Musnad Ishaq

Benefits:
In another hadith, it is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam once went to a garden in Madinah or Makkah. There, he heard the voices of two people who were being punished in their graves. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “They are being punished, and not for a major sin.” Then he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “The fact is that one of them did not take care to protect himself from urine splashes, and the other used to engage in tale-bearing (namimah).” Then he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called for a (date-palm) branch, broke it into two pieces, and placed one piece on each of their graves. The people asked the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: “O Messenger of Allah, why did you do this?” He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam replied: “So that as long as these branches remain fresh, perhaps their punishment will be lessened.” (Bukhari, Book of Ablution, No. 216)

The scholars say that the lessening of the punishment was due to the blessings (barakah) of the hands of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, not due to any special quality of the branches themselves. As Ibn Tulun says, the cessation of the punishment was because of the blessing of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, as he placed two branches on their graves. (Al-Minha li-‘l-Rawi fi al-Tibb al-Nabawi by Ibn Tulun, p. 190)