In the name of Allah Is it ok to arrange a candle light vigil for the victams of Japan's earthquake, in front of the Islamic Center, according to quran and sunnah. And if someone knows the origin of that. I have to prsent my finding to the Executive committee of our Islamic center this wednesday 3/23/2011. please help me on this matter and may Allah(swt) guide all of us. Jazakallah khair. Sr. Iqra

Alhamdu Lillah

According to Wikipedia:

A candlelight vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles,  held after sunset , Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of some marginalized group of people, or in memory of lives lost to some disease,  disaster,  massacre, or other tragedy. In the latter case, the event is often called a candlelight memorial. A large candlelight vigil will usually have invited speakers with a public address system and may be covered by local or national media.

Such vigils may also have a religious or spiritual purpose. On Christmas Eve many churches hold a candlelight vigil.

Also, and practically speaking, people here in the USA do not take this kind of protest as a religious practice for a particular group or religion, rather it is a cultural issue and a way of expressing certain feeling toward a certain event as explained above. But meanwhile, it is obviously not an Islamic practice or Islamic tradition.

Based on that, candlelight vigil is not an explicit prohibited act, but it is better to avoid as there are different ways of showing our sympathy and passion toward the victims in Japan or somewhere else in the World. Holding a fundraising in your Masjid-for instance- to support the victims’ families and the survivors there will help in sending a stronger message than just a symbolic candlelight protest.

It is always required to preserve the Muslim ID and to be independent in our practice, even the social and traditional ones.