BismilLah.
Female Circumcision is not Female Genital Mutilation. It does not curb women’s sexual experience; it is not a cultural tradition. It is Islamic! It is healthy! It increases the experience of sexual relationships.
In the early days of Islam, which were its best days, all Muslim women were circumcised. It was regarded as a fitra duty like male circumcision and treated as such. All fitra duties are applicable to both males and females. This includes shaving our pubic hair, plucking out our armpit hair, and clipping our nails. Could anybody in his right mind argue that these are applicable only to males? So it’s clear that circumcision must apply to both males and females.
Imam Bukhari is best known for the compilation of the book Saheeh Al Bukhari. But did you know he compiled another book on Good Manners? It was called Adab Al Mufrad. In this great work, Imam Bukhari records two very important incidents in the days of the Sahaabah, which proves the blessed companions of our beloved Prophet (Sallallaahu Alaihi wasallam) regarded it as necessary for women.
Ummi Al Muhajir says: “I was captured with some girls from Byzantium. The then Imam Uthman (RA) offered us Islam, but only myself and one other girl accepted Islam. Imam Uthman said: ‘Go and circumcise them and purify them”
Umm Alqamah says that when the nieces of Ayisha’s brother were circumcised, ‘A’isha was asked: “Shall we call someone to amuse them?” “Yes” she replied.
In later times, some madhhabs regarded it as wajib (obligatory) like the Shafis and a good part of the Hanbalis like Sheikh Ibn Taymiyyah, while others like the Malikis saw it as recommended and the Hanafis viewed it as a good thing to do for a Muslim wife. Disagreements whether it was obligatory or not, the reluctance of male scholars to deal with a woman’s issue and the lack of awareness among women of later generations led to its decline in certain parts of the world like in Turkey, Central Asia and India where the Hanafi Madhhab dominated. Since it was thought of as only recommended, the women in these areas conveniently neglected it.
But, an unbiased mind shows it is a must for females as much as males. Why would Hazrat Ayisha have her nieces circumcised and Caliph Uthman ordering women who had embraced Islam to be circumcised if it were not necessary and if Muslim sisters were not circumcised? To be continued tomorrow in shaaALLAH as to how it is done. May ALLAH keep guiding us all and protect us from any satanic influences. Aameen.