Sahih al-Bukhari 1361
Sahih al-Bukhari · Book 23: Funerals (Al-Janaa'iz) · Placing a leaf of a date palm over the grave
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ ، عَنْ طَاوُسٍ ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ مَرَّ بِقَبْرَيْنِ يُعَذَّبَانِ فَقَالَ " إِنَّهُمَا لَيُعَذَّبَانِ وَمَا يُعَذَّبَانِ فِي كَبِيرٍ أَمَّا أَحَدُهُمَا فَكَانَ لاَ يَسْتَتِرُ مِنَ الْبَوْلِ، وَأَمَّا الآخَرُ فَكَانَ يَمْشِي بِالنَّمِيمَةِ ". ثُمَّ أَخَذَ جَرِيدَةً رَطْبَةً فَشَقَّهَا بِنِصْفَيْنِ، ثُمَّ غَرَزَ فِي كُلِّ قَبْرٍ وَاحِدَةً. فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، لِمَ صَنَعْتَ هَذَا فَقَالَ " لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يُخَفَّفَ عَنْهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَيْبَسَا " .
The Prophet (ﷺ) once passed by two graves, and those two persons (in the graves) were being tortured. He said, "They are being tortured not for a great thing (to avoid). One of them never saved himself from being soiled with his urine, while the other went about committing slander (to make enmity between friends). He then took a green leaf of a date-palm tree split it into two pieces and fixed one on each grave. The people said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Why have you done so?" He replied, "I hope that their punishment may be lessened till they (the leaf) become dry."