. The Quran itself does not mention circumcision explicitly in any verse. This has also been attested by the classical Muslim scholar
al-Jāḥiẓ, as well as by the Roman-Jewish historian
Flavius Josephus. According to some
ḥadīth reports, Muhammad was born without a
foreskin, Some
ḥadīth report that
Heraclius,
Emperor of the
Byzantine Empire, had referred to Muhammad as "the king of the circumcised". According to some other
ḥadīth reports, Muhammad supposedly circumcised his grandsons,
Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī and
Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, on the seventh day after their birth.
Sahih al-Bukhari and
Sahih Muslim also quote Muhammad saying that
Abraham performed his own circumcision at the age of eighty. According to
historians of religion and scholars of
religious studies, the Islamic tradition of circumcision was derived from the
pagan practices and rituals of
pre-Islamic Arabia. Islamic scholars have diverse opinions on the obligatory nature of male circumcision, with some considering it mandatory (
wājib), while others view it as only being highly recommended (
sunnah).
Shīʿīte traditions, however, such as those practised in
Iran, have the most stringent requirements for male circumcision, since it is seen as a ritual of purification akin to
Christian baptism rather than an initiation to adulthood.
Sunnī Islam In the
Sunnī branch of Islam, the
four schools of Islamic jurisprudence have different opinions and attitudes towards circumcision;
Shīa Islam Within the
Shīʿīte branch of Islam, some but not all Shīʿīte denominations regard the practice as obligatory. They rely on sayings that come from
classical Shīʿīte Muslim scholars. In one narration Muhammad was asked if an uncircumcised man could go to pilgrimage. He answered "not as long as he is not circumcised". They quote
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as saying: "If a man becomes Muslim, he must submit to circumcision even if he is 80 years old." Another narration from
Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, the
6th Shīʿīte Imam, says: "Circumcise your sons when they are seven days old as it is cleaner (
athar) and the flesh grows faster and because the earth hates the
urine of the uncircumcised." It is also believed that the urine of the uncircumcised is impure, while if one prays with unclean genitals their prayer may not be considered as acceptable, even of those who have been circumcised, meaning that it may have to be repeated again at a time when the believer has purified themselves and removed the impurity. Another
hadith attributed to Muhammad states: "the earth cries out to God in anguish because of the urine of the uncircumcised", and that "the earth becomes defiled from the urine of the uncircumcised for forty days."
Alevism Circumcision has historically been practiced among
Alevis in
Turkey, though it is not a religious requirement in Alevism, which places greater emphasis on ethical conduct and inner spirituality than on ritual observance. Scholars and community observers note that the practice among Alevis has primarily resulted from broader societal pressure and the influence of dominant Sunni Muslim norms rather than from Alevi religious doctrine. In recent decades, circumcision has declined, particularly among more secular Alevi families, with younger generations increasingly viewing it as unnecessary and unrelated to Alevi beliefs, and many Modern Alevis families choosing to leave the decision up to the individual. ==Procedure==