Short answer
Not without need. Cutting the body of a dead Muslim harms its honour, so Hanafi scholars do not allow an elective autopsy. When the law requires one, such as a coroner's or criminal inquiry, it may go ahead and the family is not sinful. Ask for a non-invasive (scan) autopsy where it is offered.
An autopsy without a valid need is not permissible, because the dead body has the same honour as the living. A post-mortem ordered by law, or one needed to establish a crime or protect others' rights, is allowed as a necessity, limited to what is needed. Dissection for teaching is debated among contemporary Hanafi scholars.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The body of a Muslim keeps its dignity after death. The Prophet ﷺ said that breaking a dead person's bone is like breaking it while they are alive. This is why scholars do not allow cutting or opening the body without a real need.
When the law orders a post-mortem. In the US, UK, Canada and elsewhere, a coroner or medical examiner may require an autopsy after a sudden, violent or unexplained death. The family has no choice in this, so there is no sin on them. Hanafi scholars treat it as a necessity: it should be done with care, only as far as needed, and the body returned quickly for washing and burial.
What the family can do:
- Tell the coroner's office early that the family is Muslim and wants a quick release.
- Ask whether a non-invasive autopsy (CT or MRI scan) is possible. In parts of the UK this is offered, sometimes at a cost.
- Ask that all organs and tissue be returned to the body for burial.
- Do not agree to an optional hospital autopsy for research or curiosity.
Classical basis. Hanafi books discuss opening the body of a dead pregnant woman to save a living child, and allow it, because saving a life is greater. Modern scholars use this kind of weighing for legal and criminal autopsies. Medical school dissection is a separate debate; some contemporary scholars allow it for training doctors where no alternative exists, and others do not.
Every situation is different, especially where an inquest, insurance or a criminal case is involved, so speak to a local mufti and your mosque's funeral team.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Israa 17:70
۞ وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍۢ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًۭا ﴿٧٠﴾
And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.
The honour of the human body is the reason cutting it needs a real justification.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3207
Graded sahih... كسر عظم الميت ككسره حيا ...
"Breaking the bone of a dead person is like breaking it while alive."
The dead body has the same sanctity as the living.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, Bab Salat al-Janazah. Opening the body of a dead woman to save a living child, and weighing harms.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.