What is the ruling regarding a woman who died while carrying a living fetus in her womb?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
A woman who dies with her child in her womb is considered a martyr. If the fetus can be extracted alive through natural means, the mother should not be buried with it. However, if it cannot be extracted except by incising the abdomen, scholars have differed on the permissibility of this, while agreeing that it should not be buried alive. Ata and the Malikis and Hanbalis ruled against the incision, while the Shafiis, Hanafis, some Malikis, and Ibn Hazm permitted it if there was hope of the fetus being extracted alive.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/64021
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 64021
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy