This is probably one of the more controversial issues about Islam, not because it’s any better or worse than any issue but because muslims view the matter with contention. Liberal muslims insist that this is only a problem in Africa and Islam has nothing to do with it. Examples of these apologists being Linda Sarsour and Reza Azlan. [1,2]

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Part 1: what is FGM?

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For those of you do not know what Female Genital Mutilation is, it is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia, there are 4 different types of FGM. These are the definitions from the World Health Organisation, United Nations and the United Nations Population Fund:

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Type I —

Partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the prepuce (clitoridectomy). When it is important to distinguish between the major variations of Type I mutilation, the following subdivisions are proposed:

Type Ia

removal of the clitoral hood or prepuce only;

Type Ib

removal of the clitoris with the prepuce. Type II —

Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (excision). When it is important to distinguish between the major variations that have been documented, the following subdivisions are proposed:

Type IIa:

removal of the labia minora only;

Type IIb:

partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora;

Type IIc:

partial or total removal of the clitoris, the labia minora and the labia majora. Type III —

Narrowing of the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting and appositioning the labia minora and/or the labia majora, with or without excision of the clitoris (infibulation). When it is important to distinguish between variations in infibulations, the following subdivisions are proposed:

Type IIIa

Removal and apposition of the labia minora;

Type IIIb

Removal and apposition of the labia majora. Type IV —

All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example: pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization. [3]

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Part 2: FGM in Islam’s primary sources.

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First of all, in order to understand the issue at hand we need to know whether or not this practice found its way into Islam. This is easily answered when we read these Hadiths:

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Hadith 1:

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Sahih-Muslim 349:

Abu Musa reported: There cropped up a difference of opinion between a group of Muhajirs (Emigrants and a group of Ansar (Helpers) (and the point of dispute was) that the Ansar said: The bath (because of sexual intercourse) becomes obligatory only-when the semen spurts out or ejaculates. But the Muhajirs said: When a man has sexual intercourse (with the woman), a bath becomes obligatory (no matter whether or not there is seminal emission or ejaculation). Abu Musa said: Well, I satisfy you on this (issue). He (Abu Musa, the narrator) said: I got up (and went) to ‘A’isha and sought her permission and it was granted, and I said to her: 0 Mother, or Mother of the Faithful, I want to ask you about a matter on which I feel shy. She said: Don’t feel shy of asking me about a thing which you can ask your mother, who gave you birth, for I am too your mother. Upon this I said: What makes a bath obligatory for a person? She replied: You have come across one well informed! The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When anyone sits amidst four parts (of the woman) and the circumcised parts touch each other a bath becomes obligatory. [4]

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The mentioning of the 2 circumcised parts indicates that a woman may be circumcised just like a man. As Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar, a man given the title “Sheikh of Islam” said:

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“What is meant by the dual form in the phrase “the two circumcised parts” is the circumcised genitals of the man and the woman respectively. Male circumcision is the removal of the skin of the head or glans of the penis. Female circumcision is the removal of a tiny piece of skin in the uppermost part of her genitals which resembles the crest of a rooster, and between it and the entrance of the penis there is a thin membrane” [5]

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Hadith 2:

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Sahih-Bukhari 5891:

Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying. “Five practices are characteristics of the Fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, cutting the moustaches short, clipping the nails, and depilating the hair of the armpits.” [6]

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This Hadith does not point to a certain gender, so the hadith could be interpreted as being valid for both sexes. Al-Qayrawani for example in his book about the Maliki school of Jurisprudence, commenting on the Fitrah mentioned both male and female circumcision. (See part 3)

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Hadith 3:

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Sunan Abu dawud 5271:

Narrated Umm Atiyyah al-Ansariyyah: A woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to her: Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband. [7]

Hadith Grade:

(Daif) according to Abu dawud

(Sahih) according to Al-albani

(Daif) according to Darusallam

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Hadith 4:

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Jamat al-Tirmhidi 108:

Aishah narrated: “When the circumcised meets the circumcised, then indeed Ghusl is required. Myself and Allah’s Messenger did that, so we performed Ghusl.” [8] Hadith Grade: Sahih ) according to Darusallam

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Hadith 5:

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Jamat al-Tirmhidi 109:

Aishah narrated that: The Prophet said: “When the circumcised meets the circumcised then Ghusl is required.” [9] Hadith Grade: Sahih ) according to Darusallam Hasan-Sahih ) according to Abu Eisa

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Those 2 hadiths simply back up the first hadith from Sahih Muslim.

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Hadith 6:

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Musnad Ahmad 20195:

Usama ibn Umair reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Circumcision is a tradition for men and honourable for women.

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Abu Amina Elias, who is a Muslim writer, teacher, and translator and a research fellow for the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research analysed this narration and found it was also reported from Shidad ibn Aws, and Abdullah ibn Abbas. And that all 3 narrations were graded weak. It is unfortunate this writer lied and wrote such a deceptive blog entailing that only 2 Hadiths relating to FGM exist, but his investigation into this particular narration is appreciated.

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Abu Amina Elias:

This narration has been reported from Usama ibn Umair, Shidad ibn Aws, and Abdullah ibn Abbas, but all of them are weak. The narration of Usama ibn Umair has been declared weak by Adh-Dhahabi in Tanqeeh At-Tahqeeq 2/264. The narration of Shidad ibn Aws has been declared weak by Ibn Kathir in Jami’ Al-Musaneed 5100. The narration of Abdullah ibn Abbas has been declared weak by Al-Bayhaqi in Sunan Al-Kubra 8/325. [10]

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Hadith 7:

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Al-Adab al-Mufrad 1247:

Ch.598: Amusement for a circumcision. Narrated Umm Alqama: The daughters of Aishas brother were circumcised. It was said to Aisha: “shall we not call someone to amuse them?” She said, “yes”. Adiyy was sent for and he came to them. As Aisha passed through the house, she saw him singing and swaying his head with the music, and he had much hair. She said: “Oof. A Shaytan! Get him out! Get him out! [11]

Hadith Grade:

(Sahih) according to Ibn Rajab

(Hasan) according to Al-albani

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Hadith 8:

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Al-Adab al-Mufrad 1245:

An old woman from Kufa, the grandmother of ‘Ali ibn Ghurab, reported that Umm al-Muhajir said, “I was captured with some girls from Byzantium. ‘Uthman offered us Islam, but only myself and one other girl accepted Islam. ‘Uthman said, ‘Go and circumcise them and purify them.'” [12]

Hadith Grade:

(Daif) According to Al-albani

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On the issue of the hadiths from Sunan Abu dawud and Musnad Ahmad, those who say FGM has nothing to do with Islam for the most part cite these hadiths, and omit the Sahih hadiths from Tirmhidi and Sahih-Muslim.

For example in an article in the Huffington post, Muslim apologist Qassam Rashid immediately draws as much attention as possible to the Sunan Abu dawud hadith. Rashid even says this:

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“Extremists and Islamophobes alike ignore the Quran altogether and focus only on the single Abu Dawud Hadith”. [13]

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First of all, “extremists and islamophobes” do not ignore the Quran. The simple fact is that the Quran doesn’t mention the subject, it neither promotes nor condemns circumcision. Second of all, the idea that “extremists and Islamophobes” only use the Sunan Abu dawud hadith is simply false. As I already demonstrated, there are multiple authentic Hadiths promoting FGM.

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Part 3: the schools of Jurisprudence.

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Now let us see what the 5 schools of Islamic Jurisprudence say about this. Schools of Islamic thought are the paths people follow to the Quran and Prophet Muhammad. Essentially these schools interpret what the Sharia law is. Today, the five schools of Islamic thought accepted by all Muslims are the Ja‘fari, comprising 23% of the Muslims; the Hanafi, comprising 31% of the Muslims; the Maliki, comprising 25% of the Muslims; the Shafi΄i, comprising 16% of the Muslims; and the Hanbali, comprising 4% of the Muslims. [14]

Books relating to this issue in the 5 schools of Jurisprudence are somewhat hard to come by. However we do have some books and quotes from scholars to give us an idea of what the 5 schools of jurisprudence believe.

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The Maliki’s

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In Malik’s muwatta, the earliest written collection of hadith comprising the subjects of Islamic law, compiled and edited by imam Malik Ibn Anas; the founder of the Maliki school, there are multiple narrations supporting female genital mutilation:

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Book 2, Number 2.19.73:

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al-Musayyab that Umar ibn al-Khattab and Uthman ibn Affan and A’isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say, “When the circumcised part touches the circumcised part, ghusl is obligatory.” [15]

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Book 2, Number 2.19.74:

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu’n Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Abdullah that Abu Salamaibn Abdar-Rahman ibn Awf related that he had asked A’isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, what made ghusl obligatory. She said, “Do you know what you are like, Abu Salama? You are like a chick when it hears the cocks crowing and so crows with them. When the circumcised part passes the circumcised part, ghusl is obligatory.” [16]

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Book 2, Number 2.19.75:

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Said ibn al-Musayyab that Abu Musa al-Ashari came to A’isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said to her, “The disagreement of the companions in a matter which I hate to bring before you has distressed me.” She said, “What is that? You did not ask your mother about it, so ask me.” He said, “A man penetrates his wife, but becomes listless and does not ejaculate. “She said, “When the circumcised part passes the circumcised part ghusl is obligatory.” Abu Musa added, “I shall never ask anyone about this after you.” [17]

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Book 2, Number 2.19.77:

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, “When the circumcised part passes the circumcised part, ghusl is obligatory”. [18]

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Additionally, on the issue of circumcising female slaves, Imam Malik was recorded as saying the following:

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“If somebody buys a slave to keep at home, he has to circumcise her; if he buys her in order to sell her again, he does not have to circumcise her” [19]

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The formal opinion of FGM in the Maliki school is found in “The Risala”, a treatise of Maliki law by Abdullah ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani the head of the Maliki school in Qayrawan.

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“41.1 The fitra (natural form)

Five things are part of the fitra: 1) trimming the mustache, which is the curve which is the hair which curls around the lips, not shaving off the mustache completely, and Allah knows best, 2) trimming the nails, 3) plucking out the hair of the armpits, 4) shaving pubic hair, – and there is nothing wrong in shaving the hair off the rest of the body. 5) Circumcision is a Sunnah for men and honorable for women.” [20] “29.9b Female circumcision

And female circumcision is praiseworthy. To remove what the woman has of excess. It is recommended according to Shaikh at-Tata’i. It is worthy because it brightens the complexion and makes intercourse pleasurable.” [21]

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The section on Fitrah here shows that the second Hadith quoted above was understood by some to refer to females. Furthermore, some Maliki scholars like Al-Qaadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-‘Arabi considered female circumcision to be obligatory. [22]

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The Shafis:

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The Shafi agree that female circumcision is obligatory. We read in reliance of the traveller, a classical manual of fiqh for the Shafi school of Islamic jurisprudence the following:

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“4.3: Circumcision is obligatory (0: for both men and women. For men it consists of removing the prepuce from the penis, and for women, removing the prepuce of the clitoris.” [23]

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And as one of the most famous Shafi scholars in history Al-Nawawi stated:

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“Circumcision is obligatory for both men and women in our view. This is the view of many of the salaf, as was narrated by al-Khattaabi. […] it is the correct view that is well known and was stated by al-Shafi’i , and the majority stated definitively that it is obligatory for both men and women.” [24]

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The Hanbalis:

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Hanbalis for the most part say that female circumcision is mustahaab as was stated by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal:

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“Circumcision for men is more important for men than for women, as the foreskin is pending over the glans, therefore what is behind cannot be cleaned. Female circumcision is also prescribed for women.” [25]

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The Hanafis :

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The Hanafis are of the view that it is Sunnah for both male and females to be circumcised.

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Ibn ‘Aabideen al-Hanafi:

“In Kitaab al-Tahaarah of al-Siraaj al-Wahhaaj it says: “Know that circumcision is Sunnah in our view for men and for women.” [26]

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Lastly, here is a quote from a fatwa responding to the war on Islamic female genital mutilation on the grounds of health, after commenting that FGM was legalised by the Fuqaha:

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Thus it is clear that female circumcision is prescribed in Islam, and that it is one of the Sunnahs of the fitrah and it has a good effect of moderating the individual’s behaviour. As for the opinions of doctors who say that female circumcision is harmful, these are individual opinions which are not derived from any agreed scientific basis, and they do not form an established scientific opinion. They acknowledge that the rates of cancer among circumcised men are lower than among those who are not circumcised, and some of these doctors clearly recommend that circumcision should be done by doctors and not these ignorant women, so that the operation will be safe and there will be no negative consequences. However, medical theories about disease and the way to treat it are not fixed, rather they change with time and with ongoing research. So it is not correct to rely on them when criticizing circumcision which the Wise and All-Knowing Lawgiver has decreed in His wisdom for mankind. Experience has taught us that the wisdom behind some rulings and Sunnahs may be hidden from us. May Allah help us all to follow the right path. [27]

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The Jaafari :

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Jaafari jurisprudence is derived from the name of Ja’far al-Sadiq, the 6th Shia Imam. This school of jurisprudence is followed by Twelvers in general and Isma’ilis in part, as well as a small minority of Zaidis.

Ja’far al-sadiq had a few narrations on the issue of FGM:

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“Circumcision for women is makrumah and what is better than a makrumah”? [28]

Circumcision of female slaves is a makrumah not from the sunnah” [28]

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Part 4: Some classical scholars who supported FGM

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Al-Musuli (died 1284, hanafite):

“Circumcision is sunnah and fitrah. For women, circumcision is makrumah. If the inhabitants of a country reach a unanimous decision to abandon circumcision, the Imam has to wage war against them as it is one of the rituals and a specificity of Islam”. [29]

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Al-Qudamah (died 1223, hanbalite):

“Circumcision is obligatory for men, and noble deed for women and not obligatory according to many scholars. Ahmad said: circumcision for men is more important for men than for women, as the foreskin is pending over the glans, therefore what is behind cannot be cleaned. Female circumcision is also prescribed for women. Abu-Abdallah said that the hadith “If the two circumcised membranes meet, ghusl is necessary” means that female circumcision was practiced. According to the hadith of Umar, a circumciser woman performed circumcision; he told her: leave some of it if you circumcise. It is also reported that the Prophet Muhammad said to the circumciser woman: Cut very slightly and do not exaggerate as it is preferable for the husband and better for the face. [25]

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Al-Amili (died 1559, shiite):

“Boys must be circumcised when they become adult…. and it is preferable that women be circumcised even if they are adult. [28]

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Al-Tusi (died 1067, shiite):

“The circumcision of female slaves, if performed, is great honor and precious merit. If not, nothing bad in it”. [30]

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Al-Nazawi (died 1162, ibadite):

“Circumcision is obligatory for every Muslim…. If somebody refuses to submit to circumcision after being ordered to do, he should be killed if he exaggerates in delaying. Circumcision is not obligatory for women but they are ordered to submit to circumcision in honor of their husbands. Women are not obliged as circumcision for women is makrumah and for men it is sunnah, and some said it is faridah (obligation)”. [30]

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Al-Dardir (died 1786, malikite):

“Female circumcision is recommended”. [30]

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Al-Bahuti (died 1641, Hanbalite):

“male and female circumcision are obligatory. [30]

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Ibn-al-jallab (died 988, Malikite):

“Circumcision is Sunnah for men and women.” [30]

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Al-Jahiz (died 868-9):

A woman with clitoris has more pleasure than a woman without clitoris. The pleasure depends on the quantity which was cut from the clitoris. Muhammad said: “If you cut, cut the slightest part and do not exaggerate because it makes the face more beautiful and it is more pleasant for the husband”. It seems that Muhammad wanted to reduce the concupiscence of the women to moderate it. If concupiscence is reduced, the pleasure is also reduced as well as the love for the husbands. The love of the husband is an impediment against debauchery. Judge Janab Al-Khaskhash contends that he counted in one village the number of the women who were circumcised and those who were not, and he found that the circumcised were chaste and the majority of the debauched were uncircumcised. Indian, Byzantine and Persian women often commit adultery and run after men because their concupiscence towards men is greater. For this reason, India created brothels. This happened because of the massive presence of their clitorises and their hoots. [31]

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Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (died 1328, Hanbalite):

Praise be to Allah. Yes, they should be circumcised, i.e., the top of the piece of skin that looks like a rooster’s comb should be cut. The Messenger of Allah said to the woman who did circumcisions: “Leave something sticking out and do not go to extremes in cutting. That makes her face look brighter and is more pleasing to her husband.” That is because the purpose of circumcising a man is to make him clean from the impurity that may collect beneath the foreskin. But the purpose of circumcising women is to regulate their desire, because if a woman is not circumcised her desire will be strong. Hence the words “O son of an uncircumcised woman” are used as an insult, because the uncircumcised woman has stronger desire. Hence immoral actions are more common among the women of the Tatars and the Franks, that are not found among the Muslim women. If the circumcision is too severe, the desire is weakened altogether, which is unpleasing for men; but if it is cut without going to extremes in that, the purpose will be achieved, which is moderating desire. And Allah knows best. [32]

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Ibn Qayyim (Died 1350, Hanbalite):

Khitaan is a noun describing the action of the circumciser (khaatin). It is also used to describe the site of the circumcision, as in the hadith, “When the two circumcised parts (al-khitaanaan) meet, ghusl become obligatory.” In the case of a female the word used is khafad. In the male it is also called i’dhaar. The one who is uncircumcised is called aghlaf or aqlaf. [33]

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From these last two parts it can be deduced that the 5 schools of Islamic Jurisprudence unanimously agreed that female genital mutilation is prescribed in Islam, with a plurality saying it is obligatory. No-one said it is makrooh (disliked) or Haram (forbidden).

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Part 5: Health affects of Islamic FGM

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So according to the consensus of the scholars listed above who mentioned the type of procedure, the type of FGM prescribed by Islam is Type 1a. The question now is: what are the health affects of the procedure? According to multiple sources there are indeed quite a few:

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The American society of plastic surgeons:

“There is a risk of bleeding, hematoma, infection, under-resection or over-resection.” [34]

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Furthermore: according to a study by Van Anh T. Ginger, Christopher J. Cold and Claire C. Yang, the dorsal nerve of the clitoris travel above the clitoris along the clitoral body, thus this procedure can harm the nerves. [35]

Finally, the american College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated that women seeking this surgery must be fully informed, with the available surgical-safety statistics, of the potential health risks of surgical-wound infection, of pudendal nerve damage (resulting in either an insensitive or an over-sensitive vulva), of painful coitus, of tissue adhesions, and of painful scars. [36]

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Conclusion:

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Female Genital Mutilation certainly is found in the muslim sources and is agreed upon to be in Islam by the 5 schools of Jurisprudence. FGM in the Islamic sense consists of removing the prepuce of the clitoris (FGM type 1a). The only real disagreements in the schools are whether it is obligatory or recommended. This is not me saying that FGM originally came out of islam, because that is nonsense. But what is true, is that Islam did adopt this practice and millions of girls are cut in the name of the faith.

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[1] https://twitter.com/lsarsour/status/855510630522130435?s=19

[2] https://twitter.com/rezaaslan/status/517068277692895232?s=19

[3] https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/overview/en/

[4] https://sunnah.com/muslim/3/107

[5] Fath al-Bari Volume 1 page.520

[6] https://sunnah.com/bukhari/77/108

[7] https://sunnah.com/abudawud/43/499

[8] https://muflihun.com/tirmidhi/1/108

[9] https://muflihun.com/tirmidhi/1/109

[10] https://abuaminaelias.com/does-islam-support-female-genital-mutilation-fgm/

[11] https://quranx.com/Hadith/Adab/Reference/Hadith-1247/

[12] https://sunnah.com/urn/2212010

[13] https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_4915939?guccounter=1

[14] https://www.al-islam.org/inquiries-about-shia-islam-sayyid-moustafa-al-qazwini/five-schools-islamic-thought

[15] http://hadithcollection.com/maliksmuwatta/173-Maliks%20Muwatta%20Book%2002.%20Purity/18765-maliks-muwatta-book-002-hadith-number-073.html

[16] http://hadithcollection.com/maliksmuwatta/173-Maliks%20Muwatta%20Book%2002.%20Purity/18764-maliks-muwatta-book-002-hadith-number-074.html

[17] http://hadithcollection.com/maliksmuwatta/173-Maliks%20Muwatta%20Book%2002.%20Purity/18763-maliks-muwatta-book-002-hadith-number-075.html

[18] http://hadithcollection.com/maliksmuwatta/173-Maliks%20Muwatta%20Book%2002.%20Purity/18761-maliks-muwatta-book-002-hadith-number-077.html

[19] Al-Baji, Abu-Al-Walid Sulayman Ibn Khalaf. Khitab al-Muntaqa Vol.7, Cairo: Matba’at at dar al-sa’adah 1332 Hegire. 232

[20] The Risala – A Treatise on Maliki Fiqh by Shaikh Abdullah ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani, Pg. 1124

[21] The Risala – A Treatise on Maliki Fiqh by Shaikh Abdullah ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani, Pg. 663-664

See the Risala here: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.muwatta.com/ebooks/english/risala_ibn_abi_zayd_salutations.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwii__rC_Y7gAhWiRBUIHcRhBKUQFjAAegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw2pSULX7-Jdkm_lpXvWFv-7&cshid=1548627424976

[22] Islamqa Fatwa 60314. When discussing the scholars who deemed this procedure obligatory it states: “[This is] the view favoured by al-Qaadi Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi among the Malikis”

[23] Reliance of the Traveller Revised Edition. The Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law ‘Umdat al-Salik by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri (d. 769/1368) in Arabic with Facing English Text, Commentary, and Appendices Edited and Translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller. Pg. 59

[24] al-Majmu’ sharh al-Muhadhdhab Vol. 1, Pg. 367

[25] Al-mughni vol 1, Pg. 70-71

[26] The Ĥāshiyah of Ibn Abidin Vol. 6, Pg. 751

[27] fatwa of Dar al-Ifta’ al-Misriyyah (6/1986)

[28] Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice, page 139

[29] Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice, page 137

[30] Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice, page 138

[31] Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice, page 153

[32] Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 21/114

[33] Tuhfat al-Mawlood, 1/152

[34] https:www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/vaginal-rejuvenation/clitoral-hood-reduction



[35] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/nau.20996



[36] https://web.archive.org/web/20081230104932/http://www.newviewcampaign.org/userfiles/file/ACOG%20gen.cosm.surg.pdf