The Quran and the authentic Sunnah do not establish female circumcision as a universal religious duty or a confirmed Prophetic Sunnah for every Muslim girl. The explicit reports about cutting women are weak or disputed, and the sound texts sometimes cited are either general or descriptive. They cannot be used to justify harmful genital cutting or to impose a cultural practice as religion.
The Evidence Often Cited
The report in Sunan Abi Dawud
The report most often quoted is the narration of a woman in Madinah who used to circumcise girls, and the Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have told her not to cut severely.
"Do not cut severely, for that is better for the woman and more desirable to the husband."
Sunan Abi Dawud 5251 - graded weak by Abu Dawud himself and criticized in its chain
Abu Dawud indicated that this report is not strong, mentioned that it was also narrated in mursal form, and criticized an unknown narrator in its chain. Some later scholars tried to strengthen it through supporting routes, but even on that more favorable view it is not a command to circumcise girls. It is addressed to an existing practitioner and, at most, restricts an existing custom by forbidding excessive cutting and harm.
The wording "a Sunnah for men and an honor for women"
Another wording often quoted says:
"Circumcision is a Sunnah for men and an honor for women."
Reported by Ahmad and al-Bayhaqi - weak in its chains
This narration is not authentic enough to establish a religious ruling. Also, even its wording does not say that female circumcision is obligatory; it distinguishes between men and women by calling it a Sunnah for men and a makrumah, an honor or noble custom, for women. A weak report cannot be used to impose a procedure on Muslim women or to claim that it is a confirmed Prophetic Sunnah for every girl.
The hadith of "the two circumcised parts"
The authentic hadith in Sahih Muslim concerns the obligation of ghusl after intercourse:
"When the circumcised part touches the circumcised part, ghusl becomes obligatory."
Sahih Muslim 349
This hadith is descriptive, not prescriptive. It shows that the expression "the two circumcised parts" was known in Arabic usage and that the legal ruling of ghusl applies after penetration. It does not command female circumcision, praise it, define it, or make it a Sunnah.
What the Quran and Authentic Sunnah Establish
The Quran does not mention female circumcision. This alone would not settle every legal question, because the authentic Sunnah is also a source of Islamic law. However, anyone claiming a religious duty or a confirmed Sunnah must bring clear authentic evidence, and that evidence is absent here.
The authentic hadith of fitra mentions circumcision in general:
"Five are from the fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, trimming the moustache, clipping the nails, and plucking the armpit hair."
Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim
This is sound evidence for circumcision in Islamic law, most clearly for males. Whether its general wording extends to females, and with what ruling, was a matter of juristic disagreement. It does not define a female procedure, does not command that every Muslim girl undergo one, and cannot be used to justify practices that cause harm.
What Scholars Actually Said
There is no consensus that female circumcision is obligatory. Classical jurists discussed the issue because some form of it existed in certain societies. The Shafii school is known for treating it as obligatory, while many other jurists did not consider it obligatory and described the female form, if practiced, as a limited khafd or makrumah. This disagreement itself shows that the matter is not established by a decisive text.
If by "Sunna" someone means a clear, authenticated Prophetic instruction for all Muslim females, then the answer is no. If one means that some jurists allowed or recommended a very limited practice in societies where it existed, that is a juristic discussion and not proof for imposing harmful cutting as religion.
It is also essential not to confuse the limited procedure discussed in some classical legal books with severe genital cutting, removal, or infibulation practiced in some cultures today. Those harmful forms are not Islamic rites.
The Principle of No Harm
Islamic law gives great weight to the protection of the body, dignity, and welfare. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
لا ضرر ولا ضرار
"There should be neither harm nor reciprocating harm."
Muwatta Malik, Book 36, Hadith 31; also reported through supporting routes
Although Malik's version is mursal, the hadith is strengthened by other routes and was accepted by jurists as a major legal maxim. Therefore, any practice that causes lasting pain, sexual harm, psychological trauma, loss of normal function, or medically recognized injury is forbidden. Custom is only considered in Islamic law when it does not contradict the Sharia, and culture cannot be dressed up as religion when it violates the principle of no harm.
Conclusion
Female circumcision should not be presented as a Quranic command, a universal religious duty, or a confirmed Prophetic Sunnah for every Muslim girl. The explicit narrations used to promote it are weak or disputed; even if some are accepted, they regulate an existing custom and forbid excess. The authentic hadiths do not command it. Harmful genital cutting is prohibited, and Muslims must distinguish carefully between limited juristic discussions, local cultural practices, and the core Islamic teachings of mercy, dignity, and the prevention of harm.