Guide to al-Azhar 1982 fatwa on autopsies under Islamic law

Analysis

Classical Islamic tradition discourages autopsies because they delay burial and involve the body of the deceased. The 1982 Al-Azhar fatwa — which followed similar earlier guidance from Sheikh Muhammad Hasanayn Makhluf, who served as the Grand Mufti of Egypt in the 1950s — relaxed this position under the principle that when the benefits outweigh the harms, the beneficial approach is taken (maslaha). The fatwa identifies three specific permissible categories: (1) autopsies legally required to determine cause of death in homicide investigations; (2) autopsies that enable medical-student training, with appropriate respect for the deceased; (3) autopsies required for public-health investigation of contagious disease. The fatwa retains the broader principle that the deceased's body must be treated with sanctity, that examination should be limited to what is necessary, and that burial should follow as quickly as possible. Modern U.S. Muslim families typically (a) record their preferred position in the Islamic will, (b) arrange in advance with their local Muslim funeral home and (where relevant) the coroner's office for expedited burial, and (c) discuss the issue with family before death so positions are understood.