Allah the Exalted said: “And there is nothing but glorifies His praise,” and the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) when he placed the palm branch on the two graves: “Perhaps it will lighten the punishment for them.”
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The Shaykh : Allah Mighty and Majestic says: [Al-Isra 17:44] the verse is [Al-Isra: 44], and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said that the palm branch seeks forgiveness for him . When he placed the palm branch on the two graves, how do we reconcile the saying of Allah the Exalted with the hadith?
The questioner made two mistakes. The first was when he did not quote the wording of the verse correctly, and the second was when he inserted into the hadith what is not in it, where the questioner mentioned the phrase “seeks forgiveness” or “seek forgiveness.” In the hadith, it is “seek forgiveness” (plural), referring to the palm branches. Consequently, the hadith became confusing for the questioner in relation to the verse, but it is not in the hadith at all that it seeks forgiveness or glorifies Allah, so that we would imagine a contradiction between the verse and the hadith. However, it appears to me that the meaning prevalent in the minds of the general people arose in the questioner’s mind. From the authentic story narrated in al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by two graves and said:Sahih Muslim 292a. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered a palm branch to be split into two pieces and each piece placed on a grave. They asked, “Why, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, and this is the text of the hadith: Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq 7:704. So there is no glorification or lack thereof in the hadith to contradict the hadith, but rather the people—excuse me—to contradict the verse. But the people had in their minds that the reason for lightening the punishment on the two graves is the glorification of the two branches as long as they are wet. So it became confusing for the questioner because the meaning is prevalent in the minds of people and is not correct. It became confusing for the questioner because the hadith conditioned the lightening of the punishment as long as the two branches are wet, so its implication is that if they dry out, they no longer glorify Allah. And Allah says: [Al-Isra 17:44]. From here came the confusion for the questioner. But the truth is that the hadith does not mean at all that the branch glorifies Allah. There is no mention of glorification in the hadith, neither explicitly nor implicitly. Rather, some people imagined that the reason for lightening the punishment on the buried ones is the moisture present in the two branches, so if it goes away, the lightening of the punishment for the buried ones goes away. It is the moisture present in the two branches, so if it goes away, the lightening of the punishment for them goes away. So there is no problem; the verse is in its generality [Al-Isra: 44], whether it is a stone or a tree, and whether this tree is wet or dry, the verse is in its generality.
Where does the question arise? What is the secret in lightening the punishment for the two buried men? And what is the secret in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):?
The answer is in another hadith. This hadith that we quoted earlier is from the hadith of Ibn Abbas in al-Bukhari and Muslim. So the hadith came in Sahih Muslim alone from the narration of Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in this incident or something similar to it, when he ordered the branch to be placed and was asked about the reason, he said:. So the reason for lightening the punishment is the intercession of the Messenger and his supplication for the buried one. The moisture is not a reason for lightening the punishment, but rather a sign for the duration of the lightening of the punishment.
This is the meaning of the hadith. The reason for lightening the punishment is the intercession of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his supplication for the buried one. The moisture present in the branch is a sign as long as it remains for the lightening of the punishment. So if this moisture and this wetness go away and the branch becomes dry, the punishment returns to the buried one. This is the secret and the reason for lightening the punishment for the dead in this hadith. The secret is not that the branch, as long as it is wet, glorifies Allah, and as long as it is dry, it does not glorify Allah. In that case, this would contradict the verse. There is nothing of that in the hadith at all. So the verse is in its generality and its absoluteness, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Isra 17:44].
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And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise
وإن من شيء إلا يسبح بحمدهAnd there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise
وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِas long as they are not dry
ما لم ييبساThe questioner made two mistakes. The first was when he did not quote the wording of the verse correctly, and the second was when he inserted into the hadith what is not in it, where the questioner mentioned the phrase “seeks forgiveness” or “seek forgiveness.” In the hadith, it is “seek forgiveness” (plural), referring to the palm branches. Consequently, the hadith became confusing for the questioner in relation to the verse, but it is not in the hadith at all that it seeks forgiveness or glorifies Allah, so that we would imagine a contradiction between the verse and the hadith. However, it appears to me that the meaning prevalent in the minds of the general people arose in the questioner’s mind. From the authentic story narrated in al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by two graves and said:
They (their occupants) are being tormented, but they are not tormented for a grievous sin. One of them carried tales and the other did not keep himself safe from being defiled by urine.
أما إنهما ليُعذّبان وما يعذّبان في كبير، أما أحدهما فكان يسعى بالنميمة وأما الأخر فكان لا يستنزه من البولPerhaps Allah will lighten the punishment for them as long as the two branches are wet
لعل الله أن يُخفّف عنهما العذاب ما دام الغصنان رطبينAnd there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise
وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِAnd there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting
وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَكِنْ لا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْWhere does the question arise? What is the secret in lightening the punishment for the two buried men? And what is the secret in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
as long as they are not dry
ما لم ييبساThe answer is in another hadith. This hadith that we quoted earlier is from the hadith of Ibn Abbas in al-Bukhari and Muslim. So the hadith came in Sahih Muslim alone from the narration of Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in this incident or something similar to it, when he ordered the branch to be placed and was asked about the reason, he said:
Indeed, Allah Blessed and Exalted is He accepted or approved my intercession to lighten the punishment for him as long as the branch is wet
إن الله تبارك وتعالى استجاب أو قبِل شفاعتي في أن يخفّف عنه العذاب مادام الغصن رطبًاThis is the meaning of the hadith. The reason for lightening the punishment is the intercession of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his supplication for the buried one. The moisture present in the branch is a sign as long as it remains for the lightening of the punishment. So if this moisture and this wetness go away and the branch becomes dry, the punishment returns to the buried one. This is the secret and the reason for lightening the punishment for the dead in this hadith. The secret is not that the branch, as long as it is wet, glorifies Allah, and as long as it is dry, it does not glorify Allah. In that case, this would contradict the verse. There is nothing of that in the hadith at all. So the verse is in its generality and its absoluteness, as Allah the Exalted said: