Question:
Among Muslims, during the wedding night people often decorate the room with many flowers and ornaments. If wearing garlands itself is not established in the religion, then is decorating the bridal room with flowers something that exists in Islam? Does it fall under wasteful spending? Or is it considered imitation of other religious cultures?
Answer:
The question is about the practice where, after marriage, the husband and wife are brought together on the first night, and the room, house, and surroundings are decorated with flowers and ornaments.
First, this practice cannot be classified as imitation of another religion.
For something to be considered a religious cultural practice, it must be based on the beliefs or rituals of that religion. But decorating a room with flowers has no religious belief attached to it. Flowers are simply objects used for beautification and decoration. They are not part of a religious ritual.
In fact, such decoration is practiced by people across all communities, regardless of religion. Even people who claim to have no religion at all—atheists—decorate wedding halls and rooms in similar ways.
Therefore, this cannot be called a religious custom of another faith. It is simply a general human cultural practice.
Across societies, when a couple begins their married life, people naturally want the environment to be pleasant, fragrant, and beautiful. For that reason, decorations are done for the bride, for the room, and even for the house.
Thus, not everything should be hastily labeled as “religious culture.” Only when a practice is clearly tied to religious doctrine can it be called that.
Is it wasteful spending?
The next part of the question is whether this counts as wasteful expenditure.
Wastefulness means destroying or wasting resources unnecessarily.
For example, if food is prepared far beyond what is needed and then thrown away into the trash, that is wastefulness.
But decoration is different. Decoration is done so that something appears beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
When we examine Islamic sources, we find that beautification itself is not considered wastefulness.
In fact, people who loudly criticize such decorations often do the same things in their own events. In large conferences or public gatherings, thousands of lights are used for decoration.
Someone could ask them: why use so many lights? Would ten lights not be enough?
Yet they do these decorations because they want the place to look attractive and impressive.
If decoration in weddings is called wastefulness while decoration in other events is accepted, then that is simply inconsistent.
The Qur’an permits beautification
Islam does not teach that believers must live in a dull or harsh manner. Rather, it allows a reasonable level of beautification.
Allahﷻ says in the Qur’an:
“O children of Adam, take your adornment at every place of worship.”
(Qur’an 7:31)
This verse encourages believers to dress well and appear neat when coming to the mosque.
In the same passage Allahﷻ says:
- Eat
- Drink
- But do not be wasteful.
So, within the same verse Allahﷻ allows adornment, eating, and drinking, while only prohibiting wastefulness.
This shows clearly that adornment itself is not wastefulness.
Similarly, in the next verse Allahﷻ asks: “Who has forbidden the adornment that Allahﷻ has produced for His servants?” (Qur’an 7:32)
If Allahﷻ created beautiful things for human beings, then they were created to be used. Declaring them forbidden without evidence is not correct.
Beautification is natural and allowed
Islam recognizes that human beings naturally appreciate beauty.
The Prophetﷺ said: “Allahﷻ is beautiful and loves beauty.” (Sahih Muslim)
A man once asked whether wearing good clothes and nice shoes counts as arrogance. The Prophetﷺ replied that arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people. Simply wearing good clothes or good shoes is not arrogance.
Therefore, spending more money on a better-quality shoe or clothing for the sake of neatness and beauty is not considered wasteful.
In the same way, people build houses larger and more beautiful than basic necessity requires. That is part of beautification, not wastefulness, as long as arrogance and pride toward others are avoided.
Evidence from the life of the Prophetﷺ
There are also narrations that show beautification during weddings.
Aisha (RA) reports that there was a special dress used to beautify brides, and women would borrow it from her when preparing a bride for her wedding night.
This narration is recorded in Sahih Bukhari (Hadith 2628).
This indicates that beautifying the bride for the wedding night was known among the companions.
Another narration in Sahih Bukhari (Hadith 3894) mentions that when Aisha (RA) was sent to the Prophetﷺ after her marriage, some women prepared and adorned her before she was sent to him.
This clearly shows that beautifying the bride before the wedding night was practiced and accepted.
Another hadith that supports this discussion appears in Sahih Bukhari (Hadith 3991).
There was a woman named Subay‘ah al-Aslamiyyah. She was the wife of a companion who had participated in the Battle of Badr. Her husband passed away while she was pregnant.
Soon after his death, she gave birth to her child. Once the post-natal bleeding ended—after about a week or so—she began adorning herself and preparing for marriage again. She beautified herself in a way that would attract suitors who might wish to marry her.
At that time, another companion saw her and objected. He said: “You cannot do this. A widow must observe an ‘iddah of four months and ten days.”
However, that ruling applies only to women who are not pregnant.
For a woman who is pregnant, the Qur’anic ruling is that her iddah ends when she gives birth. If a woman gives birth shortly after her husband dies, her waiting period ends immediately.
So Subay‘ah went to the Prophetﷺ and explained the situation. She said that her husband had died while she was pregnant, that she had already given birth, and that someone had told her she could not prepare for marriage.
The Prophetﷺ replied that once she had given birth, her waiting period had ended, and she was free to marry if she wished. This hadith shows that she had adorned herself in order to attract a potential husband, and the Prophetﷺ did not forbid it.
Therefore, beautifying oneself in order to be appealing for marriage was considered permissible.
Conclusion about wedding night decoration
From these narrations we understand the following:
Decorating the wedding night—whether it is:
- Decorating the house
- Decorating the room
- Decorating with flowers
- Decorating with lights
It cannot be declared forbidden simply by labeling it as wastefulness.
If the decoration brings a benefit such as:
- emotional happiness
- visual pleasure
- creating a pleasant environment
Then it cannot automatically be called isrāf (wastefulness).
After all, people themselves place multiple lights in their houses. One light may be enough for illumination, but several lights make the place look brighter and more beautiful.
That visual beauty itself is a benefit.
Therefore, decoration in itself is not prohibited in Islam.
However, there are conditions:
- Decoration should not involve haram elements.
- It should not involve imitating religious rituals of other religions.
- It should not involve immodesty or revealing parts of the body that Islam requires to be covered.
Apart from such prohibited elements, decoration itself is permissible.
Example from the story of Prophetﷺ Sulaiman
The Qur’an also gives an example from the story of Prophetﷺ Sulaiman.
When the Queen of Sheba came to his palace, the floor was so beautifully polished and designed that it looked like water. She lifted her garment thinking she was stepping into water, but it was actually a magnificent glass floor.
The Qur’an narrates this to show the grandeur and beauty of his palace.
This indicates that beautiful architecture and decorative environments were not condemned.
From all this we understand:
- Decorating the bridal room with flowers is not imitation of another religion.
- It is a general cultural practice for beautification.
- Beautification itself is not wastefulness.
- The Qur’an and hadith actually encourage cleanliness, beauty, and good appearance.
- Even during the time of the Prophetﷺ, brides were beautified before being sent to their husbands.
Therefore, decorating the room or beautifying the bride for the wedding night is permissible, as long as it does not involve extravagance or sinful practices.