Ruling on putting deceased men and women in the shelves of a morgue

Q: We have a morgue for the deceased. It is a room containing shelves on each one of them the body of one deceased is placed. The bodies of the deceased belong to Muslim and non-Muslim men and women. Each dead body is wrapped up with a peace of cloth and placed on a separate shelf. My question to your eminence is about the ruling on this issue: is our preservation of the bodies in this way considered to be mixing between men and women? Does it contradict the rulings of the Shari`ah (the Islamic Law), bearing in mind that this is system followed in all public and private hospitals of the country?

A: There is nothing wrong with the placement of the bodies of the deceased, men and women, on the shelves of the same morgue as mentioned in the question, if this is necessary for some legal reasons requiring the delay of their burial. The reason of preventing intermixing between men and women who are alive is the fear of causing temptation, and this is not realized regarding those who have passed away. (Part No. 7; Page No. 208) May Allah grant us success. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.