The presence of deceased men and women on the shelves of a morgue
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Fatwa number ( 15430 )
Q: We have a morgue, which is a room with shelves where a deceased person is placed on each shelf. They are Muslim and non-Muslim men and women, and each body is completely wrapped in cloth on a shelf separated from the others. I ask your Eminence about the ruling on this matter: does this practice constitute free mixing of men and women or not? And is it a violation of the Shari'ah? Please note that this is the practice followed in all public and private hospitals in the country.
A: There is no harm in the presence of deceased men and women on the shelves of the morgue, as mentioned in the question, if this is for legitimate religious reasons that necessitate not hastening their burial; because preventing the free mixing of men and women among the living is due to the fear of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), which is absent in the case of the dead.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: We have a morgue, which is a room with shelves where a deceased person is placed on each shelf. They are Muslim and non-Muslim men and women, and each body is completely wrapped in cloth on a shelf separated from the others. I ask your Eminence about the ruling on this matter: does this practice constitute free mixing of men and women or not? And is it a violation of the Shari'ah? Please note that this is the practice followed in all public and private hospitals in the country.
A: There is no harm in the presence of deceased men and women on the shelves of the morgue, as mentioned in the question, if this is for legitimate religious reasons that necessitate not hastening their burial; because preventing the free mixing of men and women among the living is due to the fear of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), which is absent in the case of the dead.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.