Is it really forbidden for the husband to touch his deceased wife?

Most scholars have permitted a husband to touch his wife after her death, in contrast to Abu Hanifa and Al-Thawri, who considered death a separation that prohibits looking and touching. The majority of scholars based their view on the action of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in washing Fatimah, and the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Aisha: "Had you died before me, I would have washed you and shrouded you." This is permissible if the wife was under the husband's marital bond until her death. However, if she had been irrevocably divorced from him before death, it is not permissible to touch her.