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How is a deceased person, whose body has been dismembered due to a car accident, ritually purified?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a person dies in a car accident and their body parts are scattered, if it is possible to gather and wash them, they should be washed completely. If it is not possible to wash all of them, then what can be washed should be washed, and tayammum should be performed for the remaining parts.

Al-Nawawi and Ibn Qudamah said: If washing the deceased is impossible due to the deterioration of the flesh, lack of water, or fear of dismemberment by washing, then tayammum should be performed. This tayammum is obligatory.

Ibn Baz was asked about the method of washing someone who died in an accident and whose body was disfigured. He replied: He must be washed if possible; otherwise, tayammum should be performed for him.

Ibn Uthaymeen was asked about a deceased child whose body was severely damaged and could not be washed. He replied: If washing the deceased is impossible, then tayammum should be performed for him, by the living person striking the earth with his hands and wiping the face and palms of the deceased with them. Then, he should be shrouded, prayed over, and buried.

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

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