Chapter on Touching the Deceased
Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 25
وَ كَتَبَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ بِلاَلٍ إِلَى أَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ اَلثَّالِثِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: اَلرَّجُلُ يَمُوتُ فِي بِلاَدٍ لَيْسَ فِيهَا نَخْلٌ فَهَلْ يَجُوزُ مَكَانَ اَلْجَرِيدَةِ شَيْءٌ مِنَ اَلشَّجَرِ غَيْرِ اَلنَّخْلِ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ آبَائِكُمْ عَلَيْهِمُ اَلسَّلاَمُ «أَنَّهُ يَتَجَافَى عَنْهُ اَلْعَذَابُ مَا دَامَتِ اَلْجَرِيدَتَانِ رَطْبَتَيْنِ وَ أَنَّهَا تَنْفَعُ اَلْمُؤْمِنَ وَ اَلْكَافِرَ » فَأَجَابَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ «يَجُوزُ مِنْ شَجَرٍ آخَرَ رَطْبٍ.
Ali ibn Bilal wrote to Abu Al-Hasan al-Third, Imam Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Hadi عليه السلام: "A man dies in a land where there are no palm trees. Is it permissible to use something from other trees instead of the palm branch? It has been narrated from your forefathers عليه السلام that 'the punishment is averted as long as the two palm branches remain fresh, and that it benefits both the believer and the disbeliever.'" Imam عليه السلام replied: "It is permissible to use fresh branches from another tree."
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh