Autopsy of the deceased

In His Name The Exalted

To the Honorable Sheikh Muhammad Yaqoobi

Question: What is the ruling of doing an autopsy on the deceased in which they open up the body of the dead person in order to find out the reason of death?

Answer: In His name The Exalted; It’s not permitted to do an autopsy of the deceased, meaning its forbidden to open up any part of the body due to it having sanctity like a living person.

However if it’s necessary in making one free from a serious accusation or to fulfill the right of someone or to remove a serious harm, then in these cases its permitted to do so.

The autopsy done just for the sake of being curious of the reason of death has no justification and one who does so has committed a serious sin and must pay a ransom to the family of the deceased.