Narrated AbuHuraira(ra): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said "The Prophet) Abraham circumcised himself after he had passed the age of eighty years and he circumcised himself with an adze." Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 6298; Book 79, Hadith 70; Vol. 8, Book 74, Hadith 313
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There are five acts which conform to the pure nature: Circumcision, removing of the pubic hair, clipping the nails, plucking the underarm hair and trimming the moustache." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 1203; Book 8, Hadith 213
وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "الفطرة خمس، أو خمس من الفطرة: الختان، والاستحداد، وتقليم الأظفار، ونتف الإبط، وقص الشارب" ((متفق عليه))
What is meant by these five things being part of the fitrah is that when they are done, this is in accordance with the natural pattern on which Allah made mankind and urged them to follow, so that they will be better and more perfect. This is the ancient sunnah (way) which was followed by all the prophets and which was enjoined by all the laws they brought. It is a natural and innate way. (Al-Shawkani, Nayl al-Awtar, Bab Sunan al-Fitrah). Circumcision is the Sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim and the prophets after him. Circumcision was one of the things with which Allah tested Ibrahim, His Close Friend. He did them perfectly so Allah made him a leader of mankind. It was narrated that he was the first one who was circumcised. In view of the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed as to the ruling on circumcision. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The most correct view is that it is obligatory in the case of men and Sunnah in the case of women. The difference between them is that in the case of men, it serves an interest which has to do with one of the conditions of prayer, namely purity (taharah), because if the foreskin remains, when the urine comes out of the urethra, some of it will collect there, and this causes burning and infection every time the person moves, and every time the foreskin is squeezed, some drops of urine come out, thus causing najasah (impurity). In the case of women, it serves a useful purpose which is to reduce desire. This is seeking perfection, not removing something harmful.” (Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 1/133-134) This is the view of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him). Ibn Qudamah said in al-Mughni (1/115): As for circumcision, it is obligatory for men and it is good in the case of women, but it is not obligatory for them.
Circumcision is one of the commands concerning beautification enjoined by Allah (SWT), which Allah (SWT) has prescribed for His slaves to make them beautiful both outwardly and inwardly (physically and spiritually). It is the perfection of the fitrah (natural state of man) with which He created them, and hence it is the perfection of the hanafiyyah (pure monotheism) of the religion of Ibrahim (AS). The origin of the institution of circumcision as the perfection of hanafiyyah was when Allah (SWT) made a covenant with Ibrahim (AS) and promised to make him an imaam (leader) of mankind, and promised him that he would be the father of many people, that prophets and kings would come from his loins and that his descendants would be many. And He (SWT) told him that between him and his descendants there would be the sign of the covenant, which would be that every newborn male among them would be circumcised, and so the covenant would have this sign on their bodies. Circumcision is a sign of having entered into the religion of Ibrahim (AS), and this is in accordance with the interpretation of the ayat –
صِبۡغَةَ اللّٰهِ ۚ وَمَنۡ اَحۡسَنُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ صِبۡغَةً وَّنَحۡنُ لَهٗ عٰبِدُوۡنَ
Say: “Take on Allah’s colour.” And whose colour is better than Allah’s? It is Him that we serve. (Surah 2:138)
This ayat can be translated in two ways. One of these is: 'We have taken on Allah's colour.' The other is: 'Take on Allah's colour.' On the eve of the advent of Christianity the Jews followed the practice of bathing everyone who embraced their religion. This ritual bath signified that all his previous sins had been washed away and that he had adopted a different colour for his life. This practice was subsequently taken over by the Christians and is termed 'baptism'. Not only converts but even new-born babies were baptized. The Qur'anic remarks here refer to this institution. The Qur'an says in effect: 'Of what use is this formal baptism? What really is worth doing is to adopt the colour of God, and it is not water that gives one this colour but actual service and devotion to God.'
The duty of believers is to uphold the faith and take pride in it and wear the distinctive mark of the true servants of God which makes them stand out and surpass all others in the world: “[This message takes its] hue from God; who can give a better hue than God? Him alone do we worship.” (Ayat 138) He has given a very distinctive colour to the message He has chosen to be the last to mankind. It serves as a basis on which to establish an all-embracing human unity, free of all prejudices and fanaticism, giving no special status to any race or colour. We need to reflect a little here about a unique and highly significant aspect of the Qur’ānic mode of expression. The beginning of this verse is a statement made by God: “This message takes its hue from God; who can give a better hue than God?” (Ayat 138) The rest of the verse is a statement by the believers. The Qur’ān joins both statements without anything to separate or distinguish one from the other. This is a great honour to the believers when their statement is joined to that of God, indicating their very close link with their Lord. Examples of such highly significant type of expression are numerous in the Qur’ān. The argument is then brought to its climax by posing the ultimate question: “Say, ‘Would you dispute with us about God? He is our Lord and your Lord. To us our deeds shall be credited and to you, your deeds. To Him alone we are devoted.’“ (Surah 2:139)
… So Allah has made circumcision a symbol of those who belong to Him and to His religion, and who attribute themselves to Him as being utterly enslaved to Him alone…
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "No child is born except on Al-Fitra (Islam) and then his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian, as an animal produces a perfect young animal: do you see any part of its body amputated?" Then he rec 'The religion of pure Islamic Faith (Hanifa),(i.e. to worship none but Allah), The pure Allah's Islamic nature with which He (Allah) has created mankind. Let There be no change in Allah's religion (i.e. to join none in Allah's worship). That is the straight religion; but most of men know not..." (30.30) Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4775; Book 65, Hadith 297; Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 298
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَا مِنْ مَوْلُودٍ إِلاَّ يُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ، فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ أَوْ يُمَجِّسَانِهِ، كَمَا تُنْتَجُ الْبَهِيمَةُ بَهِيمَةً جَمْعَاءَ، هَلْ تُحِسُّونَ فِيهَا مِنْ جَدْعَاءَ " ثُمَّ يَقُولُ {فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لاَ تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ}
Allah says in the Quran, (O Prophet and his followers), turn your face singlemindedly to the true Faith and adhere to the true nature on which Allah has created human beings. The mould fashioned by Allah cannot be altered. That is the True, Straight Faith, although most people do not know. (Surah 30:30)
This directive to follow the true faith is given at the right time and the proper place, following the great round of signs drawn from the universe and the human soul. It thus addresses hearts that are ready to receive it, while those that have followed deviant beliefs find all their arguments devoid of substance. They stand alone without support. This is the powerful authority that is the Qur’ān and which no heart or mind can resist.
'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are ten demands of pure nature: trimming the moustache, letting the beard grow, using Miswak (tooth-stick), snuffing up water into the nose (in ablution), paring the nails, washing the bases of the finger joints; plucking the underarm hair, removing of the pubic hair and removing impurities with water from the affected part after a call of nature." The subnarrator said: I forgot the tenth but it might possibly be the rinsing of the mouth (in ablution). [Muslim]. Reference: Riyad as-Salihin 1204; Book 8, Hadith 214
وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : "عشر من الفطرة: قص الشارب، وإعفاء اللحية، والسواك، واستنشاق الماء، وقص الأظفار، وغسل البراجم، ونتف الإبط، وحلق العانة، وانتقاص الماء" ((قال الراوي: ونسيت العاشرة إلا أن تكون المضمضة، قال: وكيع- وهو أحد رواته-)) . ((رواه مسلم)).
The point here is that the religion of Allah (SWT) is hanafiyyah (pure monotheism) which fills the heart with knowledge and love of Him (SWT) and sincerity towards Him (SWT), and worship of Him (SWT) alone with no partner or associate, and which marks the body with the characteristics of the fitrah, namely circumcision, removal of the pubic hair, trimming the moustache, cutting the nails, plucking the hair from the armpits, rinsing the mouth, rinsing the nose, using the siwaak (toothbrush made from twigs from a certain tree) and cleaning oneself after elimination of urine or faeces. So the fitrah of Allah (SWT) is manifested in the hearts of the hanifs and on their bodies.
Health Benefits of Circumcision:
1 – Protection against local infection in the penis, which may result from the presence of the foreskin, causing tightening of the foreskin, which may lead to retention of urine or infections of the glans (tip) of the penis – which require circumcision in order to treat these problems. In chronic cases, the child may be exposed to numerous diseases in the future, the most serious of which is cancer of the penis.
2 – Infections of the urethra. Many studies have proven that uncircumcised boys are more exposed to infection of the urethra. In some studies the rate was 39 times more among uncircumcised boys. In other studies the rate was ten times more. Other studies showed that 95% of children who suffered from infections of the urethra were uncircumcised, whereas the rate among circumcised children did not exceed 5%.
In children, infection of the urethra is serious in some cases. In the study by Wisewell on 88 children who suffered infections of the urethra, in 36 % of them, the same bacteria was found in the blood also. Three of them contracted meningitis, and two suffered renal failure. Two others died as a result of the spread of the micro-organisms throughout the body.
3 – Protection against cancer of the penis: the studies agree that cancer of the penis is almost non-existent among circumcised men, whereas the rate among uncircumcised men is not insignificant. In the US the rate of penile cancer among circumcised men is zero, whilst among uncircumcised men it is 2.2 in every 100,000 of the uncircumcised population. As most of the inhabitants of the US are circumcised, the cases of this cancer there are between 750 and 1000 per year. If the population were not circumcised, the number of cases would reach 3000. In countries where boys are not circumcised, such as China, Uganda and Puerto Rico, penile cancer represents between 12-22 % of all cancers found in men; this is a very high percentage.
4 – Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Researchers found that the STDs which are transmitted via sexual contact (usually because of fornication/adultery and homosexuality) spread more among those who are not circumcised, especially herpes, soft chancres, syphilis, candida, gonorrhea and genital warts.
There are numerous modern studies which confirm that circumcision reduces the possibility of contracting AIDS when compared to their uncircumcised counterparts. But that does not rule out the possibility of a circumcised man contracting AIDS as the result of sexual contact with a person who has AIDS. Circumcision is not a protection against it, and there is no real way of protecting oneself against the many sexually transmitted diseases apart from avoiding fornication/adultery, promiscuity, homosexuality and other repugnant practices. (From this we can see the wisdom of Islamic sharee’ah in forbidding fornication/adultery and homosexuality).
5 – Protection of wives against cervical cancer. Researchers have noted that the wives of circumcised men have less risk of getting cervical cancer than the wives of uncircumcised men.
Rest Allah knows best.
Source: Quran, Sunnah (Hadith), In the shade of the Quran, Islam QA, Tafsir Ibn Kathir