Al-Adab al-Mufrad 735
Supplication
Backbiting And Allah’s words "And backbite not one another"
It is reported by Jabir bin Abdullah (ra) that they had accompanied the messenger of Allah when they came to two graves. Both the inmate of the graves were being punished. He said," They are being punished not for committing a grave sin. But, yes! (They are grave sins though on the face of it they are ordinary and it is easy to avoid them but their punishment is severe.) One of them was given to backbite other people while the other was not. Careful to clean himself of urine drops (over his body)". He then asked for one or two branches of fresh date palm and split them and dug them on each grave. He said afterwards," Soon their punishment will be softened as long as the branches are green." Or he said, “Until they dry up.”