The Decoration of Mosques and Writing Verses on Their Walls and Carpets

The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, it is not hidden from your eminence what has occurred, both in the past and the present, of imitating the Jews and the Christians in building and decorating mosques and boasting about it. This is among the signs of the Hour, as mentioned in the hadith of Anas . These decorations, Honorable Shaykh, have expanded to the point where verses and the beautiful names of Allah are written on the walls of mosques, in the mihrabs, and on the carpets, and vast sums of money are spent on this. Even the carpets and rugs have not been spared from these decorations and engravings. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who was the most God-fearing and most humble of creation, was distracted by a small tent with banners. We hope that your eminence will have the Permanent Committee study this important issue, and write to the rulers to prohibit extravagance in building mosques, prohibit these decorations, and oblige carpet factories to provide mosque carpets free from these engravings and colors. In fact, one of them, a month ago, was decorated with approximately three hundred thousand riyals. Is he building mosques or a type of mosque?

The Shaykh:
You should write this statement for His Eminence the Mufti, and it will be presented to the son, if Allah wills. Write this statement of yours in a known manner and present it to the son; if Allah wills, he will look into it. However, you see some people being strict about everything, considering it decoration, considering it... There is no value in the strict person, nor in the lenient person. There must be a middle path, there must be a middle path in this matter.