Ali Khamenei’s funeral after four months: How was the dead body preserved for a long time without chemicals?

New Delhi: The funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is being performed with state honors after four months. Officials believe that this will be the biggest event in the history of the country. 86-year-old Khamenei, who ruled Iran’s politics, army and religious institutions for 37 years, was killed in US and Israeli missile attacks on his home in Tehran on February 28.

Funeral postponed due to war   

Khamenei’s funeral was initially scheduled to take place in March, but it was repeatedly postponed due to the ongoing war with the US and Israel. Iranian officials said the delay was necessary given the security situation created by the war. He also clarified that according to Islamic rules, Khamenei’s mortal remains were kept safe with full respect.

Cold storage was used, not chemicals.   

Usually the body starts deteriorating within a few hours of death. In such a situation, it was natural to raise questions as to how Khamenei’s body was handled for four months. It was told that no chemical was used in it. The body was kept only in cold storage.

Iran did not officially say where the body was kept for so many months. But an Iranian official confirmed that the body was treated with full respect in accordance with religious and legal rules.

Euro News quoted funeral headquarters spokesperson Iman Attarzadeh as writing, "The body has been preserved with utmost care as per Islamic and legal standards. He was neither buried nor kept in any trust."  

There is exemption in Shia law   

There is a rule of early burial in Islam, but experts believe that Khamenei’s body may have been kept in refrigerated cold storage. Counterterrorism expert Dr. Omar Mohammed told Fox News, "Islam does not allow chemical embalming. Shia law allows for delayed burial and freezing in special circumstances. It is easy for the Supreme Leader to get exemption from the Maulvi."  

Two crore people expected to participate  

The funeral, which will run from July 3 to July 9, will take place in five cities in Iran and Iraq. It is expected that around two crore people will participate in it. Delegations from more than 100 countries will also attend this historic farewell.

Mourning in Tehran began with a ceremony for foreign guests at the ‘Grand Mosallah’. Khamenei’s coffin is covered with the sacred flag flown at the shrine of Imam Hussein. Khamenei’s family traces its lineage to Imam Hussein. According to the Iranian government, this red flag with white letters is a symbol of resistance, sacrifice and loyalty to the truth.