I was at school the other day and I was helping out a teacher clean the lab. While dusting the shelves I found a 4 ½ month baby boy concealed in a jar. Supposedly, this baby has been donated by a hospital to my school 82 years ago which makes the boy 82 years old!!! Anyway I was so shocked that the school actually had this. I was wondering if I should ask the principle to give the boy a proper burial because in all religions a dead body should always get a proper and respectful burial. Sometimes I feel very guilt that I cant do anything about it because this is a piece of Almighty Allah’s creation and it should be respected and lay in peace so it can go back to Allah.
My lab teacher said she was going to ask her Rabbi and for me to ask you. What should I do? No creature should be disrespected like this. The lab teacher said that the baby is used to teach about abortion but she informed me that no procedure was done on the body. Also, it is kept in a jar with a liquid substance in order to preserve it. Successively, the boy passed away from a cut that’s located on the bottom towards the back of the boy (this was not by doctors or anybody but the creation of the baby). Also, its head did not form correctly.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The body of a human being deserves the same respect after death as it does before death.[1] To tamper with a corpse is impermissible.[2] In addition, it is compulsory to bury human beings.[3]
You may write a letter of concern to the principal expressing your feelings.
Mawlana Faraz ibn Adam,
Student Darul Iftaa
Leicester, United Kingdom
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net
[1] وفي مرقاة المفاتيح للملا الهروي القاري (المتوفى: 1014هـ)
(وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: قَالَ ” «كَسْرُ عَظْمِ الْمَيِّتِ كَكَسْرِهِ حَيًّا» ” يَعْنِي فِي الْإِثْمِ كَمَا فِي رِوَايَةٍ. قَالَ الطِّيبِيُّ: إِشَارَةٌ إِلَى أَنَّهُ لَا يُهَانُ مَيِّتًا، كَمَا لَا يُهَانُ حَيًّا. قَالَ ابْنُ الْمَلَكِ: وَإِلَى أَنَّ الْمَيِّتَ يَتَأَلَّمُ. قَالَ ابْنُ حَجَرٍ: وَمِنْ لَازَمِهِ أَنَّهُ يَسْتَلِذُّ بِمَا يَسْتَلِذُّ بِهِ الْحَيُّ اهـ. (3 /1226 دار الفكر)
[2] وفي البناية لبدر الدين العينى (المتوفى: 855هـ)
(مثلة فإنه) ش: أي فإن فعل المثلة م: (منهي عنه) ش: وجاءت به في النهي عن المثلة أحاديث منها ما رواه البخاري عن عبد الله ابن يزيد الأنصاري – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ – قال «نهى رسول الله – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – عن النهبة والمثلة» هكذا عزاه عبد الحق للبخاري، ومنها ما رواه أبو داود عن سمرة بن جندب – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ – قال: «كان النبي – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – يحث على الصدقة وينهى عن المثلة» .(4/309 دار الكتب العلمية)
[3] وفي المبسوط للسرخسي (المتوفى: 483هـ)
وَكَذَا غُسْلُ الْمَيِّتِ وَالصَّلَاةُ عَلَيْهِ وَالدَّفْنُ كُلُّ ذَلِكَ فَرْضُ كِفَايَةٍ (30/263 دار المعرفة)
وكذا في فتاوى حقانية 2/398