The Ruling on Writing on the Walls of Graveyards

Question:
Honorable Shaykh! We see that in some graveyards, poetic phrases are written on the walls, reminding people to greet the inhabitants of the graves. What is the ruling on this practice?

Answer:
The practice is not permissible. Writing on graves is not permissible. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade writing on graves. Therefore, the name of the deceased or the date of his death should not be written, because this is a means to exaggeration regarding him. If one reads this writing, people say, "This is a righteous man," or "This is a verified scholar," and so on, and they seek blessing from him. However, if nothing is written on it, no one knows who it is, so there is no exaggeration regarding a grave that only his relatives know and the rest of the people do not know. But if it is written on, everyone reads this writing and it encourages the common people and the ignorant to revere this grave. Therefore, writing on graves is forbidden. Plastering graves is forbidden, whether plastered or painted with colors, light, or anything else; all of it is not permissible, because this is a means to revering them and exaggerating regarding them. However, a person may place a marker on a grave he knows, such as a line or a stone, in order to visit it and make du'a for him, because this is not something everyone knows; only the one who placed it knows it. This is different from writing, plastering, painting, or lighting, which is the custom of the people.