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The question

Is not autopsying a body to determine the cause of death considered a violation of the deceased's sanctity?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The human body is to be respected after death, and it is not permissible to violate it, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Breaking the bone of a dead person is like breaking it when he was alive," and "Do not sit on graves nor pray upon them." Nevertheless, Islamic law permits autopsy if ascertaining the cause of death depends on it, and if the benefit is preponderant, such as identifying the perpetrator or benefiting in treating a disease, due to the prevalence of public interest.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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