FatwaFederal TerritoriesFunerals & Death
IRSYAD HUKUM SIRI KE-922: HUKUM MENGGALI SEMULA JENAZAH YANG TELAH DIKEBUMIKAN UNTUK TUJUAN POST-MORTEM
Is it permissible to exhume a buried body for a post-mortem?
Short answer
Exhuming a buried body for a post-mortem to enable verification by the authorities is permissible.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Irsyad al-Hukum (Umum)
- Topic
- Funerals & Death
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
Exhuming a buried body for a post-mortem to enable verification by the authorities is permissible. The default ruling is prohibition because it violates the sanctity of the deceased, but a situation of necessity that can only be resolved this way allows it. The condition is that permission is obtained from the competent authority. The Shafi'i school permits opening a grave when there is urgent need, and the National Fatwa Committee in 2004 also permitted it for reasons allowed by Islamic law.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Hukum menggali semula jenazah yang telah dikebumikan untuk tujuan pengesahan oleh pihak berkuasa melalui post-mortem mayat adalah diharuskan.
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “IRSYAD HUKUM SIRI KE-922: HUKUM MENGGALI SEMULA JENAZAH YANG TELAH DIKEBUMIKAN UNTUK TUJUAN POST-MORTEM”, 10 August 2025. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/irsyad-hukum/umum/6341-irsyad-hukum-siri-ke-922-hukum-menggali-semula-jenazah-yang-telah-dikebumikan-untuk-tujuan-post-mortem. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/exhuming-buried-body-for-post-mortem-ruling/