Fatwa #349907 February 2016United Kingdom
Can a decorate candles with flowers? Can I write Happy Birthday etc. on them?
Question
I have a question and I would really appreciate it if it could be answered as soon as possible as the question is about a task I have been asked to carry out soon. I decorate candles with mehndi and have been given an order. Please could you tell me if I can draw flowers, Paisleys etc? Would flowers be considered animate? Also could I personalise the candles with names and events e.g. Shaadi Mubarak? Lastly, if someone asks me to write 'Someone's mehndi ' or ' happy birthday 'is this ok as it's not me attending a mehndi or saying anything from my self, it's just that I have been given an order?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
It is permissible for you to decorate the candles with flowers and other inanimate objects. We advise against writing “Happy Birthday”. You may write something general; for example, “Mubarak” etc.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Abdullah ibn Mohammed Aijaz
Student Darul Iftaa
Baltimore, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.