits him. As for what some people cite as evidence for the permissibility of placing palm fronds or green leaves on graves, namely the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), narrated by al-Bukhari . The answer to that is that this incident was a specific case with no general application to two individuals. Allah revealed to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) their punishment, and that was specific to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It was not a consistent Sunnah (recommended practice) on the part of the Prophet regarding the graves of Muslims. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q 2: I have a relative who passed away, and I loved him for the sake of Allah and still do. I visit his grave two to three times a week, stand by the grave and make du'a for him, and then place basil on his grave. This is because I heard that whoever places a tree or something similar on a grave, it seeks forgiveness for the deceased until it dries out. Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
A 2 : Placing flowers, basil, green leaves, or other items on the grave, under the claim that they seek forgiveness for the deceased until they dry out, is all an innovation and a bid'ah (religious innovation) with no basis in the pure Shari'ah. What is prescribed (mashru') is seeking forgiveness for the deceased and making du'a for him at his grave or in any place, for that is what benefits him. As for what some people cite as evidence for the permissibility of placing palm fronds or green leaves on graves, namely the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both),
That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by two graves and said: "Indeed, they are being punished, and they are not being punished for something major. As for one of them, he did not protect himself from the urine, and as for the other, he used to go about spreading talebearing." Then he took a fresh palm frond, split it in two, and planted one in each grave. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about that, and he said: "Perhaps it will lighten their punishment as long as they do not dry out."
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مر بقبرين فقال: إنهما ليعذبان وما يعذبان في كبير، أما أحدهما فكان لا يستتر من البول، وأما الآخر فكان يمشي بالنميمة ثم أخذ جريدة رطبة فشقها نصفين فغرز في كل قبر واحدة، فسئل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن ذلك فقال: لعله يخفف عنهما ما لم ييبسا
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.