The Ruling on Autopsying a Corpse

Question:
What is the ruling on autopsying a corpse?

Answer:
It is not permissible to autopsy a corpse. A Muslim is respected; breaking his bone while he is dead is like breaking it while he is alive. It is not permissible for doctors or anyone else to perform an autopsy on him. However, if there is a dire necessity or a pressing need, such as if he is accused of a heinous crime and they want to know its causes, or if some criminals know the causes of the crimes attributed to them, then there is no harm in doing so for the sake of that need. But if it is to learn on a Muslim, that is not permissible.

Question: But what if his family refuses, and he is, for example, a victim of a crime, and his family does not want him autopsied, and the police say: it is necessary to autopsy him?

Answer: If the need calls for a security matter—meaning security and apprehending criminals—then there is no harm in that. But for the purpose of learning for students, no. However, they learn on the corpses of disbelievers who are not protected, as for Muslim corpses; no one learns on them, they are not autopsied; because they are respected.

Question: A disbeliever's corpse?

Answer: A disbeliever who is not protected, there is no harm.

Question: What about the university, O Shaykh, is it the same thing?

Answer: No, they have a general directive from the state not to autopsy the corpses of Muslims except for certain reasons that were mentioned to them.

Question: As for if the perpetrator has confessed that he is the one who killed, and the order comes and they say to him: he will be autopsied?

Answer: No, it is not needed. If he has confessed, he is not in need of an autopsy.