Hitan

Unlike the Jewish tradition, where circumcision is a covenant between God and people, in Islam this rite is less symbolic. In Islam, circumcision is part of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as a symbol of belonging to Islam. Muslims are currently the largest religious group practicing circumcision ^[3] . Circumcision is not a condition for the adoption of Islam, and for those who converted to Islam at an older age, circumcision is not mandatory ^[2] .

According to Islamic tradition, the prophet Ibrahim was the first person to perform the rite of circumcision on the orders of the Most High ^[4] . In the Sahihah al-Bukhari and Muslim there are hadiths in which the Prophet Muhammad says that the Prophet Ibrahim personally circumcised at the age of eighty years ^[5] . During the time of the Prophet Muhammad, circumcision was practiced by most Arab tribes, including pagan Arabs. According to Ibn Abbas , people from the time of the jahiliya circumcised their children when they reached the age of majority ^[6]

According to Islamic tradition, the prophet Muhammad himself was born without foreskin ^[7] . Many of the associates of the Prophet Muhammad circumcised when they converted to Islam. The Prophet Muhammad circumcised his grandchildren on the seventh day after their birth ^{[8] [9]} .

Circumcision is not mentioned in the Qur'an , but some Islamic scholars believe that circumcision is implied in the 124th verse of Sura Al-Bakar :

According to some Muslim theologians, one of these commandments was the rite of circumcision ^{[10] [11]} .

Despite the fact that circumcision is not mentioned in the Qur'an, the second main source of Islamic law contains, though mean, but interesting information about the rite of circumcision.

• “Fitra means five (actions) or five (actions) make fitra: circumcision (hitan), shaving of pubic hair (ishikhdad), cutting of nails (taklim al-azfar), pulling of hair under the armpits (natf al-ybt) and cutting mustache (kas al-sharib) " ^{[12] [13]}
• “After two circumcised parts meet (or according to another version: after one circumcised part touches the other) - complete ablution (ghusl) becomes mandatory” ^[14]
• “Circumcision (chitan) is the“ sunnah ”(very desirable action) for men and the“ macrum ”(noble action) for women” ^[15]

All great Islamic theologians considered circumcision a part of religious practice for both men and women. Disagreements arose over various aspects of the rite of circumcision, such as the degree of commitment, age of performance, manner of performing the ceremony, etc.

The degree of commitment in different Islamic movements and law schools varies. In the Sunnis, circumcision is considered desirable (Sunnat) or obligatory (Wajib) action. Shiites believe that truncation of the foreskin is necessary: ​​the uncircumcised cannot make a pilgrimage to Mecca . Muslims themselves circumcise themselves, guided by the example of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). Quranites even reject the desirability of circumcision, claiming that circumcision itself is contrary to some verses of the Qur'an.

Sunnis

Among Sunni jurists there are different opinions about the mandatory circumcision. The Imams of Abu Hanifa (the founder of the Hanafi madhhab ) and Malik ibn Anas claim that circumcision is a Sunnah-Mukkada, that is, an optional but recommended action. Hanafites and Malikites usually do not circumcise adult men who have converted to Islam. But the imams of al-Shafi'i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal considered circumcision as a mandatory action for all Muslims ^[16] .

Shiites

Most Shiite theologians consider the practice of circumcision compulsory ^[17] . Shiites believe that an uncircumcised Muslim cannot make a pilgrimage to Mecca . The authoritative Shiite books preserved the statements of the righteous caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib that “if a person becomes a Muslim, he must perform circumcision, even if he is 80 years old." According to Jafar al-Sadik, “the land hates the uncircumcised urine” ^[18] .

Quranites

Among Islamic movements, there is a trend that rejects male circumcision due to the fact that it is not mentioned in the Qur'an. Proponents of this point of view point to the verses of the Qur'an, which indicate the perfection of creation ^[19] and hygiene considerations ^[20] . Some Quranites claim that circumcision is forbidden ( haram ), arguing that, for example, the 119th verse of the An-Nis surah forbids changing his body, and the 4th ayat of the Surat At-Tin says that man was created perfect ^{[21] [22] [23] [24]} .

In the Hanafi , Malikite, and Hanbalith madhhabs, female circumcision is possible, but not necessary. In the Shafi'i madhhab, female circumcision, as well as male circumcision, is a mandatory (wajib) action for a Muslim woman ^[25] . In the collection of hadiths “ Sunan ” Abu Dauda , a hadith from Um Atiyah al-Ansaria is given, according to which the prophet Muhammad advised a woman practicing female circumcision (hathina) in Medina during the operation not to cut off more than necessary ^[26] .

While for Jewish circumcision the terms and procedure for performing the ritual are regulated, in Islam there is no strictly defined procedure or form of circumcision. The circumcision procedure may vary depending on the time and place of its commission. All Islamic scholars have recognized that the correct male circumcision process involves “cutting off a piece of skin covering the glans penis so that the latter is completely exposed” ^[29] .

Recently, more and more operations on circumcision of the foreskin are done by doctors using local anesthesia . In contrast to Jewish circumcision, a representative of a different faith may participate in the circumcision of a Muslim ^[3] .

Islamic sources do not indicate a specific time for circumcision. Circumcision time depends on traditions in the family, region, and country. Most Islamic scholars are of the opinion that parents should circumcise a child before they reach the age of seven, ten years or the beginning of puberty ^{[30] [31]} . According to some theologians, the best age for circumcision is the seventh day after the birth of the child, since the prophet Muhammad himself circumcised his grandchildren - Hassan and Hussein - on the seventh day after their birth ^{[3] [8]} .

In some Islamic countries, circumcision is performed after the boy learns to read the entire Qur'an from beginning to end ^[3] . In Malaysia and other countries, surgery is usually performed when the boy reaches the age of ten to twelve years.

In the atheistic post-war USSR, the attitude of the authorities towards circumcision was twofold. In the post-war period in Bashkiria , special "Sunnatchi Babai" walked around the villages, who circumcised ^[32] . The Council for Religious Cults in 1955 categorically refused to prohibit circumcision and punish it. Moreover, as with the “roaming mullahs,” the Council recommended that taxes be imposed on the “Sunnatchi Babai”. At the same time, the Council categorically opposed the transfer of circumcision to representatives of registered clergy. In a secret letter dated January 14, 1955, the Council indicated to its Commissioner for the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ^[33] :

Moreover, the Council in the same letter strongly opposed the legalization of circumcision, giving the right to commit it to representatives of the registered clergy ^[34] :

In June 2012, a Cologne court equated circumcision with a felony. The local prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit after a four-year-old Muslim boy had complications after the operation. As a result, German doctors began to refuse to carry out such operations, fearing lawsuits. According to Berlin laws, in order for the child’s parents or guardians to be able to undergo surgery, they must provide written consent, present a certificate from the community to prove their religiosity, as well as familiarize themselves with the possible risks to the boy’s health ^[35] .

• Ali-zade, A. A. Khitan // Islamic Encyclopedic Dictionary . - M .: Ansar , 2007 .-- S. http://slovar-islam.ru/books/h.html#Hitan62 .
• Gogiberidze G. M. Islamic explanatory dictionary. - Rostov n / a : Phoenix, 2009 .-- 266 p. - (Dictionaries). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-222-15934-7 .
• Newby G. A Brief Encyclopedia of Islam = A Concise Encyclopedia of Islam / Per. with English .. - M .: Fair-press, 2007 .-- 384 p. - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-8183-1080-0 .

in other languages

• K̲h̲itān / Wensinck, AJ // Encyclopaedia of Islam .2 ed . - Leiden: EJ Brill , 1960-2005. (paid)

• Sattarov R. The Rite of Circumcision in Islam: A Survey of Sources Berlin, 2006.
• Kairgaliev M. On the benefits of circumcision. - The official website of the Hazret Sultan Mosque . 08/05/2012
• Omargadzhiev G. Female circumcision IslamDag.ru
• Female circumcision is not mandatory in Islam. Islam for all , 02/09/2004