❀ Prohibition of Decorating Graves and Lighting Lamps Upon Them ❀
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
Decorating graves and lighting lamps over them is forbidden in Islam. Such actions not only oppose the simplicity taught by the Prophet ﷺ but also pave the way to exaggeration, innovation, and eventually shirk (associating partners with Allah).
Decorating graves leads to:
➤ Temptation for the general public
➤ Glorification and excessive reverence of the deceased
➤ Opening doors to innovation and shirk
✔ Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله clearly states:
"Decorating graves is an innovation (بدعة)."
Reference: Aḥkām al-Janāʾiz, p. 329
Also cited in: Sharḥ al-Ṭarīqah al-Muḥammadiyyah: 1/114
✔ The interpretation of Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān in Rawḍat al-Nadiyyah—that the discussion is about mosque decoration—is incorrect, as clarified by Shaykh al-Albānī, based on the context and word “تسريحها” (adorning).
Reference: Al-Taʿlīqāt al-Raḍiyyah ʿalā al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/476
Lighting lamps on graves is haram for multiple reasons:
➊ It is a bidʿah (innovation) completely unknown to the righteous predecessors (salaf). Every bidʿah is misguidance.
➋ It is a waste of wealth, which is clearly forbidden in Islamic teachings.
➌ It resembles fire-worshippers (Magians), thus imitating non-Muslim practices.
Reference: Aḥkām al-Janāʾiz, p. 294
✔ Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-Haythamī رحمه الله classified this act as a kabīrah (major sin) and explicitly haram.
Reference: Al-Zawājir: 1/134
The hadith:
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed women who visit graves, and those who build mosques upon them and light lamps upon them."
(لعن رسول الله زائرات القبور والمتخذين عليها المساجد والسرج)
This narration is weak, as affirmed by various scholars:
References:
Nonetheless, the prohibition is independently established through other sound principles and scholarly consensus.
Decorating graves and lighting lamps upon them is forbidden in Islam.
It is an innovation that was never practiced by the Prophet ﷺ or the righteous Salaf.
These actions lead to glorification of the dead and resemble non-Islamic rituals.
Multiple scholars including Ibn Ḥajar al-Haythamī and Shaykh al-Albānī declared it ḥarām and a major sin.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ Introduction
Decorating graves and lighting lamps over them is forbidden in Islam. Such actions not only oppose the simplicity taught by the Prophet ﷺ but also pave the way to exaggeration, innovation, and eventually shirk (associating partners with Allah).
✿ Prohibition of Decorating Graves
Decorating graves leads to:
➤ Temptation for the general public
➤ Glorification and excessive reverence of the deceased
➤ Opening doors to innovation and shirk
✔ Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله clearly states:
"Decorating graves is an innovation (بدعة)."
Reference: Aḥkām al-Janāʾiz, p. 329
Also cited in: Sharḥ al-Ṭarīqah al-Muḥammadiyyah: 1/114
✔ The interpretation of Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān in Rawḍat al-Nadiyyah—that the discussion is about mosque decoration—is incorrect, as clarified by Shaykh al-Albānī, based on the context and word “تسريحها” (adorning).
Reference: Al-Taʿlīqāt al-Raḍiyyah ʿalā al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/476
✿ Prohibition of Lighting Lamps on Graves
Lighting lamps on graves is haram for multiple reasons:
➊ It is a bidʿah (innovation) completely unknown to the righteous predecessors (salaf). Every bidʿah is misguidance.
➋ It is a waste of wealth, which is clearly forbidden in Islamic teachings.
➌ It resembles fire-worshippers (Magians), thus imitating non-Muslim practices.
Reference: Aḥkām al-Janāʾiz, p. 294
✔ Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-Haythamī رحمه الله classified this act as a kabīrah (major sin) and explicitly haram.
Reference: Al-Zawājir: 1/134
✿ Clarification Regarding the Commonly Cited Hadith
The hadith:
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed women who visit graves, and those who build mosques upon them and light lamps upon them."
(لعن رسول الله زائرات القبور والمتخذين عليها المساجد والسرج)
This narration is weak, as affirmed by various scholars:References:
- Ḍaʿīf Abū Dāwūd: 706
- Ḍaʿīf al-Tirmidhī: 51
- Ḍaʿīf al-Nasāʾī: 118
- Aḥkām al-Janāʾiz, p. 294
- Abū Dāwūd: 3236
- Musnad Aḥmad: 2030
- Nasāʾī: 2043
- Tirmidhī: 320
Nonetheless, the prohibition is independently established through other sound principles and scholarly consensus.
❖ Conclusion
Decorating graves and lighting lamps upon them is forbidden in Islam. It is an innovation that was never practiced by the Prophet ﷺ or the righteous Salaf. These actions lead to glorification of the dead and resemble non-Islamic rituals. Multiple scholars including Ibn Ḥajar al-Haythamī and Shaykh al-Albānī declared it ḥarām and a major sin.وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
