Car accident victims Fatwa no. 5997 All praise be to Allah Alone, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, and his family and Companions.The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’ has examined the Fatwa request that was submitted to His Eminence, the president, by the judge of Al-Artawyah Court, Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdul-‘Aziz Al-Wasil, and the following is its text:We are sometimes referred cases involving car accidents that have resulted in the death of the drivers and passengers, during which the bodies have been torn apart and the parts mixed with those of other bodies, to the extent that it becomes hard to recognize who they are. Sometimes parts of the bodies are left in the wrecked vehicles, as they are difficult to remove or a fire breaks out in the car and burns the bodies. We would therefore like to ask Your Eminence, in these circumstances, how we should bury the bodies and perform the Funeral Prayer for them? What about the parts that have been left in the cars, should they be buried with the wreckage due to the sanctity of the dead bodies, as the cars can no longer be used after the collision or fire? What should we do if some of the deceased are foreigners and nothing remains of them but small pieces or ashes, and it is permissible for their countries to request their bodies? Please advise us, (Part No. 8; Page No. 434) and may Allah reward you with the best!

After studying the Fatwa request, the committee replied: Firstly: You should offer the Funeral Prayer for all of them, after washing and shrouding what you can. If it is not possible to wash the bodies, it is permissible to perform Tayammum (dry ablution) for them. If nothing remains from the bodies but small parts, offer the Funeral Prayer for the remains and the same applies to the burned bodies. Secondly: Each dead body should be buried in a separate grave and as much effort should be exerted as possible to distinguish the different bodies from each other. Thirdly: It is obligatory that all the body parts remaining in the wreckages should be removed and buried, with each dead person’s parts in a separate grave. They should not be buried in the wrecked cars. Fourthly: If the deceased’s relatives request that the dead bodies or the remains be sent to their homelands before the burial, they should be permitted to do so. But if the remains are already buried, they should not be permitted to do so.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.