The Prophet (peace be upon him) placing a green branch on the two graves is a specific incident with no general application
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The third question of Fatwa No. ( 1333 ):
Q3: It was narrated that Ibn Abbas said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by two graves and said:Sahih al-Bukhari 218 . It was narrated by al-Bukhari. Is it valid for us to follow the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this, and is it permissible to place things similar to the green branch, such as wet green items, by analogy to the branch, or is it permissible to plant a tree on the grave to remain green for this purpose?
A3: The Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) placing the green branch on the two graves and his hope that the punishment would be lightened for those whose graves it was placed on is a specific incident with no general application. It pertained to two individuals whom Allah informed him were being punished, and that this was specific to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It was not a consistent Sunnah regarding the graves of Muslims; rather, it occurred only two or three times, assuming the incident was repeated, and no more. It is not known that any of the Companions did this, and they were the most eager of Muslims to follow him (peace and blessings be upon him) and the most eager to benefit Muslims, except for what was narrated from Buraydah al-Aslami : that he bequeathed that two green branches be placed in his grave, and we do not know that any of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed with Buraydah on that. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers upon our Prophet Muhammad , and his family and his Companions, and peace upon them.
Q3: It was narrated that Ibn Abbas said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by two graves and said:
These two persons are being tortured not for a major sin (to avoid). 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 took a green leaf of a date-palm tree, split it into (pieces) and fixed one on each grave. They said, "O Allah's Apostle! Why have you done so?" He replied, "I hope that their punishment might be lessened till these (the pieces of the leaf) become dry."
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، قالوا: يا رسول الله: لم فعلت؟ قال: لعله يخفف عنهما ما لم ييبساA3: The Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) placing the green branch on the two graves and his hope that the punishment would be lightened for those whose graves it was placed on is a specific incident with no general application. It pertained to two individuals whom Allah informed him were being punished, and that this was specific to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It was not a consistent Sunnah regarding the graves of Muslims; rather, it occurred only two or three times, assuming the incident was repeated, and no more. It is not known that any of the Companions did this, and they were the most eager of Muslims to follow him (peace and blessings be upon him) and the most eager to benefit Muslims, except for what was narrated from Buraydah al-Aslami : that he bequeathed that two green branches be placed in his grave, and we do not know that any of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed with Buraydah on that. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers upon our Prophet Muhammad , and his family and his Companions, and peace upon them.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.