Resolution of the Council of Senior Scholars on building over graves and lighting them
(No. 49, dated 20/8/1396 AH)

Since graveyards are places for reflection, admonition, and remembering the Hereafter—as related in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (976) from Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Prophet ﷺ visited his mother’s grave, wept, and caused those around him to weep. He said, ‘I asked my Lord for permission to seek forgiveness for my mother, and He did not permit me; and I asked Him for permission to visit her grave, and He granted it. Therefore visit graves, for they remind you of death’”—

and because decorating cemeteries by planting trees, paving walkways, installing electric lights, and other forms of beautification conflicts with the legal purpose of visiting graves and remembering the Hereafter—such adornment distracts from contemplation, fosters attachment to worldly life, and promotes forgetfulness of the Hereafter; in addition, the Prophet ﷺ warned against lighting graves and cursed those who do so, for he said: “He cursed women who frequently visit graves, those who turn them into places of worship, and those who set up lamps upon them.” Moreover, these practices imitate the People of the Book—Jews and Christians—who landscape and embellish their cemeteries, and the Prophet ﷺ forbade imitating them. They also expose graves to disrespect through trivial use, walking over them, sitting on them, and the like, all of which violate the sanctity of the deceased—

therefore, the Council unanimously rules that it is forbidden to alter graveyards in any manner: neither by planting trees, nor by installing lights, nor by any other form of decoration. This is to preserve the practice of the righteous predecessors and so that cemeteries remain a source of admonition, reflection, and remembrance.

Success rests with Allah. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muḥammad, his family, and his Companions.

Council of Senior Scholars