A man performing sexual intercourse with his wife after death is an act that is banned according to Islamic law, is a major sin and is deserving of punishment, Egypt’s senior Islamic institution said in a statement on Sunday.
The Dar al-Ifta, the state-run Islamic institution assigned to issue religious edicts, said that this act is rejected by sound minds and that not even animals do it.
Azhar professor Sabri Abdul Raeuf stirred massive outrage and controversy among Egyptians last week after he issued a ‘fatwā’ [religious edict] saying that it is permissible for Muslim men to engage in sexual intercourse with their dead wives.
The comment also sparked outrage amongst social media users in Egypt, who called on the government to provide a prompt trial for the cleric.
Al-Azhar professor says necrophilia between spouses not a sin, sparks outrage
Sabri’s views were shared during a TV interview, broadcasted through privately-run channel LTC, where he stated that Islam does not consider sexual intercourse between a man and a dead woman a ‘sin’, as long as the dead woman was his wife.
He explained that necrophilia was not a social norm that society could easily accept, and that any rational person would not partake in such an act.
The head of Al-Azhar University, Mohamed Hussein, referred Sabri to investigation.
