Dissection does not require wudu' or ghusl
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The fifth question of the fatwa number (8693)
Q: Is it permissible to dissect corpses for medical students, and does this require wudu' or ghusl?
A: Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions.. After that: A decision was issued by the Council of Senior Scholars regarding the ruling on dissection, number (47), dated 20 \ 8 \ 1396 AH. This is its content: (Praise be to Allah alone, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the one after whom there is no prophet, Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions.. After that: In the ninth session of the Council of Senior Scholars, held in the city of Ta'if in the month of Sha'ban of the year 1396 AH, they reviewed the letter from His Excellency the Minister of Justice, number (3231 \ 2 \ Kh), based on the letter from the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, number (34 \ 1 \ 2 \ 13446 \ 3), dated 6 \ 8 \ 95 AH, accompanied by a copy of the memorandum from the Malaysian Embassy in Jeddah, which included their inquiry about the opinion and position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding performing a medical surgical procedure on a Muslim corpse, for the purposes of medical service interests. They also reviewed the research submitted on this matter by the
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta, and it appeared that the subject is divided into three sections: First: Autopsy for the purpose of verifying a criminal claim. Second: Autopsy for the purpose of verifying epidemic diseases so that precautions capable of preventing them can be taken. Third: Autopsy for the scientific purpose of learning and teaching. After the exchange of opinions, discussion, and study of the research submitted by the aforementioned committee, the Council decided the following: - Regarding the first and second sections: The Council holds that permitting them achieves many benefits in the fields of security, justice, and protecting society from epidemic diseases, and the harm of violating the dignity of the dissected corpse is submerged in the face of the many and general benefits realized thereby. Therefore, the Council unanimously decides to permit autopsy for these two purposes, whether the dissected corpse is that of a protected person or not. - As for the third section - which is: autopsy for educational purposes - given that the Islamic Shari'ah came to secure benefits and increase them, to avert harms and reduce them, and to commit the lesser of two harms to avoid the greater, and that when benefits conflict, the stronger one is taken,
and given that the dissection of non-human animals does not suffice in place of human dissection, and given that dissection has many benefits that have appeared in scientific progress in various fields of medicine, the Council holds that it is permissible to dissect a human corpse in general. However, given the care of the Islamic Shari'ah for the dignity of a Muslim in death, just as it cares for his dignity in life; this is based on what was narrated by Ahmad , Abu Dawud , and Ibn Majah from A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1616Hasan (Darussalam), and given that dissection involves degrading his dignity, and since the necessity for it is negated by the ease of obtaining the corpses of non-protected deceased, the Council holds that it is sufficient to dissect such corpses and not to touch the corpses of protected deceased, given the aforementioned situation). Second: Autopsy does not necessitate wudu' or ghusl. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.
Q: Is it permissible to dissect corpses for medical students, and does this require wudu' or ghusl?
A: Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions.. After that: A decision was issued by the Council of Senior Scholars regarding the ruling on dissection, number (47), dated 20 \ 8 \ 1396 AH. This is its content: (Praise be to Allah alone, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the one after whom there is no prophet, Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions.. After that: In the ninth session of the Council of Senior Scholars, held in the city of Ta'if in the month of Sha'ban of the year 1396 AH, they reviewed the letter from His Excellency the Minister of Justice, number (3231 \ 2 \ Kh), based on the letter from the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, number (34 \ 1 \ 2 \ 13446 \ 3), dated 6 \ 8 \ 95 AH, accompanied by a copy of the memorandum from the Malaysian Embassy in Jeddah, which included their inquiry about the opinion and position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding performing a medical surgical procedure on a Muslim corpse, for the purposes of medical service interests. They also reviewed the research submitted on this matter by the
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta, and it appeared that the subject is divided into three sections: First: Autopsy for the purpose of verifying a criminal claim. Second: Autopsy for the purpose of verifying epidemic diseases so that precautions capable of preventing them can be taken. Third: Autopsy for the scientific purpose of learning and teaching. After the exchange of opinions, discussion, and study of the research submitted by the aforementioned committee, the Council decided the following: - Regarding the first and second sections: The Council holds that permitting them achieves many benefits in the fields of security, justice, and protecting society from epidemic diseases, and the harm of violating the dignity of the dissected corpse is submerged in the face of the many and general benefits realized thereby. Therefore, the Council unanimously decides to permit autopsy for these two purposes, whether the dissected corpse is that of a protected person or not. - As for the third section - which is: autopsy for educational purposes - given that the Islamic Shari'ah came to secure benefits and increase them, to avert harms and reduce them, and to commit the lesser of two harms to avoid the greater, and that when benefits conflict, the stronger one is taken,
and given that the dissection of non-human animals does not suffice in place of human dissection, and given that dissection has many benefits that have appeared in scientific progress in various fields of medicine, the Council holds that it is permissible to dissect a human corpse in general. However, given the care of the Islamic Shari'ah for the dignity of a Muslim in death, just as it cares for his dignity in life; this is based on what was narrated by Ahmad , Abu Dawud , and Ibn Majah from A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Breaking the bones of the deceased is like breaking his bones when he is alive.
كسر عظم الميت ككسره حيًّا
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.