Is it permissible to decorate mosques on the inside or the outside?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Our Shaykh...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Of course, a mosque was presented to me for construction.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And this mosque has a lot of stone decorations, meaning it has very expensive items.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So one of the brothers advised me and said to me: "My brother, there is a prohibition, there is a hadith that says."
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : We said, let us inquire from you whether the hadith is authentic or what?
The Shaykh : The hadith is authentic, and there are other hadiths...
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The hadith is authentic.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There are many hadiths.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That prohibit Muslims from decorating mosques.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And from showing off in their construction, this showing off which is manifested today in most mosques, whose state speaks.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It speaks better than their words, so you say, I did not build for prayer, but for showing off.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So it is not permissible to decorate mosques, and it was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 449Sahih (Al-Albani).
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And he said:Sunan Abi Dawud 448Sahih (Al-Albani), and the meaning of "building up" here is raising their construction and exaggerating in their decoration; therefore, the narrator of the hadith, who is Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), said: Mishkat al-Masabih 718.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And therefore, when the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattab,
The questioner : (may Allah be pleased with him),
The Shaykh : (may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him), wanted to expand the Prophet's Mosque, and this was the first expansion to enter the Prophet's Mosque, he said to the builder: "Shelter the people from the heat and the cold."
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : "And do not make it red and do not make it yellow."
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So if you are a builder and a mason.
The questioner : Yes, I am a builder...
The Shaykh : Then it is not befitting, it is not befitting you.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : To build something that involves such a violation.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is our advice to you and to those like you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And beware of that.
The questioner : But I told the brother who asked me, the one who told me and advised me, I said to him, meaning I understood with my mind that decoration inside the mosque distracts the worshipper, for example, from humility, but outside the mosque, meaning a person... going to the mosque for prayer, it is permissible that he does not notice it.
The Shaykh : But you, first, where are you taking this matter from rationally?
The questioner : Yes, rationally.
The Shaykh : And in that case, I say you hit the mark in some respects.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And you missed the mark in some respects.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : You hit the mark in distinguishing between decorations being inside the mosques.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And being outside the mosque.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In that they distract the worshippers.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But you missed the mark when you led yourself to believe, before leading others to believe, that if the decoration is outside the mosque, there is no harm in it.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : This is a mistake, because in that, first, there is a clear violation of those texts.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : That speak about the mosque in general.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : They do not distinguish between inside the mosque and outside it. This is first, and second, you overlooked, without blame, that it is not permissible to waste money on decorating mosques.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : If these moneys were spent on decorating these mosques, and instead spent on building mosques in some villages.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : With what is spent on one of these grand mosques today in our lands, dozens of mosques could be built in the villages.
The questioner : ... May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And may Allah protect you, if Allah wills.
The questioner : You advise us that we should not work.
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, do not work on decoration.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : Well, peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Of course, a mosque was presented to me for construction.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And this mosque has a lot of stone decorations, meaning it has very expensive items.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So one of the brothers advised me and said to me: "My brother, there is a prohibition, there is a hadith that says
If you adorn your Qur'ans and decorate your mosques, destruction will be upon you.
إذا زيَّنْتُم مصاحفَكم وزَخْرَفْتُم مساجدَكم كان الدَّمار عليكمThe Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : We said, let us inquire from you whether the hadith is authentic or what?
The Shaykh : The hadith is authentic, and there are other hadiths...
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The hadith is authentic.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There are many hadiths.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That prohibit Muslims from decorating mosques.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And from showing off in their construction, this showing off which is manifested today in most mosques, whose state speaks.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It speaks better than their words, so you say, I did not build for prayer, but for showing off.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So it is not permissible to decorate mosques, and it was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The Last Hour will not come until people vie with one another about mosques.
لا تقوم الساعة حتى يتباهى الناس في المساجدThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And he said:
I was not commanded to build high mosques.
ما أمرت بتشييد المساجدYou* will certainly ornament them as the Jews and Christians did.
لَتزخرفُنَّها كما زخرفت اليهود والنصارىThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And therefore, when the Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattab,
The questioner : (may Allah be pleased with him),
The Shaykh : (may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him), wanted to expand the Prophet's Mosque, and this was the first expansion to enter the Prophet's Mosque, he said to the builder: "Shelter the people from the heat and the cold."
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : "And do not make it red and do not make it yellow."
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So if you are a builder and a mason.
The questioner : Yes, I am a builder...
The Shaykh : Then it is not befitting, it is not befitting you.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : To build something that involves such a violation.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is our advice to you and to those like you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And beware of that.
The questioner : But I told the brother who asked me, the one who told me and advised me, I said to him, meaning I understood with my mind that decoration inside the mosque distracts the worshipper, for example, from humility, but outside the mosque, meaning a person... going to the mosque for prayer, it is permissible that he does not notice it.
The Shaykh : But you, first, where are you taking this matter from rationally?
The questioner : Yes, rationally.
The Shaykh : And in that case, I say you hit the mark in some respects.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And you missed the mark in some respects.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : You hit the mark in distinguishing between decorations being inside the mosques.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And being outside the mosque.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In that they distract the worshippers.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But you missed the mark when you led yourself to believe, before leading others to believe, that if the decoration is outside the mosque, there is no harm in it.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : This is a mistake, because in that, first, there is a clear violation of those texts.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : That speak about the mosque in general.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : They do not distinguish between inside the mosque and outside it. This is first, and second, you overlooked, without blame, that it is not permissible to waste money on decorating mosques.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : If these moneys were spent on decorating these mosques, and instead spent on building mosques in some villages.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : With what is spent on one of these grand mosques today in our lands, dozens of mosques could be built in the villages.
The questioner : ... May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And may Allah protect you, if Allah wills.
The questioner : You advise us that we should not work.
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, do not work on decoration.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : Well, peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.