If a person dies with gold in his mouth, such as a tooth or teeth, is it permissible to remove the gold, or does it remain in the deceased and he is buried with it in his grave?

The questioner : Welcome, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad.

The Shaykh : Welcome to you.

The questioner : Shaykh Muhammad, this letter in our hands, which we received from Muhammad al-Sulayman from the land of the West, says: If a person dies with gold in his mouth, such as a tooth or teeth, is it permissible to remove the gold, or does it remain in the deceased and he is buried with it in his grave?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Before I speak about the answer to this question, I would like to say that one of the trials that many people face today is the use of gold despite its prohibition. Many men today are found using gold in rings, chains, and teeth. This is forbidden for them and not permissible, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade men from wearing gold rings, even likening it to a coal that a person throws into his hand. He informed that gold and silk are forbidden for the males of his Ummah, and Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) made it clear in the Qur'an that adornment is a characteristic of women . A man does not need to complete his beauty by wearing gold, because his role is not to adorn himself for others in a way that leads to self-promotion. His role is nobler and higher than lowering himself to the level of women who adorn themselves with gold to beautify themselves before their husbands. There is no difference between a man wearing a gold ring and intending what is called a "dublah" (wedding ring). The "dublah" that a suitor or a married man does for his wife appears to contain two harms: first, imitating the Christians, as it is inherited from them; and second, a defective belief, where the man writes his wife's name on what he wears and the woman writes her husband's name on what she wears, believing that this is a cause of the bond between them or a sign of their connection. All of this is superstition and a false belief with no basis, and it is not permissible to rely on it or depend on it.
As for teeth, if a man needs to have a tooth or a molar made of gold, there is no harm in this, whether he places it independently or places it as a covering over something he needs. Likewise, there is nothing wrong with a woman having a tooth covered with gold to beautify herself for her husband and adorn herself for him. If a person dies and has some of this gold on him, it is obligatory to remove it, because its remaining has two harms. The first harm is the waste of wealth, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the waste of wealth. In the Qur'an, there is guidance to this, where He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: .
The second harm is depriving the rightful heirs of this wealth, especially if they are minors. And Allah the Exalted said: . When a person dies, his wealth and financial rights transfer to his heirs after him . Therefore, the result is that it is not permissible to leave a gold tooth or gold molar on the deceased after his death; rather, it is obligatory to remove it. However, if removing it causes mutilation, such as it not coming out unless the surrounding teeth or molars are also removed, or if there is a fear of explosion upon removal, then there is no harm in leaving it. Then, if the heirs are of sound mind and of age, and they permit it, it is up to them. Otherwise, if it is thought that the deceased has decomposed, it is to be extracted from the grave. Yes.