The deceased around Makkah whose status is unknown: how should he be treated?
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Fatwa No. ( 10484 )
Praise be to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. And after: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the President General from the questioner, the Deputy Mayor of the Capital for Municipal Affairs, via the Makkah courts, registered with the Scientific Research Department under number 3609 and dated 14 \ 9 \ 1407 AH. The questioner asked the following: We received a letter from His Excellency the Director of the Capital Police, number 1542 Am. Saj 1, dated 1 \ 8 \ 1407 AH, addressed to His Excellency the Deputy Mayor of the Holy Capital, regarding the General Secretary’s inquiry as to whether bodies that have decomposed, leaving only a skeletal frame or its remains, should be shrouded, and whether they should be buried in Muslim cemeteries or not, since it has been difficult to determine the identity of some of them, whether they are Muslim or not. Upon inquiry to the Department of Death Affairs, they responded in their letter number 80 dated
27 \ 8 \ 1407 AH, attached herewith, that regarding the skeletal frame, it is to be washed with water, shrouded, and prayed over, and then buried. This is what they know. They requested that the matter be referred to your eminence to provide the Sharia ruling to be followed.
After studying the question, the Committee responded as follows: First: If the unknown person is in the hospitals of Makkah al-Mukarramah, he is to be treated as a Muslim in terms of washing, shrouding, praying over him, and burying him in Muslim cemeteries; because it appears that he was not transferred to the hospitals of Makkah except because he is a Muslim. Second: If the unknown person is in other hospitals and there is no sign indicating that he is not a Muslim, he is to be treated as a Muslim, like the first case; giving preference to the aspect of Islam in these Islamic lands and exercising caution regarding the deceased. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Praise be to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. And after: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the President General from the questioner, the Deputy Mayor of the Capital for Municipal Affairs, via the Makkah courts, registered with the Scientific Research Department under number 3609 and dated 14 \ 9 \ 1407 AH. The questioner asked the following: We received a letter from His Excellency the Director of the Capital Police, number 1542 Am. Saj 1, dated 1 \ 8 \ 1407 AH, addressed to His Excellency the Deputy Mayor of the Holy Capital, regarding the General Secretary’s inquiry as to whether bodies that have decomposed, leaving only a skeletal frame or its remains, should be shrouded, and whether they should be buried in Muslim cemeteries or not, since it has been difficult to determine the identity of some of them, whether they are Muslim or not. Upon inquiry to the Department of Death Affairs, they responded in their letter number 80 dated
27 \ 8 \ 1407 AH, attached herewith, that regarding the skeletal frame, it is to be washed with water, shrouded, and prayed over, and then buried. This is what they know. They requested that the matter be referred to your eminence to provide the Sharia ruling to be followed.
After studying the question, the Committee responded as follows: First: If the unknown person is in the hospitals of Makkah al-Mukarramah, he is to be treated as a Muslim in terms of washing, shrouding, praying over him, and burying him in Muslim cemeteries; because it appears that he was not transferred to the hospitals of Makkah except because he is a Muslim. Second: If the unknown person is in other hospitals and there is no sign indicating that he is not a Muslim, he is to be treated as a Muslim, like the first case; giving preference to the aspect of Islam in these Islamic lands and exercising caution regarding the deceased. 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.