When one looks at the Abrahamic religions today, no Abrahamic religion actually criticizes the Circumcision. Circumcision in Islam is not a new practice. The practice of circumcision is very ancient and is related to the religion since the time of Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.), also known as Abraham in Hebrew Scriptures.
It is a common practice in Judaism to Circumcise their newborns on the 8th day. However, today’s Christians do not circumcise themselves and consider this practice compulsory during the time of Hazrat Musa (a.s.).
Few Christian sects however still consider circumcision as a compulsory practice to achieve purity and spirituality in the world life.
Whatever the scenario is, Circumcision is the practice that is prescribed by the Abrahamic Religious Scriptures. However, there are many critics who instead of having this practice in their faith unnecessarily troll Muslims for circumcising their new borns. These kind of trolls are common on the internet, and are mostly common from atheists and the Paganists. Very few Christians and Jews having enmity towards Muslim openly troll on the social Media without looking at their own scriptures. This article is an answer to all the critics who make fun of the circumcised people and answer their Questions in a concise logical manner.
Is Circumcision compulsory in Islam?
There is a crucial principle that all the inhabitants usually learn after spending a considerable amount of time on this planet i.e. People easily learn about the religious beliefs of others that are visible to them. While the majority of Muslims know about the central Christian doctrine regarding Jesus and the doctrine of life that atheists follow, the same thing applies to people of all faiths. In a similar manner, the majority of the atheists, and the followers of other faiths too know about the Doctrine of Islam and the rituals followed by the Muslims. Although having complete knowledge about any faith is a different thing and very few people have that knowledge, the things that people usually encounter while living on the planet are the rituals that they see people of other faiths doing.
Thus, the practice of Circumcision among the followers of the Abrahamic religion, especially the followers of Islam and Judaism is not hidden from anyone. To mock Muslims and other Abrahamic faiths, critics have developed ways to criticize this practice. They started Questioning Muslims, why there was a need to Circumcise the newborn. I have even heard the Question, if everyone is born a Muslim, then why ALLAH (S.W.T.) demands circumcision from innocent babies?
These Questions are common in the society where we live, and Muslims usually encounter these Questions from atheists and followers of non-Abrahamic religions.
Although circumcision in Islam is a best practice to be spiritually near to ALLAH (S.W.T.) and to keep oneself pure from every kind of filth, this practice is not compulsory in Islam. Thus, the reasoning behind every individual taking birth as a Muslim is justifiable. There are other logical reasons that can easily explain why a person is born Muslim, however those reasons will start a new topic here. Anyways, we will discuss those topics in a separate article.
To become a Muslim, one has to believe in ALLAH, his messengers, Ahl-al-Bait (a.s.), the companions of the Prophet, the angels, the four heavenly books, and all the commandments of the Qur’an.
Just circumcising oneself does not guarantee the certification of a true Muslim to anybody. A person can also be a Muslim without circumcision. There are a lot of reverts to Islam who do not get themselves circumcised as this is not a necessary practice. However, it is advised to every Muslim to get their newborns circumcised as this not only increases bodily purity but also enhances spirituality. In addition to this, circumcision has many medical benefits associated with it which the modern doctors of today have also researched, including improved sexual health and timing, improved immunity towards many STDs and STIs, and immunity towards other skin infections.
Thus, the critics pointing fingers at Circumcision in Islam must first do complete research on what is the ruling of Shariah on Circumcision and then point their fingers towards the religion. People making fun of circumcised people by calling them with different abusive slurs on the streets and in the comment sections of posts on Social Media must first read the Shari’ah rulings and the research of medical science before pointing fingers at Islam and Muslims.
WHAT ARE THE MEDICAL BENEFITS OF CIRCUMCISION IN ISLAM?
As Muslims, we have unwavering faith in Islam, and we do not question any commandment that ALLAH (S.W.T.) has bestowed. God being the Universal creator has the authority to issue commandments and we being His slaves bear the responsibility to dutifully follow his directives without any inquiry.
ALLAH (S.W.T.) has given intelligence to every Human being on this planet, and based upon that intelligence, one can figure out the true religion easily. It is obvious that when someone walks over the Filth, he will get impure. Similarly, the God i.e. ALLAH (S.W.T.) is all-powerful, all-wise, and almighty. There is no doubt in it and he is free from every kind of defect. This kind of knowledge ALLAH embeds in the DNA of everyone and everybody is born with this information. Later, after encountering diverse philosophies and life experiences, the people’s views about God change, and this is the reason we have people of diverse faiths. However, reality remains the reality. There is a creator and He is all-powerful. If there had been no medical research to prove the advantages of Circumcision in Islam, we still would have not stopped circumcising our newborns. The reason is simple. It is because we live by the commandments of God. We don’t argue with God and defy his decisions.
Turning to the medical benefits of circumcision, an exploration involving consultations with various medical experts and different articles on this topic from reputable health organizations reveals noteworthy advantages. Some of these benefits include:
- Minor risks of Foreskin infections: It is easier to clean the circumcised Penis. When a non-circumcised individual urinates and cleans himself, chances are that some of the filth is not washed away with water and remains stuck inside the uncut extra skin of the penis. This could lead to itching, inflammation, and several other foreskin infections. However, individuals having circumcised penis are usually free from these kinds of foreskin infections as they can clean their sexual part thoroughly with water.
- Minor Chances of Penile Cancer: According to medical research, circumcised individuals have less chance of catching Penile cancer. In addition to this, the partners of circumcised individuals are less likely to receive cervical cancer.
- Lower Risks of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs): Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are common nowadays. Circumcised individuals are at much lower risk to STDs and STIs than non-circumcised people. In addition to this, Urinary Tract Infections are more prevalent among uncircumcised males.
- High Spirituality and Nearness to God: ALLAH (S.W.T.) loves those people who are pure. Purity, both bodily and spiritual is highly esteemed in Islam. The presence of one without a second and vice-versa is not going to yield any fruitful results. The circumcised individual can thoroughly clean their sexual Organ from Urine filth and can stand pure in front of God. A person attains salvation and nearness to God easily and quickly in the state of Purity, as every religion stands on a common viewpoint that God loves people possessing bodily and moral purity. It doesn’t matter how little the impurity is, an impurity is always an impurity and even a small amount of it makes an individual impure.
The above-highlighted points represent a fraction of the benefits related to circumcision. There are many other benefits in addition to the above-listed points. Consulting a medical professional can reveal a big list of advantages. However, it is essential to note that circumcision should only be performed by an expert surgeon to avoid complications like excessive bleeding and infections.
In response to critics who even after knowing the benefits of circumcision that it is a painful procedure and must not be done, my question to them is, if circumcision is a painful procedure, then why do they inject babies with a pointed needle? Obviously, People don’t want their babies to catch certain viruses and get ill. This is the reason they let their babies bear the pain of pointed sharp needles into their tender skin. If something is good for our health even though it is painful, then why one should skip it? Apart from this, many individuals willingly go through painful procedures while getting a tattoo at their favorite spot. There are a lot of answers to this criticism. However, answering the unnecessary objection of every individual is not of any use. The practice of circumcision has been in practice since ancient times promoting both Physical, and sexual well-being, and spiritual proximity to God.
