A post-mortem examination, sometimes legally required.
In Islamic law
Islamic practice favours prompt burial and disfavours unnecessary interference with the body, but scholars generally accept a legally mandated autopsy as a necessity. It is a frequent source of distress precisely because families do not expect it.
In Canadian law
A coroner may order an autopsy regardless of family wishes where a death is sudden, unexplained or suspicious. Consent is not required in those cases.
We have not yet researched whether the four Sunni schools differ on this term, so we are not going to tell you either way. Where a specific case turns on it, ask a qualified scholar rather than relying on a general summary.
Canadian legal detail
Treadstone Law, an Ontario firm with a wills and estates practice, covers the Canadian side of this in more depth:
- Funeral wishes in will legally binding ontario
- What is a consent order ontario litigation
- Certificate of pending litigation family cases
This is legal information only. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a lawyer.
Citations & sources
Every factual claim on this page traces to a source below. Details change — check the original source before relying on any figure, fee or legal position. Anything under “further reading” is related material, not a source for what is stated here.
- What to do when someone dies — Government of Ontario
- Funeral wishes in will legally binding ontario — Treadstone Law
- What is a consent order ontario litigation — Treadstone Law
- Certificate of pending litigation family cases — Treadstone Law
- Spousal support order binding on estate after death ontario — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law