Celebrating the return of pilgrims and decorating the house

8-3-2012 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is it permissible to celebrate the return of pilgrims by decorating the house and writing on the walls?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , and his Companions did not decorate houses or write on their walls as a way of celebration for returning pilgrims. Thus, Muslims should not do this as this may lead to ostentation and pride, which are detested in the Sharee‘ah.

Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam and one of its great ordinances. It is not simply a rank or a title, so a pilgrim should purify his home from anything that is prohibited and order his family to observe the prayers and instruct his sons to adhere to  praying in Jamaa‘ah (congregation), as well as other acts of worship that may lead to the acceptance of his pilgrimage. One of the signs of the acceptance of a good deed is that it is followed by other good deeds.

Allaah Knows best.