Studying body parts in course of studying medicine
26-12-2017 | IslamWeb
Question:
I am a female medical student. At graduate level, we study all subjects (total 11 in number with subdivisions), and we do post graduate in a particular subject (along with related subjects) to be specialist of that subject. In the post graduate level, there are numerous subjects. I have some questions regarding this matter:
1) Is it permitted for me to read the real version and online version of medical textbooks, guidebooks, journals, reports of all subjects (whether they are of graduate or post graduate level) out of curiosity and for detailed knowledge, although some of these are not needed for me now/future (when I will do post graduate in certain subjects)? Some of these books contain descriptions of the ‘Awrah (what should be covered) of male and female body, sexual disorders, sexual perversion, contraception, disease of female and male reproductive organ, disease of human body, weapons, crime, poisons, and other sensitive issues. I have already given and completed exams of a lot of subjects at graduate levels and at the post graduate level; only certain subjects will be needed. Nevertheless, I want to read textbooks, guidebooks, (even via online course, website, journal, report) of all subjects because I love to gain detailed knowledge. Can I do this without having a bad, ill intention?
2) Can I see the pictures of parts of the male and female body, including their ‘Awrah; weapons; poisons; and all other sensitive things in order to understand anatomy, the function of body, the process of developing disease, symptoms and the treatment of disease, how medicine works in the body, investigation reports, etc. in order to gain knowledge? Can I see those pictures in books of all subjects although I only need certain subjects? There are pictures at gross and microscopic level that help understand the male and female body both externally and internally. I want to do this because I love to gain knowledge, and I have no ill intention.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
There is no harm on you for reading the medical textbooks, researches, studies, and reports that will benefit you in learning medicine and increasing your knowledge in various branches. It is not necessary to limit yourself to the subjects that you are studying at present or to limit yourself to the necessity only in each subject, even if those books and studies include the description of male and female sexual organs and the diseases that are related to them, as well as looking at the pictures of these organs and their details, and other enlarged or microscopic images of the human body and details of its parts, provided that all this is for the purpose of learning, away from arousing desires or bad intentions.
For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 347407.
Allah knows best.