Medical experiments on human beings

A question on medical experiments on human beings, to which the IslamWeb fatwa centre's answer addressed the dissection of the dead and its limits. ¹

The questioner asked whether medical experiments on human beings are permitted, and whether they have limits. ¹

The centre answered that the sanctity of a Muslim remains after death, and that he is owed washing, shrouding, the funeral prayer, burial and the protection of his body. ¹ It held that dissection of a body is permitted only for a recognised benefit or a necessity, and only to that extent. ¹ It cited parallels from the early jurists, among them the view of the Hanafis, the Shafi'is and others that a dead woman's abdomen may be opened to deliver a foetus whose life is hoped for. ¹

The IslamWeb fatwa centre published this fatwa as no. 46335, dated 28 March 2004. ¹ The museum records this answer as a historical text attributed to its author; it issues no ruling of its own.