Scientific and jurisprudential study»Anatomy of a Muslim dead body«

One of the medical issues related to jurisprudence regarding to Shar’a justifiability is dissecting cadaver for medical education. Teaching and learning all sciences and techniques, including medicine, is certainly necessary for human beings. Dissection of human cadaver is an introductory course in medical education in one side and obligation to respect for Muslim dead body like the live individual is imperative on the other side. Moreover, irreverence to Muslim-whether live or dead-is forbidden-haram- in Islamic thoughts. The essential question is how it is possible to maintain both respect for Muslim dead body and meanwhile help to improve and develop medical education and related fields in Islamic community by having permission to dissect the dead body of Muslims.In the present article it is attempted to discuss and analyze the opinions of some of great religious scholars in the past and those of the contemporary religious authorities. Furthermore, Fatwa of the Supreme Iranian Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is also quoted here. In conclusion,religious scholars of Islam have emphasized the respect for Muslim dead body and have declared that non-Muslim body should be dissected in medical education.