Moving the dead from the grave after burial out of necessity

A question on moving the dead from one grave to another out of necessity, in which Egypt's Dar al-Ifta answered that it is forbidden in principle but permitted for a necessity, need or recognised benefit. ¹

The questioner asked whether a dead person may be moved from the grave in which he was buried to another grave out of necessity. ¹

Dar al-Ifta answered that opening a grave and moving the dead is forbidden in principle, except for a necessity, need or legally recognised benefit that cannot be achieved without moving him. ¹ It required that the deceased be treated with respect in the move, that his body or what remains of it be preserved and covered, that he be carried gently, and that the competent official authorities permit it and their regulations be followed. ¹ It gave as examples the grounds jurists list for opening a grave: burial facing away from the qibla, without washing or shroud, or in usurped land; property dropped into the grave; danger of water damage to graves; or a public interest such as building a road. ¹

Egypt's Dar al-Ifta published this fatwa on its site as no. 9021, dated 29 July 2026, among the fatwas of Grand Mufti Nazir Ayyad. ¹ The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.